Updated, Sept. 30: This article, first published on Sept. 27 was updated to add the news of a predicted Apple event, and press distribution of the Duo.

The latest iPhones were announced on Sept. 9 and two of the three, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, went on sale on Sept. 18. However, the most talked-about model has yet to launch. So you don’t miss out on when to pre-order, when to check the reviews and when to buy, here are the latest details of what’s coming when. And in the last few hours, a new date has entered the schedule, claiming that the Duo could be given to reviewers at a special event — more on that below.

Apple iPhone Duo: Pre-Orders Latest Details

If you’re planning to buy the new iPhone, you probably need to move fast. The combination of exceptional interest and rumors that the supply will be restricted initially means that pre-orders are likely to be busy.

Pre-orders open at the same time wherever you are, and Apple has confirmed this will be on Friday, Oct. 16. The company’s preferred time to go live is 5 a.m. Pacific. That’s 8 a.m. Eastern and 1 p.m. in the U.K. BST (British Summer Time), which is still active on the date — daylight saving time ends in November in the U.K.

You can jump the pre-order line by going to the iPhone Duo page on apple.com to pick the color you prefer (Night Sky or Star White), choose the storage level and then pick whether or not you’d like to trade in a phone, fix a payment option, choose a carrier and decide on AppleCare. Towards the base of this page, there’s a button to save your choices for later, so when Oct. 16 rolls around, you’re ready to go.

Apple iPhone Duo: The New Date For the Schedule

John Gruber at Daring Fireball said on Monday, Sept. 28 talked about when it was possible Apple would get review units to members of the press.

“Apple, in my experience, sticks to a very predictable schedule for review units. They typically go into reviewers’ hands mid-week (Tuesday or Wednesday) during the week when pre-orders begin,” he said, though he made clear he was spitballing rather than having insider knowledge, and based his guesses on previous routines he’s spotted.

Gurman suggested reviewers would receive the Duo on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Then, on Sept. 30, Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple will hold an event on Oct. 13 to launch a new smart home hub, Apple TV and HomePod mini with an event and hands-on time for press.

“During the hands-on experience, selected individuals could also receive an iPhone Duo review unit in hand, allowing Apple to avoid a first-of-its-kind iPhone getting lost in the mail before it launches on Friday, October 23. Apple typically gives out review units around a week before a device launches, so the timing would line up,” MacRumors suggested.

So, how likely is this? Well, the timing is certainly possible, and if accurate, we’ll know more next week. Apple is likely to announce any event a week or more before it takes place.

By the way, Apple has secure ways to distribute product to press. Something getting lost in the mail is not a concern.

Apple iPhone Duo: First Reviews

Reviews will then appear at some point in the week of the iPhone Duo’s release. While I’m certain it won’t be before pre-orders begin, I don’t know exactly which day will be the big day.

I think it’s near-certain to be Tuesday, Oct. 20 or Wednesday, Oct. 21. The iPhone 18 Pro reviews appeared on the Wednesday before release but it is likely that the Wednesday was chosen to maximize the time critics had with the new models, given that the keynote was on a Wednesday, not the more conventional Tuesday.

As such, I think Apple will want to get the Duo into journalists’ hands earlier if it can, to allow the interest-generating reviews to appear on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The embargo for reviews usually lifts at the same time of day as pre-orders open, that is, 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. BST. It means that readers on the west coast of the U.S. can read reviews from around the world from very early in the day.

Readers in Sydney, Australia, however, will have to wait until as late as 11 p.m. that day to find out the initial responses, thanks to a combination of the time zones and the Daylight Saving Time which kicks in for the eastern states in Oz on Oct. 4.

Apple iPhone Duo On-Sale Date

Apple has confirmed this date at Friday, Oct 23. It the company follows recent precedent, Apple Store openings will be at 8 a.m. local time, meaning that unlike those Sydneysiders staying up late to read reviews, they’ll be able to go to their local Apple Store many hours before Los Angelenos will be awake.

Now read about the next expected iPhone update and Apple’s new London music venue.