Update: Apple’s foldable iPhone could cost R50k in South Africa

South Africa gets its date

Apple has since confirmed the iPhone Duo’s local availability. South Africa is included in the first wave of markets, with iStore opening pre-orders on 16 October and devices reaching stores and doorsteps from 23 October, the same rollout window as the US, UK and more than 70 other regions.

Official South African pricing hadn’t been announced by iStore at the time of writing, though local estimates put the starting price above R50 000 once it lands, well above earlier conversions of the US price.

Softening the blow on price

iStore, Apple’s only Premium Partner in Africa, has also detailed how local buyers can offset that cost, including trade-in deals of up to R25 000 and the option to pair the purchase with an existing contract or a new one across networks.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, meanwhile, arrive in South Africa sooner, with pre-orders opening on 12 September and stock shipping from 18 September 2026, a full month ahead of the foldable.

9 September: Foldable iPhone leads Apple’s highly anticipated product reveal

Apple’s first foldable iPhone launches on Wednesday, priced at roughly $2 000 (about R32 000), as part of a wide-ranging product event that also introduces the company’s new chief executive to the world.

The event begins at 7pm South African time today and includes the iPhone 18 Pro, updated Apple Watches and new AirPods. The foldable device, said to be called the iPhone Duo, is expected to headline the show, according to Bloomberg.

A new CEO’s first big moment

John Ternus took over as Apple’s chief executive on 1 September, succeeding Tim Cook, who now serves as executive chairman. Wednesday marks Ternus’s first major keynote in the role, and it comes with pressure attached.

‘We have a huge launch next week that’s going to be phenomenal,’ Ternus wrote in a memo to staff, TechCrunch reports.

The entry level foldable will come with 256GB of storage, with higher capacity models pushing the price to around $3 000. Apple has reportedly absorbed some of the cost linked to a recent memory shortage to keep the starting price near $2 000.

The phone follows a short and wide design, similar to Samsung’s Z Fold8, and runs on Apple’s new in house C2 modem and A20 Pro chip. It will also support side by side apps and iPad style multitasking. Giving the device a genuine productivity angle beyond the folding screen.

Take a peek:

Hands-on with a foldable iPhone dummy unit 👀

I’m really liking this design! It feels compact and comfortable in the hand, especially when folded pic.twitter.com/xohvba5o5r

Apple Hub (@theapplehub) September 7, 2026

Apple has not yet confirmed a South African release date or local pricing for the foldable iPhone. Local retailers are listing it as ‘coming soon’.  No price has been confirmed, suggesting it may only reach South African shelves after the US launch.