Some iPhone Duo buyers are now looking at delivery dates weeks, and in a few cases months, earlier than Apple first quoted.

Japanese buyers have done best out of it so far. Gizmodo’s Ray Wong reports that many X users there watched November and December estimates snap forward to 23 October, the day the foldable officially goes on sale.

The pattern isn’t limited to Japan, either. In a thread on r/apple, one customer’s 2 to 9 December window moved to 17 to 24 November, a two-week gain that at least two other posters say they also received.

Others gained even more ground, as one Reddit user went from 25 January to 24 November and another swapped the same late-January date for a 16 to 23 November window.

Not every order is moving the right way

Some buyers in the same r/apple thread report no change at all from the estimate they got at checkout. One poster went the other way entirely, as their 30 November estimate slipped back a week to 7 December.

Fresh orders are a different story. Apple’s own online store still lists 22 January, the date it settled on shortly after pre-orders opened on 16 October and launch stock ran out, which leaves new buyers with a wait of almost three months past launch day.

Apple hasn’t explained what changed, but earlier dates turning up across several countries and sellers point to either a production increase or a first wave of orders smaller than the January estimates implied.

Buyers who want a foldable sooner do have alternatives. Samsung already sells the Galaxy Z Fold 8 from £1,699 and the Fold 8 Ultra from £1,899 in the UK, and both cost less than Apple’s entry model.

The Duo goes on sale on Friday 23 October in the UK, the US and dozens of other markets, before a second wave of 28 countries follows on 30 October. It is also Apple’s most expensive iPhone to date. The 256GB model costs £1,999 in the UK, with 512GB at £2,199, 1TB at £2,599 and the 2TB version at £3,199.

Existing pre-order estimates are still moving in both directions ahead of launch, and Apple has given no indication that the 22 January estimate for new orders will shift before Friday.