Will higher iPhone 11 prices turn off users?
With the iPhone 11 lineup scheduled to be released in Korea Friday, industry officials and market analysts are waiting to see whether Apple will be able to continue its success here with its latest smartphones as the new models cannot use fifth-generation (5G) networks.
Another variable that may interrupt the success is Apple’s decision to keep the price of the iPhone 11 unchanged in Korea, although it lowered the price in other major markets such as the United States, China and Japan.
The nation’s three mobile carriers — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — began pre-sales of the iPhone 11 series, Oct. 18, ahead of the official launch this Friday.
The lineup is composed of a basic model, the iPhone 11, and the higher-end iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The new iPhone has enjoyed a better-than-expected response in the U.S., China and Japan, in which the new products came out first, on the back of compelling features such as new cameras, longer battery life and additional colors at competitive prices.
Industry officials here said, however, that it remains to be seen whether the new series will be able to fascinate Korean users as the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are all fourth-generation, or LTE (longterm evolution), models that cannot use 5G that was commercialized in Korea in early April.
The smartphone market here has been reorganized since the launch of the commercial 5G networks — one out of three smartphones sold in the domestic market is a 5G model, according to industry officials.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have already launched their respective 5G smartphones, delivering a new user experience.
“There are still many consumers loyal to the iPhone, but some of them may decide to wait longer until Apple releases a 5G iPhone, rather than buying the iPhone 11,” an official from a telecom company said.
The price issue is also drawing attention. Apple, which had maintained its high price policy, surprisingly lowered prices for the iPhone 11 compared to the previous model, clearly aiming at a broader market with more affordable prices.
In the United States, the 64-gigabyte iPhone 11 was priced at $699, $50 cheaper than the previous iPhone XR. The lower-entry price has been also offered in Japan and China.
But in Korea, the price of the 64-gigabyte iPhone 11 has been set at 990,000 won ($843), which is the same as that of the iPhone XR.
This is adding to complaints that Apple has not placed importance on Korean users.