Galaxy and iPhone, 13 Years of Fandom War
Checking Smartphone Types Even on Blind Dates
It has become an era where people check what model of smartphone their date is using. Experts see this as a result of the intensified 'fandom war' between iPhone and Galaxy users.
According to the industry on the 23rd, the U.S. IT market research firm 'Brand Keys' recently announced the '2023 Customer Loyalty Corporate Rankings,' where Samsung Electronics' smartphone division ranked 8th overall. This is a rise of 9 places from 17th last year. The gap with Apple smartphones, which have held the top spot for two consecutive years including this year, has narrowed.
IVE's Jang Wonyoung is attending the 'Galaxy Unpacked 2023' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jang Jinhyung aymsdream@
Brand Keys surveyed 74,121 consumers aged 16 to 65 in the U.S. this August, evaluating consumer loyalty across 1,650 brands to create the rankings. iPhone and Galaxy have such massive fandoms that they both ranked within the top 10 in consumer loyalty.
The industry believes that this smartphone 'fandom war' began in earnest in 2010. This was around the time when the iPhone first landed in Korea on November 28, 2009, and Samsung's flagship Galaxy S series was first released in June 2010.
The Galaxy Z Flip5 is being unveiled at 'Galaxy Unpacked 2023' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
Initially, the conflict involved attacking the technology and services of the opposing product, but now it has spread to gender and generational conflicts. Galaxy is stigmatized as 'the exclusive device of the older generation,' while iPhone is labeled as a 'symbol of vanity and luxury,' with mutual attacks deepening conflicts online.
According to the '2023 Smartphone Usage & Brand' survey released by Korea Gallup in July, among all respondents, 23% used iPhones and 69% used Galaxy devices. Among them, 65% of Koreans aged 18 to 29, representing the 10s and 20s generations, use iPhones. Among women aged 18 to 29, 71% used iPhones. Galaxy users were highest by age group in their 50s (86%), 60s (85%), 40s (78%), 70 and above (71%), and 30s (56%), in that order.
The fandom war between iPhone and Galaxy has escalated into generational and gender conflicts. The photo shows SK Telecom's promotional model introducing the Wonderflip Miniature Zone installed at the SKT flagship store T Factory in Mapo-gu, Seoul, last August. This is unrelated to the article. Photo by Yonhap News.
A video reflecting the critical perspective of young people toward Galaxy was posted on the official YouTube channel of Chungju City, becoming a hot topic. Kim Seontae, a public relations officer of Chungju City, asked university student A during an interview, "What do you think of a 'guy who uses Galaxy'?" A replied, "My friend was asked for their number, but was a bit taken aback because the other person's phone was a Galaxy," and said they ultimately did not contact the person, which surprised many.
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