Apple began taking preorders in South Korea on the 16th for the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, ahead of a full launch on the 23rd. The country's three mobile carriers rolled out a range of incentives to win subscribers.
SK Telecom (017670) is offering benefits worth up to 2.21 million won ($1,540) through trade-in credits, installment purchases with affiliated credit cards, and an early-reservation credit for the first 1,000 customers, according to the telecom industry. Customers who turn in an old handset through the carrier's T Anshim Bosang program with Mintit can receive up to 1.17 million won, based on a grade-A iPhone 17 Pro with 256GB of storage. The first 1,000 customers get an additional special credit of up to 200,000 won at T Direct Shop. Buyers who pay in installments with a Samsung Card T Premium card and spend at least 800,000 won a month can receive a total of 840,000 won in discounts over two years.
KT (030200) prepared benefits worth up to 1.44 million won, including free AirPods Pro 3 depending on the service plan. KT Direct Shop is guaranteeing launch-day delivery for preorder customers.
LG Uplus (032640) is offering benefits worth up to 1.13 million won. The carrier also introduced a "70% Compensation Pass," an early trade-in plan that reimburses up to 70% of the retail price if customers return the handset from the sixth month after activation. The iPhone Duo can also be tried at Ilsang Bilsangui Teum, a space recently remodeled as a participatory art platform.
The iPhone Duo is priced from 3.29 million won to 5.09 million won. It comes in four storage options — 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB — and two colors, Star White and Night Sky.
The device is a book-type foldable that closes inward like a book. Folded, it measures 136 millimeters with a thickness of 11.3 millimeters. Unfolded, it measures 193.0 millimeters with a thickness of 5.2 millimeters and weighs 254 grams. The inner display uses a nano-texture layer that makes the crease less visible and reduces reflections. It is built around Apple's latest A20 Pro chip and a 48-megapixel Dual Fusion main camera. The phone supports Apple Pencil input and, in a first for an Apple smartphone, offers multitasking that lets users split the screen and run multiple applications at once.