The iPhone Duo is here. Well, it was here for a very short time. Now, it's sold out on Apple.com and won't ship to anyone who pre-orders for quite some time. As more people place orders, we expect that date to shift back even further.
But Apple's website isn't the only way to pre-order an iPhone Duo, and we're scouring the internet looking for the best iPhone Duo preorder deals. Whether it's through local carriers, electronics retailers or elsewhere, we're here to show you where to find the hottest new phone (we won't link any, but if you're truly desperate and willing to vastly overpay, scalpers will probably be an option, too).
Quick Links — Check stock and find deals
- T-Mobile: up to $1,000 off w/ new line + unlimited
- Verizon: up to $1,000 off w/ trade-in + unlimited
- AT&T: up to $1,200 off w/ new line + trade-in
- Xfinity Mobile: up to $1,000 off w/ trade + unlimited
- Mint Mobile: any 6-month plan for $10/month
- Red Pocket: $100 off + data from $10/month
- Best Buy: up to $1,200 off w/ activation + trade-in
- Apple Store: up to $885 off w/ trade-in @ Apple
- iPhone accessories: from $4 @ Amazon
Current wait times for iPhone Duo pre-orders
The first place most people check for iPhone Duo pre-orders is the one that's currently the most backed up, with current shipping estimates pushed all the way back to late January.View Deal
Best Buy has iPhone Duo models available to ship as early as October 23, with some carriers offering a November 3 ship date through Best Buy. That's much earlier than January, when Apple is currently set to ship. Just be sure to choose the right carrier, as each model is tied to a specific one on the Best Buy landing page.View Deal
Walmart has the iPhone Duo pre-order listing available for all three carriers (AT&T, Best Buy and Verizon), and it says the 256GB Star White T-Mobile version will arrive by October 27, which is much quicker than almost everyone else.View Deal
iPhone Duo:
You can try your luck directly with T-Mobile if it's your preferred carrier. However, current shipping times are slipping into mid-December, so it may not be your best option.View Deal
Verizon is doing a little better than T-Mobile, with the current ship date being November 14 for the iPhone Duo in white with 256GB of space. It's not October 23, but for Verizon customers, it's not too bad a wait.View Deal
AT&T is a similar boat to Verizon, promising a November 9 ship date for the iPhone Duo. But like all of the carriers and retailers, these dates will shift, and if you want a phone, your best bet is to jump on it while you can.View Deal
iPhone Duo pre-orders — Live updates
Apple is not your best bet
Most people head straight to Apple when they want to pre-order an Apple device. This is a logical choice in most cases, but when demand is high, it might actually be the worst option.
As of this post, the iPhone Duo in white is scheduled to ship on January 25. Black is no better, with a January 25 ship date. Even more surprising is that the dates don't get better if you go up in size — the 2TB version is also slated to ship on January 25 in both colors.
Major carriers are getting pushed back, too
iPhone Duo:
You can try your luck directly with T-Mobile if it's your preferred carrier. However, current shipping times are slipping into mid-December, so it may not be your best option.View Deal
Verizon is doing a little better than T-Mobile, with the current ship date being November 14 for the iPhone Duo in white with 256GB of space. It's not October 23, but for Verizon customers, it's not too bad a wait.View Deal
AT&T is a similar boat to Verizon, promising a November 9 ship date for the iPhone Duo. But like all of the carriers and retailers, these dates will shift, and if you want a phone, your best bet is to jump on it while you can.View Deal
Unfortunately, heading to your local carrier isn't going to get you an iPhone on launch day. Each of the big three is pushed back by at least a few weeks, with T-Mobile being the worst.
As a matter of fact, you can't get a Duo on launch day from any major retailer. No matter where you decide to go, you'll be stuck waiting a bit, as the day-one pre-orders sold out in just seconds.
Did you expect this much demand?
I expected the iPhone Duo to be popular. I expected it to be very popular, but I didn't expect the ship date to jump back 3+ months already within a couple of hours of the phone becoming available.
Anyone who doubted Apple would significantly boost the foldable phone market has been proven wrong. Sure, scalpers are almost certainly buying lots of devices, but there's clearly demand from across the phone space.
Someone paid $3,777 for an iPhone Duo...
Long before phones hit users' hands, scalpers were already hitting eBay to sell them at extreme prices. And they're not just asking for extreme prices; they're getting them.
One eBay user spent $3,777 for a 1TB iPhone Duo that's scheduled for store pickup on October 24.
Presumably, that means the buyer won't get it for a few days after that. That's an $1,100 markup for the scalper, which is a great payday for them and a sad day for the rest of us.
$4,999.99...
And now someone has paid $4,999 for a 2TB iPhone Duo.
That's an $1,800 price gouge by the scalper.
Ouch. But congratulations to both parties, I guess?