iPhone News Updated

iPhone 4 launch set for this week

iPhone 4 launch set for this week

The stage is set for the battle in Korea between the world’s biggest smartphone brands with KT’s announcement that it will launch Apple’s iPhone 4 on Sept. 10 to compete against Samsung’s Galaxy S, which has already sold a million units in the domestic market.

KT is the monopoly provider of the iPhone series in Korea. Fans of Apple’s newest smartphone had been waiting for the launch of iPhone 4 since late July.

The Korean market is already crowded with other smartphone entries, including LG’s Optimus Z, Pantech’s SKY Vega and HTC’s Nexus One.

Sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S have been boosted by several local companies, including Samsung and the SK Group, supplying the smartphones to their employees to improve their working conditions.

Samsung is also boosting sales overseas by offering to give away the smartphone in cooperation with local telecom operators. In the U.K., for example, Samsung is offering a free Galaxy S if a customer signs up for a subscription program with Vodafone.

There are also expectations that Samsung may announce an updated version of the Galaxy S when it holds a media event in New York on Sept. 16.

Preregistration orders for the iPhone 4 have already exceeded 200,000 in just five days. Other smartphones are performing well, too.

More than 30,000 units of the Optimus Z have been sold in the past month. LG Electronics is hoping the device will help revive its fortunes in the telecommunications market. Pantech. Korea’s No 3 mobile phone maker, says its SKY Vega offers superior value to the iPhone 4. But HTC appears to be struggling with its Nexus One model in the local market.

It is still uncertain who will come out on top, but the fight will likely come down to iPhone 4 and the Galaxy S, which has won strong reviews overseas.

By Jung Seung-hyun [seungjung@joongang.co.kr]
[Thanks: http://joongangdaily.joins.com]

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