"Continued Popularity" iPhone 13 Pre-Orders Begin... Early Sell-Outs of Unlocked Models

iPhone 13 Pre-Orders Sold Out in 5 Minutes on Coupang
iPhone 13 Also Gets Minimal Subsidy... Maximum Set at 240,000 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] "I was waiting patiently to buy a self-supplied phone for the first time, but it sold out in an instant."

Apple's new smartphone series, the iPhone 13, has started pre-orders in South Korea. Although concerns about poor sales were raised due to a lack of innovation since its unveiling, initial stock has quickly sold out, especially through self-supplied sales channels, right after pre-orders began.

According to industry sources on the 1st, from midnight, pre-orders for the iPhone 13 series began on Apple's official website, the three major mobile carriers' own shopping malls, and online open markets.

In the iPhone 13 pre-orders, the sales momentum of self-supplied products stood out. During the pre-order sales starting at midnight, demand surged mainly on online shopping malls such as Coupang, 11st, and Gmarket, where self-supplied products can be purchased, causing the first batch of prepared stock to temporarily sell out within 10 minutes at most shopping malls. Since the official subsidies for iPhones are set low, there is relatively less incentive to purchase through carriers, leading to a continuous increase in consumers opting for self-supplied purchases.

The iPhone 13 Pro Max product sold out during the pre-order of the 'iPhone 13' series that started on the 1st. [Captured from Coupang]

On Coupang, the first batch of prepared stock sold out about 5 minutes after pre-orders began, and on 11st, products quickly ran out, leading to the ongoing third round of pre-orders. Currently, most online shopping malls have sold out not only the first batch of stock scheduled for activation on the 8th but also the second and third batches to be shipped later.

To prepare for such early sell-outs, many posts sharing pre-order tips have been uploaded on online communities. These include which shopping mall is advantageous to purchase from, and if the shopping mall, color, and model are decided, how to minimize payment time.

Consumers also flocked to the official online malls of mobile carriers, which are relatively advantageous for securing stock. At SK Telecom's online mall 'T Direct Shop,' the first batch sold out in 9 minutes. This is faster than the 3 hours and 30 minutes it took to sell out the first batch of the previous model, the iPhone 12 series. SK Telecom will conduct the second round of pre-orders from 1 PM on the same day.

The iPhone 13 product sold out during the pre-order event for the 'iPhone 13' series held on the 1st at SK Telecom's online mall T Direct Shop. [Captured from T Direct Shop]

Mobile carriers' official subsidies have also been announced. According to the preliminary announcements from each company, KT offers the highest official subsidy for the iPhone 13 at up to 240,000 KRW. By carrier, the subsidies are as follows: SK Telecom 53,000 KRW to 138,000 KRW, KT 85,000 KRW to 240,000 KRW, and LG Uplus 84,000 KRW to 229,000 KRW. Based on 5G plans in the 80,000 KRW range, SK Telecom set the subsidy at 110,000 KRW, KT at 147,000 KRW, and LG Uplus at 152,000 KRW. The official subsidies will be finalized on the official release date of the iPhone 13, June 8.

The iPhone 13 series, unveiled on the 15th of last month, consists of four models, similar to its predecessor: the iPhone 13 (6.1 inches), iPhone 13 Mini (5.4 inches), iPhone 13 Pro (6.1 inches), and iPhone 13 Pro Max (6.7 inches). While the iPhone 13 series does not show significant external changes compared to the previous generation, it features the ‘A15 Bionic’ chip, which improves CPU processing performance by up to 50%, enhancing overall performance. The domestic retail prices start from 950,000 KRW for the iPhone 13 Mini, 1,090,000 KRW for the iPhone 13, 1,350,000 KRW for the iPhone 13 Pro, and 1,490,000 KRW for the iPhone 13 Pro Max, depending on storage capacity.