Samsung Electronics' premium artificial intelligence (AI) smartphone, the Galaxy S26 series, and Apple's entry-level smartphone, the iPhone 17e, both officially went on sale on the 11th, marking their simultaneous debut.

Despite setting the retail price of the top model, the Galaxy S26 Ultra 512GB, at over 2 million won, Samsung Electronics achieved a record 1.35 million units sold during the seven-day pre-sale period held from February 27 to March 5. This success is attributed to its premium strategy, focusing on cutting-edge AI innovation. Meanwhile, Apple, which had maintained a high-price strategy, took a different approach by pricing both the new iPhone 17e and MacBook Neo at 990,000 won, highlighting a "value for money" strategy.

On the morning of the 11th, people lined up in front of Samsung Gangnam in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to collect the Galaxy S26 even before the opening. Photo by Kyungjo Noh

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"I'm here to buy the Galaxy S26. I'm excited because I heard it comes with many new features."

On the morning of the 11th, about 20 minutes before opening, a line had already formed in front of Samsung Gangnam in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The area was bustling with people who had pre-ordered the Galaxy S26 and those hoping to purchase it on launch day. Many visitors also came for consultations. Once the doors opened, they headed up to the second-floor pickup zone. Starting today, the Galaxy S26 series will be launched sequentially in over 100 countries, beginning with Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and India.

An employee at the store remarked, "Many customers come early to pick up their products before heading to work. There's a diverse mix of men and women, young and old." The employee added, "In the afternoon, more people come to browse, with the Ultra model attracting the most interest." The store-exclusive colors, available only at Samsung.com and Samsung Gangnam, are reportedly popular among international customers. "Quite a few foreigners ask if they can purchase the Galaxy S26 right away since they're leaving the country tomorrow," the staff member said. Among the exclusive colors, Pink Gold and Silver Shadow are the most preferred.

The Galaxy S26 series, unveiled on February 25 (local time), set a record in Korea with 1.35 million units sold during pre-sales alone, the highest ever for a Galaxy S series. The Ultra model, in particular, was especially popular; all three major Korean mobile carriers reported that pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 Ultra accounted for 70% of total pre-sales. This model became a hit, featuring the first privacy display in a mobile phone, the latest AP-based performance, a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, and other high-end specifications.

On the 11th, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series smartphones were officially released and displayed at the Samsung Gangnam store in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

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The Galaxy S26 Ultra is displayed at the Samsung Gangnam store in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 11th, the official launch day of the Galaxy S26 series. Photo by Yonhap News

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Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S26 Series. Samsung Electronics

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Samsung Electronics is offering a range of benefits to customers who purchase in March. These include a 10% discount coupon for the Galaxy Buds 4 series usable on the Samsung.com app, five 30% discount coupons for cases and accessories, a three-month Welaa subscription, and eight special game themes from the Galaxy Store. In addition, customers who purchase the Galaxy S26 Ultra model will receive an extra 30% discount coupon for a 60W charger.

New accessories for the Galaxy S26 series are also being launched. These include the first official cases with magnets, a magnetic wireless charger, a magnetic stand card wallet, a dual magnet ring holder, and a magnet mirror grip stand. Notably, the magnetic wireless charging battery pack can be attached to the back of a Galaxy smartphone without interfering with the camera, providing a convenient charging experience, according to Samsung Electronics.

On the morning of the 11th, customers are entering the Apple Myeongdong store in Jung-gu, Seoul, as it opens. Photo by Lee Myunghwan

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On the morning of the 11th, the official launch day of the iPhone 17e and MacBook Neo, a line of 30 to 40 people formed in front of the Apple Store in Myeongdong as the 10 a.m. opening approached. Most of them were tourists visiting Myeongdong who decided to purchase products at the Apple Store.

When the doors opened at 10 a.m., customers entered the store to applause from employees. Most customers immediately headed to the display area for the MacBook Neo. The first purchaser of the day, a student from Myanmar, shared, "I bought the MacBook Neo because of its affordable price." An Australian tourist who bought the iPhone 17e commented, "I've always used iPhones. My previous phone broke, so when I heard a new model was released at a lower price, I came to buy it right away."

Starting today, the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air (M5), MacBook Pro (M5), iPad Air (M4), Studio Display, and other products are available for purchase at the Apple Store and major e-commerce platforms.

What stands out is that the iPhone 17e and MacBook Neo are released at relatively affordable prices. Both products are priced at 990,000 won. They are the lowest-priced models in the current MacBook and iPhone lineups and the only ones priced below 1 million won. This is a sharp contrast to Apple's previous premium pricing strategy for earlier products.

'iPhone 17e' . Yonhap News

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Side view of the iPhone 17e. Photo by Yonhap News

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Apple MacBook Neo. Apple

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Compared to its predecessor (iPhone 16e), the iPhone 17e now offers double the base storage at 256GB, features the latest A19 chipset, and has added MagSafe, a magnet-based wireless charging function previously unavailable in the entry model-yet the price remains unchanged. Given the device's improved performance, this effectively amounts to a price reduction. The MacBook Neo can be purchased for as low as 850,000 won with student discounts applied.

The attractive pricing of both products is particularly notable as memory chip prices, including RAM, have surged recently, making these prices relatively reasonable. However, some compromises were made in certain specifications to keep prices low. The MacBook Neo is powered by the Apple A18 Pro chipset, which was used in the iPhone 16 Pro released two years ago. Although the A18 Pro was originally developed for the iPhone, it reportedly delivers performance similar to Apple’s first proprietary laptop chip, the M1, which debuted in 2020. RAM capacity is also limited to just 8GB, less than what is found in recent models. The iPhone 17e also still has only one camera, and the display refresh rate remains at 60Hz.