Apple's foldable iPhone Duo opens pre-orders at W3.29m

Pre-orders for Apple's first foldable phone run Friday through Thursday morning

Price tag tops Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 by about 1 million won

South Korea's three major carriers roll out competing incentive packages

Journalists and YouTubers try out the foldable iPhone Duo at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on Sept. 9 (local time), when Apple unveiled the device. [Yonhap]

Apple opened pre-orders Friday for the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone.

The launch comes amid a challenging competitive landscape — sluggish early sales of the iPhone 18 series, controversy over the Panic Pool feature, and strong demand for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold 8 — putting Apple's entry into the global foldable market to the test.

Despite the headwinds, consumer interest in Apple's first foldable remains high, and South Korea's three major carriers have moved quickly to attract customers with a range of promotional offers.

Pre-orders run from 9 p.m. Friday through 7:50 a.m. Thursday, with the iPhone Duo officially going on sale at 8 a.m. Thursday.

The iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch display when unfolded and a 5.4-inch display when folded. It comes in two colors — Star White and Night Sky — and four storage options: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB.

The domestic starting price is about 3.29 million won ($2,460) for the 256GB model, roughly 1 million won more than Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold 8, which starts at about 2.28 million won for the same storage tier. The iPhone Duo is also heavier and thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold.

All three carriers have launched aggressive customer acquisition campaigns. SK Telecom is offering pre-order customers who complete activation a two-month subscription to Google AI Plus (400GB) through T Universe and a six-month subscription to Tving's ad-supported standard plan. The benefits apply to customers who activate by Nov. 30.

SK Telecom's official online store, T Direct Shop, is also running a lucky roulette event during the pre-order period, with winners receiving T Direct Shop vouchers worth up to 300,000 won redeemable toward an iPhone Duo purchase.

Customers who trade in an old device and use an affiliated card for installment payments can receive benefits worth up to 2.21 million won. Those who purchase through Samsung Card's T Premium installment plan can receive an additional 840,000 won in discounts over two years, though this applies only to customers with monthly spending of at least 800,000 won.

KT Corp is letting customers mix and match benefits across AI, content, device and phone-care categories. The available combinations are: YouTube Premium paired with Netflix, YouTube Premium paired with Google AI Plus, YouTube Premium paired with a device benefit, Disney Plus paired with phone care, and a double device option offering home appliance discounts.

Among these, customers who sign up for the double device option by Oct. 31 can get AirPods Pro 3 at no additional cost — though the offer is based on a 24-month installment plan and a separate 5.9 percent installment fee applies.

iPhone Duo buyers who use an affiliated card can receive cashback, device discounts and other benefits worth up to 1.44 million won.

Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo [AP]

LG Uplus became the first domestic carrier to launch an "early return 70 percent trade-in pass."

The 70 percent trade-in pass allows iPhone Duo customers who later switch to a new iPhone through LG Uplus and return their existing device to receive points equivalent to a set percentage of the original retail price at the time of purchase. The monthly fee is 18,000 won, and the pass must be used between six and 14 months after activation.

Alongside this, LG Uplus is also offering a standard 50 percent trade-in pass that compensates customers with up to 50 percent of the original retail price after 24 months of use. Customers who port their number to LG Uplus, activate an iPhone Duo and enroll in the trade-in pass by Nov. 30 will receive the 24-month pass free of its usual 5,000-won monthly fee.

ko@heraldcorp.com