Apple’s first foldable smartphone is facing a supply crunch within minutes of preorders opening, with delivery estimates for the iPhone Duo slipping into January 2027.
Preorders opened at 8am in New York on 16 October, ahead of the device’s scheduled retail launch on 23 October. By then, Apple’s online store was showing delivery dates that crossed into late January across both colour options and all storage tiers, from 256GB to 2TB.
Customers across social media platforms including Reddit and X reported delays despite following Apple’s advice to reserve their preferred colour and storage configuration in advance. According to Bloomberg, retail stores also exhausted their initial preorder stocks almost immediately.
It remains unclear whether the delays reflect unanticipatedly strong demand, limited supply or a combination of both. Apple typically reserves some units for walk-in customers on launch day, potentially offering buyers a way to secure the device sooner.
Unveiled last month as part of its first major product launch under new CEO John Ternus, the iPhone Duo marks Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone segment, which has so far remained a relatively niche category despite offerings from established rivals. The device starts at $1,999 for the 256GB model, making it the vendor’s most expensive iPhone to date.
Last month, Counterpoint Research estimated Apple could sell around 6 million iPhone Duo units in 2026, potentially providing fresh momentum for the foldable market. At the time, Counterpoint Research senior analyst Ivan Lam noted the number was “contingent on how well the company ramps up production of the new hardware”.
Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Apple ramped up its smart home ambitions, AT&T agreed a $2 billion sale of its Mexican business and Nokia offloaded its Enterprise Campus Edge unit.
Apple revamps smart home strategy with HomeView
What happened: Apple unveiled a new smart home hub and a range of connected devices as it stepped up efforts to challenge Amazon and Google in the market.
Why it matters: The centrepiece of its launch was the HomeView Hub, a smart display featuring the company’s upgraded Siri AI. Apple also partnered with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric to introduce the Apple Home Collection, covering indoor and outdoor cameras, a video doorbell, thermostats and door locks.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said that despite its “cautious approach”, Apple had been waiting for the upgraded Siri to launch its home range, “given how important the voice interactions are with this product”. He also pointed to the partnerships as a way to reduce installation issues, saying they address “one of the category’s biggest barriers: the complexity of getting things working”.
Meanwhile, analysts at ABI Research said the launches represent “a more serious push into the smart home” by Apple but noted it “still trails Amazon and Google on smart home maturity”, arguing tighter integration with other devices and a personalised user experience will be central to its prospects. They also stated, “Apple’s long-term position will depend on how open it becomes to third-party devices, services, and possibly external AI agents.”
What happened: AT&T agreed to sell its Mexican business to Grupo Televisa and Fintech Holdings for $2 billion, ending its decade-long attempt to challenge America Movil’s dominance in the country.
Why it matters: Grupo Televisa and Fintech Holdings will each take an equal stake in the operation. AT&T Mexico had 24.7 million wireless subscribers as of 31 December 2025, equivalent to around 16% of the market. Meanwhile, incumbent America Movil’s Telcel held approximately 58%.
LightShed Partners analysts Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone described the move as part of a wider strategic shift under CEO John Stankey, noting AT&T is increasingly focused on “US wireless and highly durable fibre business”. They said the $2 billion sale proceeds represent less than five weeks of AT&T’s annual capital investment, arguing the Mexican operation has limited relevance to its future priorities. They also pointed to America Movil’s resilience, noting that “Telcel still controls nearly 60% of the market, while AT&T and Telefonica are heading for the exits”.
The analysts further highlighted a potential competitive threat from SpaceX, whose combination of terrestrial spectrum and satellite capacity could challenge traditional wireless economics.
What happened: Nokia agreed to sell its Enterprise Campus Edge (ECE) business to investment firm Aurelius Group, as it continues to offload assets and streamline its core strategic focus.
Why it matters: ECE serves almost 900 customers across manufacturing, mining, logistics, airports, ports and power generation. Its portfolio spans private wireless networks, industrial devices, on-premises operational technology, edge computing and software for industrial AI applications. Nokia said the sale would allow it to focus capital and resources on areas offering greater long-term value. ECE will operate as a standalone company under Aurelius, with employees expected to transfer when the deal closes. Earlier this month, Nokia sold its fixed wireless access customer premises equipment business to US broadband vendor Inseego.
Future Wireless principal analyst Pablo Tomasi called ECE sale “the end of a bold chapter” in Nokia’s history, arguing the vendor had abandoned its push to become an industrial vendor. Kyung Mun, principal analyst at Mobile Experts noted ECE was “a smaller part of its overall private networks business”, which also includes railway and defence. He noted Nokia held more than 50% of core and RAN equipment sales in 2025 including both industrial and enterprise segments, adding: “The ECE business grew in the low double digits. Let’s see how it does under the new owner.”
Oppo outlined plans to boost investment in Europe significantly over the next three years, as it seeks to strengthen its position in the premium smartphone market and rival Apple and Samsung in the region.
During a press briefing in London, Oppo Europe CEO Elvis Zhou (pictured) revealed it plans to increase investment by 30% year-on-year up to 2029, however it did not provide a figure on how much it invested in 2025. It has also not publicly disclosed previous investment figures for its European operations.
Zhou was clear on a renewed commitment to Europe, adding it aims to focus on the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain as its main markets.
Referring to competitors, Zhou said: “We are not here to say we will replace one of these established brands. No, we are here to offer a differentiated third option.” While acknowledging rivals’ advantages in brand awareness and retail distribution, he explained that capturing between 5% and 10% of Europe’s premium smartphone market was “totally feasible” for Oppo.
He said the vendor is targeting younger consumers, particularly those aged 18 to 35, by putting a spotlight on camera performance, battery life and AI features rather than competing primarily on price. A market survey by Oppo showed that more than 40% of young people weighed AI tools as a deciding factor when purchasing devices.
In Zhou’s view, “Oppo is not a brand shy of investment… not because we have more money; it’s because we know which kind of segment of the clients we want to target, and what kind of products can really meet their demands”.
He added the company also aims to double sales of its high-end Find flagship series in 2027 compared with 2026. According to Omdia figures, more than half of Oppo devices sold in the UK during the first half of 2026 were Find series models. The series’ share of Oppo’s European sales also increased fourfold in 2026 compared with last year, “showing the growing contribution of our premium products to our European business”.
His comments came as Oppo prepares for the global launch of its latest Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max smartphone models on Tuesday (21 October).
Firm stand Despite Zhou’s bullish outlook, the broader challenge is persuading consumers to pay more as replacement cycles lengthen. He noted Oppo does not intend to compete by offering cheaper devices.
“If we want to have a firm stand here in the European market, it’s not because we are affordable; it’s because we can offer a differentiated and good product experience,” he said, adding: “Our positioning regarding the European market is clear cut. This is a high-end premium market.”
However, the chief cautioned against expecting rapid gains, stating the company would prioritise steady growth. “We will not resort to short-term discount just to increase the sales volume,” he said. “We might not achieve a lot of short-term successes like impressive market share … but you will see our pace here. It will be really stable.”
Oppo operates across more than 20 countries in Europe and is expanding into the Nordics, Poland and Romania, with Spain currently its largest market in the region. Globally, the vendor claimed it ranked among the four largest smartphone vendors by shipments in the first half of 2026, adding the share of its global shipment value generated overseas exceeded 60%.
The Chinese vendor’s latest push in the continent follows a period of disruption after a 2022 patent dispute with Nokia led to a suspension of its sales in Germany. Subsequently in 2023, Oppo reaffirmed its long-term European ambitions despite the loss of its exclusive distributor in France, Yang Technology SAS, and the continued absence of its products from the German market.
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