The launch of Apple’s iPhone 17 series in Kolkata on Friday saw long queues and surprising buying trends across stores. From South City Mall to Ballygunge and Diamond Plaza, stores opened to lines of eager customers, with demand for the iPhone 17 and 17 Air outstripping supply by mid-day.
South City Mall’s Imagine store drew the largest crowd. The store opened at 8am to a few pre-booking customers already waiting, quickly followed by dozens of walk-ins thanks to the mall’s high footfall.
“The demand at South City is mainly for the iPhone 17 and 17 Air, but the other models are moving quickly, too. At this pace, demand is outstripping supply,” said Mayank Jain, regional head, Imagine Kolkata.
A customer checks out the new variant
Other Imagine outlets at Park Street, SP Mukherjee Road and Elgin Road also reported brisk sales.
The Ballygunge iDestiny outlet saw queues form at 8am, with 10-15 pre-booking customers waiting for the Pro and Pro Max. Surprisingly, the lightweight 17 Air emerged as the bestseller.
“The Air has seen unexpectedly high demand. With trade-in offers and card cashbacks, customers who would have waited for festive discounts are buying the 17 now,” said Surajit Mondal, cluster head, iDestiny West Bengal.
Imagine outlets at South City Mall, Park Street, SP Mukherjee Road and Elgin Road reported brisk sales
Opening at 11am, Lounge at E-Mall recorded steady demand, mainly for the 17 Pro. “We’ve had 10-15 customers so far, with many buying multiple phones,” the store manager said.
At Diamond Plaza, dozens queued up before the 8am opening, most of them pre-booked buyers. The store sold 50 phones by mid-day, led by the iPhone 17, with strong interest in Pro and Pro Max models despite limited supply.
A customers flexes his latest purchase
“We have enough stock to last five days, but demand is running ahead of expectations,” said Gourav Chatterjee, store manager.
Across Kolkata, the iPhone 17 series is setting a new benchmark for launch-day demand. The 17 and 17 Air dominate sales, while the older iPhone 16 is seeing little traction. With trade-in and cashback offers narrowing price gaps, buyers are upgrading immediately rather than waiting for festive discounts.