Ahead of Unpack Part 2... KT Raises 'Z Flip 5G' Official Subsidy to Up to 800,000 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Joesulgina] As Samsung Electronics' 3rd generation foldable phone 'Galaxy Z Flip3,' released in the second half of this year, continues to gain popularity, KT has increased the official subsidy for purchasing the previous model 'Galaxy Z Flip 5G' up to 800,000 KRW.

According to industry sources on the 14th, KT raised the official subsidy for the Z Flip 5G from a maximum of 700,000 KRW to 800,000 KRW as of the previous day. This is the highest level among the three major mobile carriers. Currently, SK Telecom offers up to 480,000 KRW, and LG Uplus provides up to 650,000 KRW in subsidies.

Accordingly, when using KT's highest plan priced at around 130,000 KRW per month, the actual purchase price drops to the 230,000 KRW range after applying the KT Shop subsidy of 120,000 KRW. For the Super Plan Basic plan, which costs about 80,000 KRW per month, an official subsidy of 700,000 KRW and a KT Shop subsidy of 105,000 KRW are provided, making the actual purchase price 350,000 KRW. For both plans, receiving the official subsidy is more advantageous than the 25% selection discount.

The launch price of the Z Flip 5G, released in September last year, has been lowered from 1,650,000 KRW to 1,349,700 KRW earlier this year, and then further down to 1,155,000 KRW. The official subsidy, which was up to around 240,000 KRW at launch, has also gradually increased.

The foldable phone market, effectively dominated by Samsung Electronics, is rapidly growing thanks to the release of the Galaxy Z series in the second half of this year. Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Huawei, known for their cost-effectiveness, as well as Google, have also entered the foldable phone market.

In particular, Samsung Electronics, seeing the popularity of the Z Flip3 launched at this year's second half Unpacked event to the extent that some models are experiencing shortages, plans to hold Galaxy Unpacked Part 2 on the 20th. They will apply a method allowing users to directly combine and select colors for foldable phones, similar to their premium Bespoke home appliances. The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, released in August, surpassed 1 million units sold in South Korea within 39 days of launch. Among the two models, the Z Flip3 accounts for about 70% of sales, leading the popularization of foldable phones.