"Won't It Go Well Over 2 Million Won?" A Visit to the "Phone Holy Grounds" Ahead of the Galaxy S26 Launch [Report]

Consumer attention fixed on Galaxy S26 launch price
Staff at mobile phone holy grounds: "Preorders are low because of the price burden"
"Chipflation price pressure" vs. "High expectations for AI features"
Close watch on whether it can match the Galaxy S25's success

"What are you looking for?" "I'm just here for a consultation!"

At 11 a.m. on the 20th, as we went up to the 6th floor of Gangbyeon Techno Mart in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, everyone bustled about, trying to strike up conversations. The 6th floor of Gangbyeon Techno Mart is packed with mobile phone stores and is known as a so-called "mobile phone holy ground" because you can buy phones cheaply. However, most of the people we ran into at Gangbyeon Techno Mart that day were employees of the mobile phone stores. Whenever they saw someone, they tried to stop them to sell a smartphone. There were only two people who had actually come to look at phones, and they just glanced over the Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17 ads posted on the stands and walked past.

At 11 a.m. on the 20th, the cellphone store on the 6th floor of Gangbyeon Techno Mart in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, was quiet. By Gong Byungseon

Carriers in a customer-acquisition race after hacking incident..."I've already changed my smartphone"

At the same time, the 10th floor of Sindorim Technomart in Guro-gu, Seoul, another so-called mobile phone holy ground, was in a similar state. The walls were still dominated by advertisements for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Fold 7 and the iPhone 17. When asked about preorders for the Galaxy S26, a store employee responded passively, saying, "The carrier subsidies have not been finalized yet." They said that if we left a phone number, they would get in touch after the carrier subsidies were confirmed. A man who runs a mobile phone store at Sindorim Technomart said, "Preorders for the Galaxy S26 are definitely lower than they were for the Galaxy S25 last year," adding, "I think this has more to do with the launch price than with the features."

Consumers are currently focused on the yet-to-be-announced price of the Galaxy S26. With the device affected by so-called "chipflation," driven by rising semiconductor prices, there are projections that the launch price of some Galaxy S26 models will exceed the 2 million won range. Considering the surrounding circumstances, whether the Galaxy S26 can match the hit performance of its predecessor, the S25, is expected to depend on the price as a key variable. On top of that, the three mobile carriers already waged a customer-acquisition battle last year due to the hacking incident and other factors. KT even waived penalty fees for cancellations or number portability until the 13th of last month. According to the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA), the number of people who switched their mobile numbers last month was 999,344, an increase of 68.3% from the previous month.

Lee, a 33-year-old woman, said, "No matter how many AI features it has, a price over 2 million won is a burden," adding, "Last month, I switched carriers and bought a Galaxy S25, which also offers AI features, using subsidies."

Galaxy S26 packed with camera AI, real-time translation and more..."I expect it will help with travel"

Samsung Electronics said on the 13th that, after releasing the Unpacked invitation on the 11th (Korea Standard Time), it is running 3D outdoor advertisements at major landmarks in 17 countries worldwide, including South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom, to showcase the Galaxy AI features of its new Galaxy products. The photo shows the 3D outdoor advertisement currently running at COEX in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the 25th (local time), Samsung Electronics will hold the "Galaxy Unpacked 2026" event in San Francisco, United States, and unveil its new Galaxy S26. The new product includes a variety of AI features such as camera AI that supports everything from editing to sharing, real-time translation, and text summarization. In addition, to enhance AI capabilities, the Exynos 2600 chipset will be installed in the standard and Plus models. The Exynos 2600 is the world's first high-performance smartphone application processor (AP) to use the 2-nanometer GAA process.

Consumers have high expectations for the AI features of the Galaxy S26. As the translation and other AI functions of its predecessor, the Galaxy S25, received positive reviews, expectations for the Galaxy S26 have naturally grown. Song, a 32-year-old woman, said, "I'm planning to switch my phone to the Galaxy S26 this time, and I'm really looking forward to the real-time interpreting feature. I think it will help with travel and studying English," adding, "Thanks to the camera AI features, I don't think I'll need to use separate applications."

With the launch of the Galaxy S26 approaching, the three mobile carriers have begun competing to attract customers. SK Telecom will select 10 customers who apply for Galaxy S26 preorder notifications by the 25th and give each of them 3.75 grams of gold in the shape of a horse. It is also running a promotion that offers up to 150,000 won in additional compensation on a first-come, first-served basis to 3,000 people who trade in their existing devices. KT will also provide up to 100,000 won in additional compensation to customers who apply for preorder notifications and trade in their used devices. It will additionally offer 50,000 won discount coupons each for devices and accessories on a first-come, first-served basis. LG Uplus will provide a zero-penalty benefit even to customers who still have remaining contract periods, as long as they have been on its plan for at least 18 months, and will run a promotion that offers coupons worth up to 200,000 won to those who sign up for preorder notifications.

The reason the three mobile carriers are engaging in this customer-acquisition race is that they are hoping for a follow-up boom to the Galaxy S25. In February of last year, when preorders for the Galaxy S25 were underway, the number of subscribers who switched carriers via number portability reached 575,642, the highest figure in seven years since 2017. In addition, the Galaxy S25 set a record as the best-selling model in the Galaxy S series, with domestic pre-sales exceeding 1.3 million units.

On the 20th at 11 a.m., an advertising flyer announcing Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy S26 Unpacked was posted in front of a mobile phone store on the 10th floor of Sindorim Technomart in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Eunseo

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