iPhone Duo preorders begin Friday, October 16, at 5 a.m. Pacific time. Apple's October 15 notice also gives an earlier cutoff: customers who want to save their configuration ahead of the opening should do so before 9 p.m. Pacific on Thursday.
The official ordering announcement describes a phone with an outer display for use while closed and a larger inner display for reading, viewing and working with two apps. The practical buying question is how often you need that larger surface away from a desk.
Put the two deadlines in local time
| Step | Pacific | Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| Save the advance configuration | Before 9 p.m., October 15 | Before midnight, October 16 |
| Preorders begin | 5 a.m., October 16 | 8 a.m., October 16 |
Those are ordering times. The delivery or pickup date shown at checkout is the date to save with your receipt; opening the store at the preorder time does not establish when a particular configuration will arrive.
The inner display is intended for uses such as comparing a document with an email, reading a long page and watching video. Its value depends on how often those tasks come up away from a larger screen.
Apple lists Split View multitasking and StandBy on either display. Treat battery-life and durability descriptions as manufacturer claims until independent testing answers the questions that matter to your own use.
Check the complete configuration, accessories, trade-in conditions and delivery address in the saved bag. If you are comparing an outright purchase with another payment arrangement, read the ownership and end-of-term conditions before selecting it. Monthly payment amounts alone do not describe the ownership terms.
Apple's Trade In page separates an estimated value from the credit confirmed after the returned device is checked. Save the estimate with the selected configuration and review the return instructions. A quoted allowance can change if the device's condition differs from the description, so use the actual offer for your phone when calculating the cost of the upgrade.
Keep the old phone available until the new device is activated and the files and accounts you need are present.
