iPhone 16 Lineup Could Launch Earlier Than Usual in Korea

[MacRumors]

Apple is considering launching the iPhone 16 lineup in Korea earlier than usual due to weakening demand in China, the Korea Times reports.

If correct, this would mark a significant shift for Apple, as Korea has not been part of the initial release countries since the iPhone 3GS in 2009. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 16 lineup in mid-September, with an announcement on the 10th being the most probable date based on the company's historical patterns. Sources speaking to the Korea Times claim that preparations appear to be underway for an early release in the country.

Historically, despite the iPhone's strong market share in Korea, new models have been released in the country weeks after their debut in other markets. This is partly due to Apple's rigorous confidentiality policies and Korea's stringent certification system. All electronic devices in Korea must be certified by the National Radio Research Agency, and details about these devices are disclosed on the agency's website, which could lead to premature leaks of new iPhone specifications.

Despite these challenges, Apple appears to be reconsidering its strategy for the Korean market, driven by the country's steady demand and the potential for positive early sales. Data from Canalys claims that Apple's market share in China dropped to 14% in the second quarter of this year, down from 16% a year earlier. This decline pushed Apple out of the top five smartphone vendors in China, potentially providing an opportunity to reallocate inventory to other markets, such as Korea.

Article Link: iPhone 16 Lineup Could Launch Earlier Than Usual in Korea

 

[steve09090]

Queue the comments about iPhone being doomed…

 

[winxmac]

Maybe it's time for other countries to be part of the first batch of iPhone rollout...

It's the 18th generation already but there are still countries only having the iPhone rollout about 2 to 3 months after the first rollout...

 

[orbital~debris]

That would be cool.
My – incorrect – impression was that Korea had new editions of iPhone at first launch.

 

[Stenik]

This will change the world!

 

[one more]

I don’t think it will help Apple much, as South Korea has a population of approximately 51 million people vs 1.4 billion in China, so China’s population is roughly 27 times larger than South Korea's. This is peanuts. Instead, Apple could have considered lowering iPhone prices in China and other markets, like India, to boost their sales.

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple is considering launching the iPhone 16 lineup in Korea earlier than usual due to weakening demand in China, the Korea Times reports.

If iPhone demand is weakening in China, wouldn't it be a better idea to launch the iPhone 16 earlier in, oh, I don't know, China and not Korea? 🤔

 

[Karma*Police]

I take all rumors with a grain of salt, and even if this were true, I agree with other posters that this won’t have much impact/if any on Apple’s financials.

But one certainty is that Apple no longer has a clear roadmap for growth and has gone from trendsetter to trend follower. Their success/failure seems more correlated to the visissitudes of the iPhone upgrade cycle and general market dynamics than anything of their own doing.

 

[fyun89]

I don’t think it will help Apple much, as South Korea has a population of approximately 51 million people vs 1.4 billion in China, so China’s population is roughly 27 times larger than South Korea's. This is peanuts. Instead, Apple could have considered lowering iPhone prices in China and other markets, like India, to boost their sales.

Curious what % of the 1.4 billion can afford an iPhone in China vs S. Korea? I think SK has higher % of middle class.

 

[cdsapplefan]

But won’t Apple Intelligence only be available in English for a while? Do they speak mainly English in Korea?

 

[KoreaApple]

I don’t think it will help Apple much, as South Korea has a population of approximately 51 million people vs 1.4 billion in China, so China’s population is roughly 27 times larger than South Korea's. This is peanuts. Instead, Apple could have considered lowering iPhone prices in China and other markets, like India, to boost their sales.

If iPhone demand is weakening in China, wouldn't it be a better idea to launch the iPhone 16 earlier in, oh, I don't know, China and not Korea? 🤔

Yes, I agree.
S.Korea's market is small.

But I don't know why Apple do that.
I think nothing change.

I will wait until October for iPhone 16.

 

[KoreaApple]

But won’t Apple Intelligence only be available in English for a while? Do they speak mainly English in Korea?

No. We speak Korean.
So I think Apple Intelligence is not important to buy iPhone 16.

 

[Qubelek]

Bring these 16 fast cuz my 15’s battery is dying already 🤣

 

[orbital~debris]

Bring these 16 fast cuz my 15’s battery is dying already 🤣

Same here, definitely noticed I've needed to be charging more often the last month or so 😅

 

[coffeemilktea]

It makes sense, as the iPhone has really picked up in popularity in Korea over the past several years... much to the dismay of Samsung, I imagine.

 

[Marty80]

If this is so, Apple must be rarely desperate to clear away iPhone 16 before production of the iPhone 17 lineup starts.

 

[Shirasaki]

I take all rumors with a grain of salt, and even if this were true, I agree with other posters that this won’t have much impact/if any on Apple’s financials.

But one certainty is that Apple no longer has a clear roadmap for growth and has gone from trendsetter to trend follower. Their success/failure seems more correlated to the visissitudes of the iPhone upgrade cycle and general market dynamics than anything of their own doing.

Apple has lost its core cool a while ago, quite a while ago, even though trend setter itself doesn’t really matter that much, and following trend well can still bring huge momentum. Losing their own roadmap is far more impactful iirc. But what can I say? Maybe Apple isn’t “too big to fail”.

Curious what % of the 1.4 billion can afford an iPhone in China vs S. Korea? I think SK has higher % of middle class.

Much higher in fact, percentage wise. I have no idea about SK’s middle class income level, but in China, you’d have to save 3 months salary minimum to be able to afford a top of the line iPhone, genuine one that is. Hence, really not many people can afford an iPhone.

But won’t Apple Intelligence only be available in English for a while? Do they speak mainly English in Korea?

AI is going to be the least of most people’s concern for quite a couple of years.

It makes sense, as the iPhone has really picked up in popularity in Korea over the past several years... much to the dismay of Samsung, I imagine.

Guess Korean people don’t love their domestic brand as much as Samsung people might hope.

 

[svish]

Good for those buying from Korea. Apple will be hoping to increase sales in the region.

 

[chineseguy38]

The Koreans will be like the chinese. They won't buy iPhone made in India. 😂😂

 

[mech986]

By introducing the iPhone earlier, Apple could shift the first week(s) Korea sales into the the September quarter. That may not seem like a huge amount but every increment helps the top and bottom lines. December quarter sales would not likely be affected because tech press and word of mouth reviews and experience are what help / drive uogrades, new purchases, and Android switchers. If the iPhone 16 is attractive, popular, and Apple & carriers make attractive offers, sales will be fine.

As for Korean and Chinese consumers not buying Indian made iPhones, sure, maybe, but there’s plenty of capacity at Foxconn China factories to supply the markets. Indian production, probably now easily an additional 15% of total, can then supply the growing India market plus any where such non-preference doesn’t exist.

If Apple does release early in Korea and it proves popular especially with the desirable 16-30 demographic as in the past, it’s a huge sales and PR problem for Samsung as it drives or pushes down Samsung’s sales and market share for September through December months leading into the January next year quarter - this is why Samsung has continually moved up their Galaxy S introduction from late February earlier and earlier to now mid-January.

Despite good initial uptake for the Galaxy S24 series doing a bit better than the S22 and S23 series, I have doubts about the S24 series sales momentum. How can I say that?

Sammy just reported their Q2 2024 quarterly report. In it they listed the following for the MX Mobile division:

Sales revenue in KRW:
2Q24 26.64T ($19.52B)
+8% YoY but down -19% QoQ from Q1, the S24 intro quarter. Since MX includes smartphone, computer, tablet, AND wearables, I assign 90% generously to smartphones. That gives $17.57B smartphone revenue.

Multiple sources reported Samsung sold ~54M units, giving an ASP of $325, suggesting a big resurgence in low priced and midrange smartphone sales. This is borne out by Samsung’s reported profit numbers (Mobile & networking combined, that’s how they report it):
2Q24 2.23T KRW ($1.634B)
DOWN -27% YoY, yes really!

Samsung made more smartphone revenue in Q2, yet those profits WENT DOWN! Strongly suggests much less sales of high profit premium models and higher % of slim to no margin low priced phones. I suspect Galaxy S sales slowed significantly as they have for the last 3 years in the 2nd, then 3rd quarters due to competition from Apple, Chinese OEMs and a limited Android premium market (I estimate at most about 55-60M sales/year out of 1 Billion Android sales total).

For perspective, here’s Apple recent Q2CY24 iPhone numbers:
Rev $39.30B (easily >2X Samsung)
Unit sales ~45.5M ASP = $864

That’s why just comparing unit sales is misleading, it assumes they are equal maker to maker, THEY ARE NOT! iPhone sales are worth 2.66X more than Samsung’s units. Xiaomi’s ASP = RMB1,145 or just $160, showing how Xiaomi sells very few premium phones and mostly <$150-$199 low priced models. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of worldwide demand for cheap affordable phones but that what most of Android sells since the overall combined Android ASP is ~$220.