The popularity of low-cost smartphones is expected to continue throughout the New Year of 2016. Following SK Telecom’s Luna, a string of popular budget models was released into the market, including KT’s Galaxy J7 and LG U+’s Y6.
As low-cost smartphones are gaining higher popularity, telecom companies are actively seeking to explore strategic models. LG U+ announced on January 3 that the sales of Huawei’s ultra-low-cost smartphone Y6 passed the 10,000 mark in just 15 days after launch in the Korean market.
An LG U+ official said, “The sales of Y6 are increasing at a brisk pace as its excellent price-to-value ratio goes viral widely among smartphone users.”
The model which brought about the fever for low-cost smartphones in Korea was SK Telecom’s Luna phone. SK Telecom and TG & Co. released the Luna phone first in September 2015. The cumulative sales of the Luna phone until the end of last year passed the 150,000 level, the fastest pace among SK Telecom’s low-cost smartphone models.
The Luna’s retail price was set at 449,900 won. However, its functionality is good enough to compete with high-end premium models.
