Apple's first foldable smartphone, the "iPhone Duo," was officially released domestically on Friday, and customers lined up in front of the Apple Store Myeong-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul from early morning to receive the product.
Although it is a high-priced item with a retail price starting at 3.29 million won, there were buyers who stayed up all night waiting from the previous afternoon. However, the waiting line was much shorter than in previous years.
Park Seong-geon, who lined up first, lives in Incheon but waited overnight in front of the store starting at 3 p.m. the previous day. He had reserved a 256GB (gigabyte) model in Night Sky color and was the second buyer when the iPhone 18 Pro was released, but this time he became the first buyer.
Park, who works at a case manufacturing company for Daejeon holidays, said, "Last time I bought it personally, but this time I bought it as company equipment," adding, "I came early to apply cases to the physical product before other companies."
Park said, "The price was a bit higher than expected, but I think it is worth it because it can be used together for iPhone and iPad purposes," and also revealed plans to utilize it as a monitor on shooting sets.
Jung Hae-woong, who produces movie-related content, chose the Starlight White model. With approximately 14,000 TikTok followers, he said, "I expect to be able to edit videos while moving by utilizing the wide screen."
Park Hyuk-young, who waited from 6:50 a.m. that day, had reserved a 512GB Night Sky model. He is in charge of product planning and marketing duties and said, "I usually value the connectivity between Mac and iPhone," adding, "Considering the product's completeness and size, the price is fully acceptable."
Jung Woo-deuk, who has purchased new products almost every year since the iPhone 3GS era, chose a 2TB (terabyte) model priced at 5.09 million won. He said, "I take many photos, so I need storage space," adding, "There are times when Galaxy is better in terms of features, but I continue to use iPhone because of connectivity with Mac."
The iPhone Duo was embroiled in controversy over screen wrinkles before its release. When the matte protective cover was removed, a video showing that the curvature of the folding part became more distinct was released, raising criticism that Apple had deceived customers about the wrinkles. There were also points raised that the matte treatment reduced screen clarity. Concerns were also raised that some apps are not optimized for the foldable screen ratio, making it difficult to fully utilize the wide screen.
However, buyers appeared largely unconcerned. Park Seong-geon said, "Wrinkles are something that can happen with foldable phones, so I don't worry about them much," adding, "App optimization issues will also be resolved over time." Jung Hae-woong evaluated, "The nano-texture display is good because it is comfortable for the eyes."
It was a common opinion among buyers met on site that the waiting line was much shorter than when the iPhone 18 Pro was released. Both products were delivered only to pre-order customers on the day of release. In contrast, on-site purchases were possible when the iPhone 17 Pro Max was released. Jung Woo-deuk said, "When the iPhone 17 Pro Max was released, there were one or two more lines at 6 a.m., but this time it is not even one-fourth of that."
in TECH
