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- The foldable Apple iPhone Duo officially launched in Australia today.
- Customers queued at the George Street Apple Store, but the line was shorter than expected.
- One customer paid $250 via Airtasker to hold their spot, which ironically wasn’t necessary.
- The device features a massive 7.6-inch inner display and the powerful A20 Pro chip.
- Pricing for the highly anticipated foldable starts at AUD$3,499.
It’s been a week since we first put our hands on the iPhone Duo, so make sure you check out our review. But for those who were particularly keen on the device, it was an early start at 8 a.m. outside the Apple Store on George Street, Sydney, where they would be the first customers in the world to try out the brand’s first foldable.
I head into the CBD to cover this launch every year, and given the hype surrounding Apple’s first-ever foldable device, I was expecting chaos. However, the queue for the new iPhone Duo was surprisingly orderly. You certainly didn’t need to camp out overnight to get your hands on the latest hardware this time around, which made the morning’s most entertaining storyline even funnier. I was made aware that one eager, sockless buyer, Jeremy Cabral from Finder.com.au, had jumped on Airtasker and paid someone $250 just to hold their spot in line.
While he skipped a short queue for a highly anticipated $3,499 device, the irony of paying a premium to bypass a line that barely stretched around the block wasn’t lost on anyone in attendance.
Despite the brief wait, those who did show up early would be walking home with Apple’s most innovative product since the Vision Pro. Securing a device on day one means committing to a hefty AUD$3,499 price tag, but it unlocks a massive 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR inner display, the new A20 Pro chipset, split-view multitasking, and many more features that I’ve broken down in my article on iPhone Duo things you need to know before you buy. It’s a huge leap in form factor, and early adopters were eager to choose between the two refined finishes available today: Night Sky and Star White.
1/33People Were Paying to Have Someone Stand in Line
We’re not opposed to a little bit of friendly marketing, and the reality is that when a hot new product launches, people don’t want to line up for it, and they figure out clever ways to save time. I’ll never forget the line for the Supreme x Louis Vuitton activation in Bondi Beach, with people literally sleeping on the sidewalk for a week to get their hands on a box logo hoodie. According to Tim Fung, CEO and Founder of Airtasker, that’s the situation we were dealing with here with the iPhone Duo, and some people were offering up to $350 for someone willing to line up or collect the phone on their behalf.
“One person’s idea of a nightmare of standing in a queue for hours is someone else’s opportunity to make a few hundred dollars! That’s the beauty of Airtasker. People are constantly coming up with new ways to save time and make money,” said Tim Fung, CEO and Founder of Airtasker. “Paying someone to queue is nothing new on Airtasker. In fact, one of our earliest tasks involved someone lining up for an Apple product launch,” added Mr Fung.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen people paying someone to queue for an Apple product, in 2012, we had a Tasker spend five days outside an Apple Store waiting for a new iPad for someone keen to get their hands on it.”
1/6What the Early Adopters Are Getting
If you’re dropping $3,499 on a smartphone, you expect top-tier innovation, and the Duo delivers. I’ve already spent some time with the device, and it completely reimagines what an iPhone can do. Closed, it feels like a passport in your hand, sporting a 5.4-inch outer screen protected by the new Ceramic Shield 2.
Open it up, and you’re greeted by the largest iPhone display ever made. The 7.6-inch inner screen is 50 per cent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max and features a nano-texture finish that minimises the appearance of the crease.
The brand also completely redesigned the OS for this form factor. The new iOS 27 brings Split View multitasking to the iPhone for the first time, allowing you to run two apps side by side effortlessly, while the 100-component precision hinge lets you prop the phone up like a tent to watch videos or use the reimagined StandBy mode.
Pricing and Availability
The new foldable iPhone Duo is officially available in stores from today, Friday, October 23, 2026.
iPhone Duo Key Specifications
- Design: Grade 5 titanium frame with a micro-blasted 3D-printed hinge cover
- Performance: A20 Pro chip with advanced thermal vapour chamber for 35% higher sustained performance
- Battery: Dual-battery architecture offering up to 24 hours of typical use per charge
- Software: iOS 27 featuring Split View multitasking and Siri AI
- Starting Price: From AUD$3,499 inc. GST
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