iPhone Duo Launch Lines in Canada Had a Surprise for Walk-In Buyers

Apple warned that walk-in supply of the iPhone Duo would be tight on launch day, but readers who lined up at Apple Stores across the country this morning are telling a more encouraging story. Several people who replied to iPhone in Canada on X said they walked out with Apple’s $2,999 foldable, even after waiting behind dozens of other shoppers.

Earlier this week, Apple confirmed limited iPhone Duo walk-in stock for Friday and said it expected supply to sell out quickly. With online orders showing February 2027 delivery dates, a store lineup was the only realistic way for most people to get one today. Apple hasn’t shared how many units each location received, so these reader reports are the clearest picture we have so far.

Gregory S. was in line at the Apple Store in Port Coquitlam, B.C., at 6:40 AM, ahead of the mall opening at 7 AM. A few hours later, he told iPhone in Canada on X that he was “the 37th in the line” and got the last 256GB model.

Over in Toronto, one reader answered our question about walk-in purchases by saying he arrived at the Eaton Centre around 6:15 AM and had the model he wanted by 8:30 AM. He added that there were “about 30 people behind me who also got one.”

Another reader who picked up a Duo at Sherway Gardens in Toronto told iPhone in Canada on X that the store had “so many of them available for walk in,” though most were taken by a line of almost 150 people. On the West Coast, one more reader said he had already got one from Metrotown by mid-morning, and another replied that the Burnaby store “had many.” That reader said he was “maybe 14th in line” and got “the ones I wanted.”

In Mississauga, one shopper at Square One said in a Reddit thread that at least 50 people were already waiting when they arrived at 6 AM, and the line grew to almost 100. They later added that the store had a limit of one phone per person and that “everyone got their phones,” in the configuration they wanted.

Further east, one reader told iPhone in Canada on X that they arrived at Dix30 in Brossard, Que., at 8:35 AM and were still able to get a Night Sky 512GB model. Others answered our question with just the name of their store, including Market Mall in Calgary, Fairview and Square One. Not every configuration lasted, though. One more reader, who didn’t name the store, said it was “almost empty” when they went in at 10 AM, but the 256GB model was sold out, so they bought the 512GB version instead.

Taken together, these reports point to deeper walk-in inventory than Apple’s warning suggested, at least at some of the larger stores, even if the 256GB model was the first to go at some locations. That would line up with a recent report that Apple boosted iPhone Duo production after strong pre-orders, although Apple hasn’t said anything about how many units Canadian stores received today.

Online buyers still face a long wait. As our iPhone Duo launch day coverage noted, Apple has capped purchases at two per customer, and the Duo comes in Star White and Night Sky. The 512GB, 1TB and 2TB models cost $3,299, $3,899 and $4,799 before taxes.

If you missed out this morning, our guide on how to track iPhone Duo stock covers Apple’s pickup checker and restock alerts. We’ll keep watching our replies as more readers check in from stores across the country.

Did you line up for an iPhone Duo today, and did your store still have one when you reached the front?