Smartphone war heats up

LG’s Optimus G

Pantech unveils new device; Galaxy Note 2 out on Wed.

The smartphone market is expected to further heat up here as major Korean handset producers are all set to sell highly-improved handsets ahead of the Apple iPhone 5’s local launch later this week or early next month.

On Monday, Pantech unveiled what it claims is the “best smartphone’’ at its launch event in downtown Seoul. Samsung Electronics plans to introduce the Galaxy Note 2 on Wednesday and top local carriers SK and KT have begun taking pre-orders for the “phablets.”

The introduction of the Pantech Vega R3 that supports fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) technology comes a week after its biggest local rival, LG Electronics, released its best-ever smartphone, the Optimus G.

Like its peers including Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S3, the Vega has improved hardware specifications. In one simple comparison, the Pantech phone boasts a battery life of 2,600 milliamp-hours (mAh), far better than Apple iPhone 5’s 1,440mAh and the G’s 2,100mAh, according to Pantech.

The Vega has a 5.3-inch screen and runs on Google Android’s 4.0 software with U.S.-based chip giant Qualcomm providing its advanced Snapdragon S4 Pro mobile processor.

“It’s no surprise that Korea sees more smartphone variants as LTE and smartphones are the undeniable continuing trend that’s giving more consumer choices,’’ said RoA Consulting.

Since Apple’s first 3GS iPhone was introduced, here in November 2009, demand for smartphones has been rising. The nation’s top carrier SK Telecom is leading the way with 15 million customers, followed by KT with 9.5 million and LG Uplus with 5.5 million over the first eight months of this year, the KCC said.

LTE customers account for some 30 percent, impressive since LTE was available on smartphones from last July.

The National Radio Research Agency (RRA) has made public that latest iPhone passed its radio frequency test on Sept. 19.
Apple released the iPhone 4S two weeks after the RRA gave it the green light to sell the device last October.

“We are confident that the R3 will offer distinguished value to customers than Apple iPhone 5. The R3 is wider than Apple’s 4-inch iPhone 5,’’ said Lee Joon-woo, a senior Pantech executive in a news conference after the launch event.

“Honestly, we want to directly compete with Apple. Apple saw some evolution in its iPhone and we don’t think the iPhone 5 saw a major leap in terms of innovation.’’

The R3 will be available via SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus from today with a suggested retail price of 990,000 won excluding subsidies and contracts, Pantech said in a statement.

Apple is planning its iPhone 5 launch event in downtown Seoul soon, though Apple spokesman Steve Park wasn’t available for comment despite multiple attempts.

“One common goal ― beating Apple ― is helping Samsung, LG and Pantech witness a strategic collaboration. This is interesting to see. But local carriers are expected to increase their profits because the top three handset manufacturers will aggressively promote their latest phones by offering more subsidies,’’ said Lee Soon-hak, an analyst at KB Securities.

RoA expects Apple to sell at a maximum of 2 million iPhone 5s by the end of this year. “LG Uplus has a casting-vote to decide on iPhone sales as it is giving more subsidies for the Note 2, Optimus G and R3 in a bid to keep its bottom line,’’ said the consultancy.

LG is the only local mobile carrier that is unable to sell Apple’s i-branded devices due to different radio frequencies.

The iPhone 5 is already on sale in the United States and Canada hours after its launch in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain, France and Germany. It will launch in 22 more countries a week later. The iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, has a taller screen, faster processor, updated software and can work on 4G LTE mobile networks.

The latest Apple phone has become a hot seller despite initial lukewarm reviews and new map software that is glitch prone.

Apple received 2 million orders in the first 24 hours of announcing its release date, more than twice the number for the iPhone 4S in the same period when it launched a year ago. <The Korea Times/Kim Yoo-chul>

news@theasian.asia