Apple’s new CEO John Ternus holds the new foldable iPhone Duo during the Apple event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, USA, September 9, 2026. Carlos Barria | Reuters Apple’s first foldable phone is receiving a lukewarm response from Chinese consumers, who are more focused on how much it costs versus existing foldables from domestic rivals. “I won’t buy it this year. I’ll buy the second-generation foldable next year,” said a user on social media platform WeChat, as translated by CNBC, after Apple announced the iPhone Duo at an event on Wednesday. It is priced at 15,999 yuan ($2,230) in China. American consumers “make about $3,000 to $4,000 a month and buy it for $1,999. We make about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan and spend 10,000 yuan on it,” one commenter wrote in a review of a WeChat video translated by CNBC. Apple shares rose more than 3% after the launch event. But the company faces a key test in its third-largest market, Greater China, which generates about 17% of total revenue and is one of the most competitive foldable phone markets in the world. Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, Oppo and Vivo already sell devices with book-style designs, foldable phones and, in the case of Huawei, triple designs. That means that in China, the iPhone Duo is entering a more established category than in many other foreign markets. Ahead of the Apple event, Xiaomi and Huawei on Monday launched new flagship foldable devices, the Xiaomi 18 Fold and the triple Mate XT2, priced at 10,999 yuan and 19,999 yuan. Apple’s Duo is “cheaper than Huawei. Can you accept it?” wrote one WeChat commenter. Huawei led China’s smartphone market in both the first and second quarters, according to Counterpoint. Apple came in second, followed by Vivo and Oppo, according to the data. Globally, Samsung has narrowly regained the lead over Apple in smartphone shipments in the second quarter, while Xiaomi took third place, according to Counterpoint. Earlier this year, Samsung launched a new version of its foldable phone and is expected to overtake Apple in foldable market share, a considerable lead of 32% compared to Apple and Huawei at 25% and 24% respectively, according to the research. In addition to the price, users on Chinese social media also raised concerns about the Duo’s lack of a physical SIM card slot, which may require mainland users to visit a carrier store to verify their identity and activate an eSIM. Available for purchase starting Thursday. Huawei’s Mate XT2 follows days later. Pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone Duo are scheduled to begin on October 16, with sales beginning on October 23. CNBC’s Jenny Lee contributed to this report.
