The first wave of iPhone X preorders, the ones with a delivery date of Nov. 3, sold out in ten minutes. You can still preorder one and skip the lines next week at Apple Stores across the country, but if you want that bezel-less beauty in your hands ASAP, brick and mortar might be the way to go.
Apple’s iPhone X is undoubtedly one of the most talked about smartphones of 2017, largely due to its almost edge-to-edge screen and replacement of Touch ID with Face ID. And like any hot new iPhone, the battle for getting one in your hands on launch day will be fierce, if the preorders are any indication.
Current Preorder Timelines
Since the initial Nov. 3 delivery dates during preorders sold out in 10 minutes (a welcome achievement for something called the “iPhone Ten”), everyone who didn’t reserve one right away will have to wait 5–6 weeks before the device even ships. In carrier stores, you’ll have better luck, with some silver models shipping no later than Nov. 10 with AT&T and a delivery date of Nov. 15 with Verizon.
This delay is in no way unexpected, of course. With each new iPhone, customers who aren’t first in line, whether in real life or virtually, end up playing the waiting game. The iPhone 7 certainly had some delays, especially the Jet Black version, as did the Rose Gold iPhone 6S and even the iPhone 6 Plus. History tells us that if there’s an iPhone that breaks the mold in some way, like a new color, size, or “groundbreaking” feature, shipments will probably be delayed.
Possible Supply Issues
Of course, this year, the focus isn’t specifically on Apple’s usual supply problem. Reports have been growing for months about troubled production issues with the iPhone X, especially in regards to Face ID and the new OLED displays, with Bloomberg claiming Apple cut corners on Face ID’s quality to push the X out in time.
Apple denies Bloomberg’s claims, but there’s no denying the long wait for people who didn’t snag an iPhone X in the middle of the night.
Brick & Mortar Might Be Your Best Bet
If you can’t wait five to six weeks for that OLED iPhone to show up on your doorstep, I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait in line at the Apple Store with the rest of us next Friday, Nov. 3. Another option would be to try your carrier store, but those lines will likely be just as long.
If you’re going to try the in-store route, hopefully, you can snag a good iPhone X case as well. Some of Apple’s new cases are also being delayed in the online store.
While some of the new silicone case colors will be delivered just a few days after launch day, the “Dark Olive” version, which was heavily promoted during preorders, won’t ship for 2–3 weeks. The new “Cosmos Blue” leather folio has the same ship time, while all of the regular leather cases delivery dates right now range from Nov. 3 to Nov. 7. The twothird-party cases on Apple’s site so far have delivery dates of Nov. 1.
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