UAE retailers report an enthusiastic response to Apple’s first foldable phone, but supply is tight and some variants are temporarily not available
Demand for Apple’s iPhone Duo has outstripped supply at UAE retailers, with some reporting that initial stock sold out within hours of its launch, while others said certain variants were temporarily unavailable.
Apple’s first foldable smartphone is set to go on sale in the UAE on October 23, 2026, with pre-orders having opened on October 16. The device starts at Dh8,499, but strong demand could delay deliveries for customers placing orders now.
UAE prices for the Duo are Dh8,499 for 256GB, Dh9,349 for 512GB, Dh11,049 for 1TB and Dh13,599 for 2TB, making it Apple’s most expensive phone ever.
As reported by media earlier, traders in Deira said some buyers were willing to pay a premium of up to Dh2,500 for immediate availability. Analysts have also said they expect Apple to sell every iPhone Duo it can make, although the price could make it harder to sell in the UAE because of the significant price gap with rival foldables, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, which costs about Dh3,000 less.
Mohammad Yousuf Badri, director of Eros Group, described a similarly positive response, particularly among customers drawn to the foldable design.
However, he said availability varied by colour and storage configuration.
“Certain variants may be temporarily unavailable, in which case customers would need to wait for the next allocation,” Badri said. The retailer is working with its supply partners to replenish stock and keep waiting times to a minimum, he added.
Badri also urged caution when assessing how long the momentum would last.
“There’s a difference between initial excitement and sustained demand,” he said, adding that the company was tracking customer enquiries, actual orders and stock movement to assess how interest translated into sales.
Badri said the 512GB variant was attracting the most interest, followed by the 1TB and 256GB models. In terms of colours, he said Night Sky was preferred by male customers, while Star White appeared more popular among female customers, although interest in the two shades was “fairly balanced” overall.
The iPhone Duo is priced well above the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which starts at Dh5,499 in the UAE, so buy now, pay later (BNPL) options could appeal to buyers.
The Eros Group director said flexible payment options become more relevant at this price point and could make higher-storage variants more accessible.
While some customers prefer to pay upfront and others like to spread the cost, he said there was no evidence yet of a major shift towards instalment payments.
“I wouldn’t want to suggest there’s been a major shift towards instalment payments without having the actual figures to support that,” he said.
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