Production Update
A new report from the Chinese publication Jiemian News revealed both bad news and good news about iPhone Duo production.
According to the article, Apple has not completed the expected mass production ramp-up for the company's first foldable phone. Foxconn, Apple's manufacturing partner, has only managed a yield rate of 60%, even with a small production run.
The yield percentage refers to the number of viable devices created during a manufacturing run. At 60%, that means 40% of the produced devices have some flaw that would prevent Apple from selling them.
Even before the announcement earlier this month, it was rumored that Apple was having production issues and that it would only be available in "extremely limited stock." Largely, this is based on the complicated manufacturing process for the foldable phone.
Quality Control and Yield
Here's the caveated good news: per Jiemian, the low yield is thanks to Apple's quality standards, which the company refuses to relax.
"The supply chain is now waiting for Apple to make a decision on whether to relax the quality requirements," an unnamed source who is allegedly close to the Foxconn supply chain told the outlet (machine translated). "If the quality requirements are relaxed, it will be possible to move towards mass production more quickly."
The source reported that the production line is still debugging the process and repeatedly adjusting things during actual production to optimize equipment and processes.
Reportedly, delays in receiving Samsung Display's OLED panels and some hinge-components have also contributed to delays and lower yields.
Manufacturing isn't expecting to reach maturity for at least another six months.
Apple is only expected to produce around 6 to 8 million iPhone Duo units for its global inventory, a third of what the company will make for the more mature iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which should get between 20 and 30 million.
Market Expectations and Pricing
If Apple is able to sell out an initial inventory of 8 million Duos, that would be a major win for the company.
We're still two weeks out from the launch date of October 16, and you can preorder now if you're interested.
With a starting price of $1,999, Apple's take on the foldable is more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, but it's nice to know that Apple's high standards means you should get a quality, working device if you buy one.
Apple is causing quite the stir with the Duo but, it'll be interesting to see if customers respond. As we found in a recent reader poll, most of you are more interested in the Z Fold 8 which has seen a surge in popularity since Apple's announcement.
