iPhone Duo pre-orders open Friday night in Australia, from A$3,499

Apple’s first folding iPhone goes on pre-order in Australia this Friday night. The Australian store page says iPhone Duo pre-orders start at 11:00 pm AEDT on 16 October, and the phone goes on sale a week later, on Friday 23 October. Prices start at A$3,499.

That is a lot of money for a phone, and the Duo comes with some trade-offs. Here is what the Australian pages say, and what is worth checking before Friday.

When, and how much

The Australian time is late because it lines up with 5 am Pacific time in Apple’s US release. On our conversion, 11:00 pm AEDT is 10 pm in Brisbane, 10:30 pm in Adelaide, 9:30 pm in Darwin and 8 pm in Perth. Apple’s Australian press release says “11 p.m. AEST”, but the store and product pages both say AEDT, and that is the time that matches the US release.

Australia is in the first group of more than 70 countries and regions. The Australian store prices, including GST, are:

Storage	Australian price
256GB	A$3,499
512GB	A$3,899
1TB	A$4,699
2TB	A$5,899

Both colours, Star White and Night Sky, cost the same. The US price starts at US$1,999, so budget from the local price, not a currency conversion.

The store page is already headed “Get ready for iPhone Duo pre-order” and lets you choose a colour and capacity ahead of time. Telstra has a coming-soon page listing the same pre-order time.

What you get

The Duo opens like a book. Closed, it has a 5.4-inch screen on the outside. Open, it has a 7.6-inch screen inside, which Apple says is 50 per cent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max display. The Australian specifications list it at 254 grams, 5.2 mm thick when open and 11.3 mm when closed.

It runs the A20 Pro chip, the same one as the iPhone 18 Pro. On the big screen it can show two apps side by side, or two windows of one app. The frame is titanium and the phone is rated IP68 for water and dust. Apple’s footnote says that resistance can decrease with normal wear, and that liquid damage isn’t covered by the warranty, though you may have rights under consumer law.

Battery life, by Apple’s own tests on pre-production units, is up to 24 hours of typical use when both screens are used equally. Apple hasn’t published how many times the hinge is tested to fold. It also doesn’t claim the inner screen has no crease: the release says the nano-texture finish creates a matte surface that “minimises crease visibility”.

What you give up

Four things are worth knowing before you order.

It is eSIM-only. There is no SIM tray, here or anywhere else. Apple’s release names Telstra, Optus and Vodafone among the carriers that support eSIM. If you are on a smaller provider, confirm it offers eSIM before you order. Phones bought from Apple’s Australian store are unlocked.

There is no Face ID. The Duo unlocks with Touch ID in the side button. Apple’s release says it can also be unlocked with an Apple Watch.

There is no dedicated telephoto lens. The two rear cameras are a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra wide. Apple’s specifications list a 12-megapixel “optical-quality 2x Telephoto” that comes from the main camera, and no separate telephoto lens.

There is no charger in the box. You get a USB-C cable. Apple’s fast-charging figure, up to 50 per cent in about 20 minutes, needs a 60W or higher adapter, sold separately.

Two features are also not ready at launch. Apple says Apple Pencil support is coming later this year. And iPhone Handoff, a new way to move one number between two iPhones, launches with one carrier in the United States and one in Germany, so not with Australian carriers.

Siri AI is a beta

Apple promotes Siri AI on the Australian page. Its footnotes say the feature is available in beta, in English to start, and has daily usage limits on the features that run on Apple’s servers. They also say expanded access “will be available for a fee in the future”. Apple hasn’t said what that will cost.

Cover costs extra, and comes later

Apple’s Australian AppleCare page lists AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss for the Duo at A$29.99 a month or A$299.99 a year. Paid monthly, that is about A$360 a year on our calculation. For comparison, the same cover for an iPhone 18 Pro is A$22.49 a month.

Australia has a local rule here. Apple says that because of local regulations, AppleCare cover can be bought four days after the phone ships or is picked up. People who already have an AppleCare One plan can add the phone with no waiting period.

With AppleCare+, the same page lists iPhone service fees of A$45 for a damaged screen or back glass and A$149 for other accidental damage. A footnote adds that for the iPhone Duo “a separate service fee applies for the replacement of cover layer”. The page doesn’t give that amount, and we could not find a price there for a hinge repair or for repairs without AppleCare+. That is worth asking before you decide on cover. Whatever you buy, the warranty and AppleCare sit on top of your rights under Australian Consumer Law.

For another large-screen option at a lower price, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12 range arrives in Australia on 22 October.

Checklist

• Check your mobile provider supports eSIM. The iPhone Duo has no SIM tray, so a provider without eSIM won’t work with it.
• Set a reminder for the pre-order time. Pre-orders open at 11:00 pm AEDT on Friday 16 October: 10 pm in Brisbane, 10:30 pm in Adelaide, 9:30 pm in Darwin and 8 pm in Perth.
• Choose your storage using the Australian prices. A$3,499 for 256GB, A$3,899 for 512GB, A$4,699 for 1TB and A$5,899 for 2TB.
• Budget for a charger. The box has a USB-C cable only, and fast charging needs a 60W or higher USB-C adapter.
• Decide on AppleCare+ before the phone arrives. Apple says Australian buyers can add it four days after the phone ships or is picked up, at A$29.99 a month or A$299.99 a year.
• Ask Apple what the iPhone Duo’s cover-layer and hinge repairs cost. Apple’s AppleCare page says a separate cover-layer fee applies but doesn’t give the amount.