5G smartphone penetration hits 30% in Korea in Q2, Galaxy 5G share at 27%

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G was the unrivalled bestselling handset in Korea, taking up 27 percent of phone sales in the April-June period, while the penetration of all 5G models surpassed 30 percent for the first time, data showed on Thursday.

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G dominated sale in the second quarter, followed by another phone available in 5G, LG V50 ThinQ with a share of 7 percent, according to the data compiled by industry tracker Counterpoint Research.

The list was followed by Samsung’s Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10, Apple’s iPhone XS and Samsung’s Galaxy A30.

Thanks to robust sales of 5G smartphones, the market share of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics edged up to 68 percent and 17 percent, respectively, from a year ago.

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G and LG V50 ThinQ

Apple, which has yet to support 5G, saw its market share here fall from 16 percent to 14 percent over the past year. Apple lost its second place to LG Electronics in the second quarter..

Expensive prices of 5G smartphones were fully offset by strong subsidies and promotional pitches from local telecos and manufacturers, and this led to a rapid migration to 5G despite consumer complaints of initial network quality, said Counterpoint Research.

The Korean smartphone market grew 2 percent in the second quarter over the previous quarter, but contracted 0.4 percent from a year ago, showing still insufficient energy for a strong rebound, according to the market tracker.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s smartphones took the lion’s share with 40 percent in the second quarter in the Mid-Eastern Europe, up 21 percent from a year ago and 8 percent from a quarter ago.

[ⓒ Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]