Hyodo phone translates roughly in English to ‘filial piety’ phone, as it refers to affordable models catering towards older consumers who are typically parents and purchase cellphones with the help of their children. (Image: Samgsung)
SEOUL, Apr 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung’s Galaxy Wide low-end smartphone is causing quite the stir as it’s recently emerged as a new steady seller in the highly competitive South Korean mobile phone market.
The Galaxy Wide took back the top spot in the first week of April, four weeks after it was first branded as the most sold smartphone in the country for the week, according to ATLAS Research & Consulting.
Since its release as an SK Telecom exclusive low-end model last July, the Galaxy Wide has been proving popular particularly among older consumers, replacing the Galaxy Grand Max in the top spot for what are known locally as “hyodo phones”.
Hyodo phone translates roughly in English to ‘filial piety’ phone, as it refers to affordable models catering towards older consumers who are typically parents and purchase cellphones with the help of their children.
The long-running popularity of the Galaxy Wide has been reportedly cushioning the damage caused by the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco for Samsung in the South Korean market, which helped keep its market share from drastically dropping.
Equipped with a 5.5-inch screen, the Galaxy Wide comes with a 13-megapixel camera and a 3000mAh detachable battery, with a respectable 16 GB memory capacity.
With all of these features, the Galaxy Wide is priced at an affordable 319,000 won, and some of the best deals in the market currently offer customers a price of less than 100,000 won when purchased on a new contract with SK.
“We recommend (the Galaxy Wide) often for older consumers. It’s not as popular as flagship smartphones but it currently has its own place in the market as a steady seller,” one phone retailer in Seoul said.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
