iPhone 12 May Launch Earlier Than Usual in South Korea

The upcoming iPhone 12 lineup may launch earlier than usual in South Korea, reports The Korea Herald.

iPhone 12 5G New 1

South Korean telecoms firms speaking to The Korea Herald have said that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup will launch ahead of its usual schedule. Normally, the release of new iPhones in South Korea comes about one month after launch in the United States. Last year, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 arrived in South Korea on October 25, considerably later than its September 20 launch in the U.S.

South Korea was the first to commercialize 5G telecommunications in April 2019, and as of July this year, the country already has almost eight million 5G users. South Korea is expected to be a key market for Apple since the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup will be the first with 5G, so this may explain the earlier launch. Crucially, the iPhone 12 Pro Max may be the first smartphone available in South Korea to support the high-frequency 28GHz band for 5G communications, making it considerably more appealing to those with access to the frequency.

Apple is also likely looking to expand its South Korean market share, where it currently owns just 19 percent of the market. Samsung dominates the South Korean smartphone market at 67 percent. An earlier launch, in alignment with other key regions such as the United Kingdom and Germany, may help the company gain more of a foothold in South Korea, and indicates how the country is increasingly important to Apple.

The sources added that South Korean telecoms operators are preparing for the launch of ‌iPhone‌ 12 models in late October or early November. Rumors now seem to be pointing toward the iPhone 12 being unveiled on Tuesday, October 13, followed by a launch on October 23.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

Aston441 Avatar
50 months ago
In Soviet Korea, iPhone launches you!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nautilus007 Avatar
50 months ago
What a stupid article.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
50 months ago
This just in, Apple will release the iPhone 12
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iamPro Avatar
50 months ago

In Soviet Korea, iPhone launches you!
Thats no different than saying on an article about New York saying,

“In confederate New York, iPhones are made in cotton fields!”

or pre unification,

“In Soviet West Germany, iPhone launches you!”


Maybe this is funny to some.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
50 months ago

Ooh a whole month earlier than the usual month late release. And this alone will help Apple “gain a foothold” in Samsung’s South Korea because technically Seoul has mmwave? What a complete load of nonsense this “story” is. MR is rapidly becoming the Daily Mail of tech news.
As much as the story may trigger you, MacRumors is reporting on a story that was published by The Korea Herald, which they attribute to South Korea telecom companies. Presumably, they are well aware of the launch schedule.

Is it possibly a bogus story? Sure. Is it something MacRumors should publish? Why the hell wouldn’t they?

You’ve been here for over a decade. Is it actually possible that you’re still confused as to which articles are appropriate for publication here? The MR analysis seems sound ?‍♂️
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
50 months ago
Meanwhile, my country is just getting the 2020 SE next month...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)