14 DAY TRIAL // The iPhone X was sold out in the United States in just 10 minutes following a combo of huge demand and low inventory, and now it turns out the same thing happened in Samsung’s home market earlier today.
Apple’s new anniversary iPhone became available for pre-order in South Korea this morning, and the device was sold out in just a few minutes, with some carriers revealing it took less than two minutes to start increasing shipping times substantially.
A report from Korea Herald reveals that South Korea has received only 100,000 iPhone X units for the start of pre-orders given Apple’s production struggles and low inventory across the world. Apple provided initial stock of 200,000 units for the iPhone 8 series that went on sale in September.
Sold out in 3 minutes
SK Telecom, which is the biggest carrier in the country, says the first batch of iPhone X units was sold out in just 3 minutes after it started taking pre-orders, while all phones that were part of the second batch were ordered in less than 2 minutes.
KT Corp. also revealed huge demand for the iPhone X, with no less than 20,000 orders received in just five minutes, while LG Uplus said demand for the new model was two times higher than for the iPhone 8 in the first 10 minutes after starting taking pre-orders.
Just like it’s the case in the United States, the iPhone X isn’t quite an affordable smartphone in South Korea. The base model with 64GB storage costs $1,237, up from $999 in the United States. This is what’s happening in other large markets as well, with prices increased substantially due to taxes.
Shipping times have also been increased substantially in South Korea, with those who pre-order the device right now having to wait up to 6 weeks to get it. In the United States, Apple has already started dropping waiting times, as the company is working with suppliers to make more units available for buyers.