Apple's South Korea iPhone growth leads the world

Apple's iPhone shipments in South Korea grew faster in the second quarter than in any other major market worldwide, market data showed Tuesday. The momentum is set to intensify next month when Apple launches its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, in Korea — putting it on a direct collision course with Samsung Electronics.

For years, South Korean parents complained that their children pestered them for iPhones, reflecting a pronounced tilt toward Apple among teenagers and young adults. That enthusiasm appeared to cool as Samsung's foldable lineup gained ground, yet iPhone's market growth has shown no sign of slowing.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, iPhone shipments in South Korea rose 35 percent year-on-year in the second quarter — the highest growth rate among Apple's key markets over the same period.

The firm attributed the result to iPhone sales outpacing the broader domestic smartphone market between April and May.

Domestic sales of the iPhone 17 series in the first quarter were roughly triple those of the iPhone 16 series in the same period a year earlier — a strong run that continued even as Samsung released its new Galaxy 26 series in the first half of this year.

Riding that momentum, Apple is rolling out a string of new products in Korea this month. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 series began Saturday, with the official launch set for Friday. Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, will open for pre-orders on Oct. 16 before going on sale Oct. 23.

Industry attention is fixed on the iPhone Duo. With Samsung having dominated the domestic and global foldable market, the key question is whether the Duo can push Apple's growth in Korea to a new level.

Samsung has led the foldable segment since introducing the Galaxy Fold in 2019, now spanning eight generations of devices. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, released Aug. 7, drew about 1.44 million pre-orders in Korea alone — the highest pre-order figure ever recorded for a Samsung smartphone.

The industry does, however, see the Duo's steep price as a potential obstacle to Apple's push in the Korean market. The Duo's domestic retail price has been set at 3.29 million won ($2,450) for the 256-gigabyte model — about 1.01 million won more than the 2.28 million won price of Samsung's comparable Galaxy Z Fold 8 in the same storage tier.

"The domestic foldable market is one where Samsung has built a strong user base and product competitiveness over the past seven years," an industry official said. "How well the iPhone Duo can capture upgrade demand from existing iPhone users, and how consumers respond to a price barrier of over 3 million won, will determine its early commercial success."