iPhone Duo Launch Sparks Chinese Netizens' Reaction: 'Priced Out of the Sky, We'll Buy When It Drops'

Apple (AAPL-US) held its new product launch event on Wednesday, September 9, at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, unveiling the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone. When folded, the device is roughly the size and shape of a passport, and when unfolded, it features a 7.6-inch display—the largest screen ever on an iPhone.

This marks the first product launch event led by Apple's new CEO, Ternas, since taking office, and the release of the iPhone Duo signifies Apple's official entry into the foldable smartphone market.

According to Apple's official website, pre-orders for the iPhone Duo will begin globally at 8:00 PM on October 16, with the official release on October 23. Available colors include Night Sky and Starlight White. The iPhone Duo adopts a pure eSIM design worldwide, with no physical SIM card slot.

The new iPhone sets the highest price in iPhone history. The starting price for the iPhone Duo in mainland China (Mainland China version) is RMB 15,999 for the 256GB model, with the 512GB model priced at RMB 17,999, the 1TB model at RMB 21,499, and the 2TB model at RMB 26,499.

According to a report by the Southern Metropolis Daily on the 10th, following the product launch, topics such as #iPhone18ProPrice and #iPhoneDuoPrice trended on Chinese social media. Many Chinese netizens criticized the steep price increase.

Yang_silly: 'Outrageous price, priced out of the sky.'

Yimo Cheng: 'The design gets worse every year.'

Fleshida Ma: 'iPad is still more convenient to use. I don't like the crease in the middle.'

MR__Tang: 'Even the iPhone 17 went up by 800. The wait-and-see strategy is completely defeated.'

Shu12138: 'Those who truly like it probably don't care about the price.'

Alano: 'When will it drop in price? I'll buy it when it does.'

Youke Gun Dan Ma: 'There's not even a base model?'

Meigui Ji Haohuo: 'I thought it was made of pure gold.'

Yao Mi Kiki: 'The appearance isn't much different from previous models. The only difference is that it's too expensive. So what exactly makes it so costly?'