It wouldn't be surprising if Apple increased production of the iPhone Duo because of demand, but a new report is conflating two different figures to conclude that there's been a great increase.
Apple has called the demand for the iPhone Duo "extraordinary," and vowed to do all it could to fulfil orders quickly. Unsurprisingly, then, Digitimes is reporting that Apple has increased its order for the iPhone Duo by around 44%.
The report says that this means an increase from 9.7 million devices to 14 million over the iPhone Duo's first year. It's odd that it would cover roughly September 2026 to September 2027, instead of up to the end of 2027, but perhaps it's because an iPhone Duo 2 may launch then.
Previous reports have said that Apple will sell six million of the iPhone Duo before the end of 2026. But then a more recent, if questionable, report said Apple had increased orders by 30% to around 10 million for 2026.
Conceivably the new report includes this 2026 rise in Apple's parts orders. But that would mean production of just 4 million across three quarters of 2027, compared to 10 million for the last quarter of 2026.
Difficult predictions
Very often when a report goes for a headline figure about iPhone production, it is really based on components rather than finished devices. Since Apple not only can switch between multiple suppliers but regularly does, such figures are typically worthless.
In this case, predictions and reports are hampered by how the iPhone Duo is reportedly extremely hard to manufacture and especially to manufacture in volume.
Unsurprisingly, the key difficulties appear to be with the screen and the device's hinge. In September 2026, one source estimated that Foxconn's assembly yield, the number of working iPhone Duo units made, was just above 60%. The iPhone Pro models sit at about 93% acceptance.
Getting that remarkable hinge right appears to have delayed mass production of the iPhone Duo - image credit: Apple.
The hinge appears to be a remarkable design that could even become the industry standard. But it features around 100 components that must work together perfectly.
Consequently, test runs were reportedly delayed and repeatedly encountered problems. While they were all resolved and Apple announced the iPhone Duo on schedule, it meant that manufacturing started later than usual.
This would mean fewer devices were ready for launch, which might explain why the iPhone Duo sold out practically instantaneously. It's also why, despite Apple saying there will be limited stocks in Apple Stores, it's likely that some will have none.
