In March Apple Gangnam became the fifth Apple Store in South Korea. Industry sources say Apple is expected to seek a further increase in the number of its stores in Korea, with Seoul’s Hongdae being cited as the sixth location, according to the Korea Times. With 80% of smartphones sold in S. Korea being from Samsung, Apple is determined to expand their presence and influence over time and this strategy is beginning to show some fruit.

According to a new analytical report from Counterpoint,  About 85% of South Korean smartphone users aged less than 30 used Android phones such as Samsung's as their first smartphones. However, about 53% of them said that they were currently using an iPhone, suggesting that many Android phone users had switched to iPhones during replacement.

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As for the reason for switching from an Android phone to an iPhone, respondents cited "Performance" (32%) and "Brand image" (31%) as the first and second priorities. In particular, in terms of performance, satisfaction and expectation with the camera had the greatest impact on the purchase decision.

Apple operates a number of R&D centers specializing in imaging technology and is evaluated to have maximized the camera performance of its devices by achieving good harmony between hardware and software. Besides, Apple recently launched a campaign called ‘Shot on iPhone’ in the South Korean market. The campaign emphasizes the iPhone’s camera performance through collaboration with a music video by Korean girl group NewJeans and a short film by director Park Chan-wook.

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According to the survey, in the <30 age group user base, Apple seems to have succeeded in solidifying the loyalty of existing iPhone users as well as switchers from Android phones. 92% of users who owned an iPhone as their first-ever smartphone said they were still using the brand.

Furthermore, about 76% of them said they were not willing to use Android phones in the future. The respondents cited dissatisfaction with Android phones’ “Design” (52%) and “Performance” (29%) as reasons.