Galaxy Note20 Official Subsidy Up to 240,000 KRW... Comparable to S20 Level

Pre-orders Start from the 7th, Mobile Carriers Announce Official Subsidies
Official Subsidies Range from 82,000 to 240,000 KRW... KT Offers the Highest
Subsidies Set Around 150,000 KRW for Plans in the 80,000 KRW Range

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The official subsidy for the Galaxy Note20 is set at a maximum of 240,000 KRW, similar to the Galaxy S20.

On the 7th, Samsung Electronics and mobile carriers began pre-orders for the Galaxy Note20. The announced official subsidies range from 82,000 KRW to 240,000 KRW, with KT offering the highest amount. The subsidies by carrier are ▲ SK Telecom 87,000 KRW to 170,000 KRW ▲ KT 86,000 KRW to 240,000 KRW ▲ LG Uplus 82,000 KRW to 227,000 KRW.

Based on unlimited data plans in the 80,000 KRW range, SK Telecom offers a 150,000 KRW official subsidy when choosing the 5GX Prime plan (89,000 KRW/month). KT provides 147,000 KRW for the Super Plan Basic (80,000 KRW/month), and LG Uplus offers 150,000 KRW for the 5G Smart plan (85,000 KRW/month).

The official subsidy will be finalized on the 14th, when activation for pre-order customers begins. The Galaxy Note20’s retail price is 1,199,000 KRW for the 6.7-inch standard model and 1,452,000 KRW for the 6.9-inch Ultra model.

This year, mobile carriers seem reluctant to compete aggressively on official subsidies. There is no reason to engage in subscriber acquisition battles as in the early stages of 5G commercialization, and they have recently been fined as much as 51.2 billion KRW by the Korea Communications Commission. As the number of 5G subscribers gradually increases, carriers appear to be avoiding unnecessary risks.

High official subsidies can impress consumers with lower prices. However, the preference for the selection discount plan also reduces competition on official subsidies. An industry insider said, "Consumers find the selection discount plan more advantageous than official subsidies when purchasing. In fact, about 90% choose the selection discount."

Samsung Electronics has lowered the retail price compared to the previous model and is offering the new wireless earbuds, Galaxy Buds Live, as a pre-order gift to boost early sales. The Note series tends to have a more loyal customer base than the S series. While early sales performance largely determines the success of new products, considering the sluggish consumer sentiment, it is difficult to expect better results than in previous years. Counterpoint Research predicts that Galaxy Note20 series sales will decrease by 5% compared to the previous model, reaching about 8.5 million units.