“Should I ask a friend on their Hawaii honeymoon for an iPhone 14?”
As the iPhone 14’s sales price in Korea was revealed, complaints that Korea is becoming a hoax once again are coming out. This is because, in Korea alone, the factory price has increased by 12 to 17% compared to the previous model, the iPhone 13. For this reason, more and more people who want to buy the iPhone 14 are going to buy it overseas. What is overseas direct purchase? Domestic consumers directly purchase goods through foreign online shopping malls, etc.
You can buy an iPhone cheaper than in Korea if you shop overseas. This is because in the US, the price of the iPhone 14 was set the same as its predecessor. The high price of Korean products is also due to the sharp rise in the won-dollar exchange rate. Mr. A, who attends a small and medium-sized company, is also hesitating to buy a new iPhone from Korea and is considering buying it directly. He said, “It’s not a problem to use it in Korea, and it’s cheaper if you buy it directly, so I’m thinking about it.”
There are many people who want to buy iPhones directly from China as well as the United States, where Apple’s headquarters is located. This is because China is also a country where you can buy iPhones cheaper than Korea. Apple has frozen the price of iPhones released in China.
In China, the iPhone 14 is priced at 5,999 yuan, the same as the previous iPhone 13. The most advanced specification, the Pro Max, is the same as its predecessor at 8,999 yuan. Mr. B, who has been using only Apple phones for 10 years, said, “I’m thinking of buying an iPhone cheaply by asking a friend studying in China.”
Along with the price, one of the main reasons consumers consider buying an iPhone overseas is the silent camera. Korea and Japan are the only countries in the world that make a sound when you take a picture with an iPhone.
In Korea, mandatory camera shutter sound has been applied since 2004. It was to prevent digital sex crimes of secretly taking pictures. Because Korea’s digital sex crime rate is higher than other countries, the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association (TTA) suggested this. However, this shutter sound requirement does not apply to iPhones purchased through direct purchase.
Being able to use an iPhone quickly is also an attractive feature of overseas direct purchase of iPhone. In countries where the iPhone 14 was first released, pre-orders began on September 9. It will be officially released on September 16th. The first launch countries are the US, UK, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and more than 30 countries.
Korea seems to have been classified as a third launch country. Not only in the first countries, but also in secondary countries such as Malaysia. In Korea, it is expected that advance reservations will start from the 23rd. Consumers who pre-ordered at this time are expected to receive the iPhone in early October.
The basic specification of Apple’s iPhone 14 (128G standard) series in Korea is 1.25 million won. 16 million more than the previous version. The plus is 135 million won. The iPhone 14 Pro sold 1.55 million won, up 200,000 won from its predecessor. The Pro Max starts at 1.75 million won, which is 260,000 won higher than its predecessor. The Pro Max 1TB model costs 2.5 million won.
Apple applied the won-dollar exchange rate of 1448 won to the Pro Max model. A high random exchange rate of 1,400 won was applied to each model.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 series at the dawn of the 8th in Korea time. As of the end of the 7th, the exchange rate per dollar was 1380.4 won. When calculated at that time, including VAT, the basic model is about 1213,000 won. The Pro should cost about 1517,000 won, and the Pro Max should cost about 1,669,000 won. However, as Apple applied a random exchange rate, the factory price was higher than this price.
※This is an online article for Weekly Chosun.