Scalpers charge $448 extra for Apple iPhone Duo in Beijing
Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, launched in China on Friday with strong initial demand, leading to scalpers offering customers an extra 3,000 Chinese yuan ($448) to buy their devices immediately. Alex Wang, a scalper outside the Sanlitun store in Beijing, attributed the premium pricing to tight supply, predicting the high resale value would persist for half a month. Counterpoint…
Key points
- Scalpers in Beijing offered buyers an extra 3,000 Chinese yuan ($448) for new iPhone Duo units on launch day.
- Apple restricted online purchases to two phones per customer, with delivery timelines stretching to January 2027.
- Beijing approved Alibaba AI models for use in the iPhone Duo as part of Apple's pending AI rollout in China.
The launch coincided with aggressive moves by Chinese rivals. Huawei recently launched its Mate XT2 trifold phone, priced at about $3,000, and is promoting its XiaoYi AI assistant to compete with Apple. Xiaomi also unveiled its 18 Fold around the same time. While Apple restricted online purchases to two units per customer and delayed delivery timelines to January 2027, customers still queued early in the morning to secure the device. Mary Tong, who waited in a line of about 100 people, expressed a preference for foldable phones, noting Apple's previous absence in the category.
Regarding software, Apple Intelligence is set for beta testing in mainland China this month, featuring live translation and writing tools. Beijing approved Alibaba AI models for use in the Duo on Oct. 14. However, Apple's revamped Siri AI is not yet available in the country, according to Tim Cook. Some customers, like John Zhao, remain skeptical about the local version of Apple Intelligence, expecting it to be less impressive than the overseas version.
Scalpers offer Apple iPhone Duo buyers hundreds extra outside Beijing launch
CNBC Technology · 23 October 2026
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This text was published by CNBC Technology and written by Eunice Yoon. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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