According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea, of the 879 respondents who used smartphones, 41 percent of those in their 20s used iPhones, whereas 59 percent of those over the age of 60 owned Samsung Galaxy S-series phones. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Only one out of ten adults in Korea makes do without a smartphone these days.
Based on market research from Gallup Korea, the penetration rate of smartphones in Korea has reached 89 percent. Starting with the iPhone 3Gs in November 2009, the first smartphone launched in Korea, the percentage of those who own smartphones has steadily increased from 53 percent in 2012 to almost 90 percent over a seven-year period.
The study revealed that 92 percent of men and 86 percent of women use smartphones. In terms of age, 99 percent of those in their 20s and 30s, 97 percent of those in their 40s, 93 percent of those in their 50s, and 62 percent of those 60 or older are making good use of smart gadgets.
Brand preference, however, differed by generation.
According to a separate survey conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,400 South Korean adults, of the 879 respondents who used smartphones, 41 percent of those in their 20s used iPhones, whereas 59 percent of those over the age of 60 owned Samsung Galaxy S-series phones.
The survey also revealed that 41 percent of the individuals in their 20s, 32 percent of those in their 30s, 8 percent of those in their 40s, 3 percent of those in their 50s, and only 1 percent of those 60 or older preferred Apple’s iPhone.
On the other hand, 59 percent of individuals in their 60s or older, 57 percent of those in their 50s, 46 percent of those in their 40s, 34 percent of those in their 30s, and 26 percent of those in their 20s currently use Samsung Galaxy S-series smartphones.
For Samsung’s Galaxy Note models, ownership share was constant across all age groups at 12 to 15 percent.
Samsung smartphones including the Galaxy S-series and Note series are dominating the market (56%), followed by LG G-series models (19%), Apple iPhones (17%), and other brands such as Pantech (2%).
Gallup Korea has been studying smartphone usage on a monthly basis for thousands of South Korean adults since 2012.
By Nonnie Kim (nkim@koreabizwire.com)
