Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market, the iPhone Duo, has drawn immediate attention in China over its eye-watering price tag and exclusive dual-eSIM design, as the American tech giant targets entrenched domestic rivals Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi.Unveiled on Wednesday, the iPhone Duo – Apple’s thinnest and most expensive flagship model yet – captured the attention of Chinese consumers with its smooth transition between inner and outer displays. By Thursday morning, the hashtag #iPhoneDuoFoldAnimationIsPerfect had surged to second place on microblogging platform Weibo.Tech blogger Weibusi, who has 1.6 million followers on Weibo, praised the device’s redesigned interface for extending the familiar iPhone experience across folded and unfolded modes, rather than simply replicating iPadOS.Despite the positive initial reception, however, some argued adoption in China could hit a wall over connectivity issues.Tech and gaming commentator Wang Weichen, who has 1.3 million followers on Weibo, applauded the model’s “user-friendly interface”, but said the lack of a physical SIM tray could “turn away a lot of buyers”.Unlike many international markets where digital eSIM profiles can be transferred seamlessly online, carriers in mainland China enforce strict real-name user registration. Activating or migrating an eSIM requires consumers to complete time-consuming in-person identity checks at bricks-and-mortar stores.