Galaxy A42 and A32 Launch Simultaneously... Official Subsidy Up to 240,000 KRW

Galaxy A42 5G

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] The most affordable 5G smartphone in Korea, the ‘Galaxy A42 5G,’ and the budget LTE model ‘Galaxy A32’ were simultaneously launched on the 12th. The official subsidies from the three major mobile carriers reach up to 240,000 KRW, exceeding half of the device’s retail price.

According to industry sources, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus confirmed the official subsidy for Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy A42 5G, officially released that day, at a maximum of 240,000 KRW. By carrier, the subsidies are ▲SK Telecom 87,000 to 170,000 KRW ▲KT 85,000 to 240,000 KRW ▲LG Uplus 90,000 to 189,000 KRW.

When using KT’s Super Plan Premium Choice plan, priced around 130,000 KRW per month, an additional support amount (36,000 KRW) is added to the 240,000 KRW official subsidy, lowering the actual purchase price to 173,900 KRW. The Galaxy A42 5G’s retail price is 449,900 KRW.

The LTE model Galaxy A32, released on the same day with a retail price of 374,000 KRW, has official subsidies set at ▲SK Telecom 90,000 to 140,000 KRW ▲KT 20,000 to 153,000 KRW ▲LG Uplus 80,000 to 125,000 KRW.

Galaxy A32

The budget A-series often becomes so-called ‘zero-won phones’ or ‘fare phones’ a few months after release, so the attention to official subsidies is relatively low. However, with official subsidies exceeding half of the retail price from the launch, it is expected that more aggressive marketing will be carried out compared to previous years.

This is also related to Samsung Electronics’ move to strengthen its mid-to-low price lineup. Samsung has recently lowered smartphone prices to under 500,000 KRW while enhancing performance and design competitiveness, accelerating its targeting of Generation Z, who value cost-effectiveness.

On the 17th, Samsung will hold the Galaxy A-series Unpacked event for the first time ever and unveil the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72. The strategy is to fill the gap left by China’s Huawei in the global market and LG Electronics, which is considering withdrawing from the smartphone business in the domestic market. According to Counterpoint Research, the best-selling smartphone in the domestic market last year was not a flagship model but the Galaxy A31 priced in the 300,000 KRW range.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.