[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] On the morning of the 23rd, when Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the “iPhone Duo,” was released in South Korea, customers gathered in front of the Apple Myeongdong store in Jung-gu, Seoul, to wait for the product. Despite a price well over 3 million won, some buyers had stayed up all night starting the previous day to get their hands on the device on its first day of release.

Ahead of the store’s opening that day, nearly 100 people, including customers picking up pre-ordered devices, lined up outside. Customers dressed in thick clothing waited to enter despite the chilly weather, and when the doors opened, staff greeted them with applause and cheers.

The first person to enter the store was Park Seong-geon, in his 30s. Having held his spot since 2:40 p.m. the previous day, he waited approximately 17 hours to become the first customer inside. He reportedly was also the second person in line to receive his device during the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro last month.

Mr. Park, who introduced himself as a creative director, purchased an additional iPhone Duo for work purposes. Regarding the retail price of over 3 million won, he said, “While the price is a bit steep, I think it’s reasonable considering the versatility of a foldable device.”

Many others also came to check out the scene. Mr. Hwang, who spent quite some time examining the product, said, “I came to the store because I was curious about Apple’s first foldable phone,” adding, “I was surprised that the crease on the screen wasn’t as noticeable as I expected.” However, he expressed disappointment upon learning that he couldn’t purchase the product immediately on-site that day.

Visitors also showed interest in the animations that appear when folding and unfolding the screen. Some were seen opening and closing the device repeatedly to observe the screen changes, while others tried propping it upright on a table while folded.

The iPhone Duo is a device that can be folded for portability and unfolded to use a larger screen when needed. When unfolded, the inner screen measures 7.6 inches. For existing iPhone users, the ability to use a larger screen within a familiar operating system has become a new option.

The domestic price of the iPhone Duo starts at 3.29 million won for the 256-gigabyte (GB) model. The top-of-the-line 2-terabyte (TB) model costs 5.09 million won.

Even if you examine the actual device in a store and decide to purchase it, you won’t be able to receive it immediately. An Apple Myeongdong store representative stated that day, “If you order now, you won’t be able to pick it up until after January 23 of next year.” This means that even if you order on the day of release, you’ll have to wait about three months.