Apple’s new CEO John Ternus holds the new foldable iPhone Duo during an Apple event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, USA on September 9, 2026.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
appleThe company’s first foldable phone has received a lukewarm response from Chinese consumers, who are focused on how much it costs compared to existing foldable phones from domestic competitors.
“I won’t buy it this year. I’ll buy the second-generation foldable next year,” said one user on social media platform WeChat after Apple announced the iPhone Duo at an event on Wednesday, according to a translation by CNBC. The price in China is 15,999 yuan ($2,230).
American consumers “earn $3,000-4,000 a month and buy for $1,999. We earn 3,000-4,000 yuan and spend 10,000 yuan on it,” one commenter wrote in a WeChat video review translated by CNBC.
Apple stock rose more than 3% after the launch event.
But the company faces a key test in its third-largest Greater China market, which generates about 17% of its total revenue and is one of the world’s most competitive foldable smartphone markets.
Huawei, xiaomiHonor, Oppo, and Vivo already sell devices with book-style, flip phones, and, in the case of Huawei, tri-fold designs. That means the iPhone Duo is entering a more established category in China than in many other overseas markets.
Ahead of Apple’s event, Xiaomi and Huawei on Monday launched new flagship foldable models, Xiaomi 18 Fold and tri-fold Mate XT2, priced at 10,999 yuan and 19,999 yuan.
Apple’s Duo is “cheaper than Huawei. Is it acceptable?” one WeChat commenter wrote.
According to Counterpoint, Huawei led China’s smartphone market in both the first and second quarters. According to the data, Apple came in second place, followed by Vivo and Oppo.
Globally, Samsung narrowly regained its lead over Apple in smartphone shipments in the second quarter, while Xiaomi ranked third, according to Counterpoint. According to the study, Samsung launched a new version of its foldable phone earlier this year and is expected to surpass Apple in foldable market share, holding a significant lead of 32% compared to 25% and 24% for Apple and Huawei, respectively.
In addition to the price, Chinese social media users have also expressed concerns about the Duo’s lack of a physical SIM card slot, and mainland users may need to visit a carrier store for ID verification to activate the eSIM.
Xiaomi’s 18 Fold will be available for purchase starting Thursday. Huawei’s Mate XT2 will follow in a few days. Pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone Duo will begin on October 16th, with sales scheduled to begin on October 23rd.
—CNBC’s Jenny Lee contributed to this report.
