Tech vendors predict lucrative reselling market for Apple's foldable iPhone Duo

Pre-orders for Apple's newly announced foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, open at 8pm on Friday. Merchants at Sin Tat Plaza, a prominent mobile phone trading hub in Mong Kok, anticipate strong resale margins—particularly for lower-storage models—driven by tight initial supply and global demand.

Supply shortages and high resale margins

Simon, head of Trinity Electronic, expects initial shipments of the iPhone Duo to be far lower than standard models, creating stronger price stability than seen with the recent iPhone 18 Pro Max launch. He projects minimum profits of HK$3,000 per device, predicting prices will remain firm for at least one to two months.

According to Simon, the key target markets for Hong Kong resellers remain buyers from the Middle East and Southeast Asia rather than mainland China, where local official supply remains ample. 

Consequently, the lack of a physical SIM slot in the eSIM-only Duo is not expected to significantly dampen regional resale demand.

Production yield limits and consumer advice

Steve, owner of Happy Telecom, similarly noted that global first-batch supply could be restricted to roughly one million units due to low display production yields, leading to localized scarcity.

He forecasts resale markups hovering around HK$3,000, cautioning that higher price tags could deter buyers, echoing the rapid price adjustments observed during the iPhone 18 Pro Max release.

Both merchants agreed that the 256GB and 512GB configurations offer the highest demand and profit margins due to lower retail entry points. 

In contrast, higher-tier 1TB and 2TB models—officially priced at HK22,799 and HK27,999 respectively—are expected to see lower demand as resale prices push past HK$30,000. Steve advised regular consumers to consider waiting for second-batch shipments to ensure better hardware quality control.

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