Apple is chipping away at Samsung Electronics' dominant position in its home turf of South Korea - thanks to its new iPhone 6 series.
Apple captured a record 33% market share in South Korea in November, the highest ever for a foreign brand, according to a monthly report released yesterday by Hong Kong-based market research company Counterpoint. In contrast, Samsung's share slipped to 46% after hovering around 60% for five months.
Apple's gains in South Korea are telling, as November was the first full month that the larger-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were sold in the country. The sales likely came at the expense of Samsung's flagship Galaxy Note 4 phablet launched in late September.
"iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have made a difference here, denting the competition's phablet sales," said Counterpoint analyst Tom Kang. "If there was a better supply of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus 64GB and 128GB models, then Apple's share could have climbed to the 40% level."
Analysts in South Korea generally expect Samsung to have lost further share of the global market in October-December for the fourth consecutive quarter as Apple extended its lead in the premium segment and upstarts like China's Xiaomi made huge inroads into the low-end market.
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