conducted in my own way throughout cell phone and mobile electronics related forums, communities and dedicated on-line shopping malls, here is your ranking amidst ripe boilin’ Summer of 2009 :

  1. SamSung AnyCall ‘Haptic Pop’ “Boys Over Flowers” Cell Phone SCH-W750 for SKT (telecommunications carrier) introduced Feb. 2009,
  2. SamSung AnyCall ‘Haptic AMOLED’ “Sohn Dam Bi” Cell Phone SCH-W850 for SKT introduced July 2009,
  3. SamSung AnyCall ‘T-Omnia’ SCH-M490 for SKT introduced 2008,
  4. LG Electronics ‘Cookie Phone’ LG-SU910 for SKT introduced March 2009,
  5. SamSung AnyCall ‘Haptic Mini’ “Kim Yuna Phone” SCH-770 for SKT introduced June 2009,
  6. SamSung AnyCall ‘Haptic AMOLED’ “Sohn Dam Bi” Cell Phone SCH-W850o for KT (telecommunications carrier) introduced July 2009,
  7. SamSung AnyCall ‘Haptic Mini’ “Kim Yuna Phone” SPH-7700 for KT introduced May 2009,
  8. Sony Erickson Xperia X1 for SKT introduced March 2009,
  9. LG Electronics ‘Cookie Phone’ LG-SU9100 for KT introduced March 2009,
  10. LG Electronics ‘Arena Phone’ LG-SU900 for SKT introduced June 2009,

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no surprises here but before expressing my take, a few current state of consumers in choosing Cell Phones in South Korea, almost in common with most portable electronics geared towards the young :

  • ads play a large role here, for consumers who switch Cell Phones regularly are prone to Star-sicknessness, for (2) the dominating trend over the Millennium has been star-quality over fashion,
  • and the models who star in the ads are subject of Korean young wanna-be’s,
  • the above ranking lists new devices which have been manufactured within a year, but a large portion of purchase also happens in the used market where popular phones retain value well over 2 years,
  • many, many terms for purchase abound including below, which make the actual buying price much variable :
    • carrier payment assitance usually around W120,000,
    • one or two years subscription which usually takes another W120,000 off list price whose remainder to be re-imbursed if you cancel subscription mid-term,
    • group purchase discount abound if you look for the right device-specific on-line community,
  • since around 2004 the manufacturers AND carriers give larger leeway for discounts to on-line sellers, thus that’s where to find the most lucrative deals,
  • unfortunately foreigners as well as legal residents are left out of most of the discounts because the terms rely on billing users monthly for up to 2 years,

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 also keep note :

  • models whose numbers are similar are the same machines riding on different telecommunication carriers,
  • SamSung dominate over LG AND imports because :
    • the very Korean design is attractive to younger local buyers,
    • imput method of Korean characters (differ upon local manufacturer with their own patent rights) seem easiest – which plays a large role in holding fan-base,
  • difference mark the way users use a Cell Phone in each country, evolved by each living habitat AND transportation means . and makers adapt gears to match this practice . for example younger Koreans are busy messaging AND viewing TV, while Japanese teens are busy writing on virtual forums .

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OK here goes the behind story on the ranking way~ above :

[ RANK #1 ] “mirror mirror on the LCD-screen, who is the most fairest of ’em all ?”
BOF Phones are retaining value over half a year of introduction which is relatively long for a competitive market . but aside from the tenacity of the TV-series idols the device itself is a joy containing several features unlike previous or even newer cell phones :

  • cosiderably large size has been conpensated by an elongated figure making it easy to grasp in one hand as well as a wide view of messages AND internet pages when viewed side-ways, horizontally,
  • the inter-changeable back battery cover with bright, eye-catching graphics is a show-off aider,
  • many independent case makers have joined the popular wagon thus a wide array of attractive case options,

[ RANK #2 ] “yeah bright huh, but AMO .. what ?”
rather weak star-powered AMOLED Phone is up there simply because it’s new . the brightness of current cell phones has been enough for all occasions and surroundings even before this and is hard to recognize the difference when on the go – which is when most people use .

[ RANK #3 ] “still could have a touch-sensitive full-screen LCD in a time of recession”
relatively older Omnia is still here because it has the price advantage of an older phone while still being a full-screen AND touch-screen genre .

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finally, imports like Motorola and Sanyo used to lead mobile hearts say, ’til the end of the last decade but local manufacturers took over imminent to the Millennium two-folds :

  1. sheer technology has caught on Global standards,
  2. they have figured how to win over local young hearts mostly through flashy ad campaigns <3

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– Korea Tech BLog, August 2009 –