Samsung confirms Korea is the home of the phablet: 10 million Notes sold since launch

South Korea is the home of the phablet, and Samsung's Note family is its most popular inhabitant

If you have to name one country where the phablet category is red hot, it's Samsung's home turf of South Korea. A research firm pointed out last summer that South Korea is the home of the phablet, with full 41% of its mobile users carrying a phone with a screen larger than 5", compared to only 7% worldwide. Of course, this is the land of Samsung with its Note line, as well as LG and Pantech, but the trend seems to be gradually spreading in the global market as well.

As if to bring home a point, Samsung just boasted that it has broken the 10 million mark with Note handsets sold in its home country alone. That includes three years and change of sales, since the introduction of the original Galaxy Note, and is certainly an impressive feat in a country of 50 million.

Here are some charts from the last South Korean mobile market survey, that show how popular big-screen handsets are there. It is also the first mobile market to reach full saturation, and the first with commercially available LTE-A network, so it's definitely now at the forefront of developments in the mobile industry.

South Korea mobile market saturation

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source: Samsung

22 Comments

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posted on 16 Jan 2014, 06:24 9

1. tiara6918 (Posts: 2110; Member since: 26 Apr 2012)

The note series is just the right size for many, not to small for a phone and not big for a tablet. They deserve this huge response in sales

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 07:18 3

8. Whateverman (Posts: 3284; Member since: 17 May 2009)

True. I just can't understand why competitors make similar devices without including a stylus. It's a must have for many of us and until I see that on other services, the Note series is my only option.

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 07:21 3

9. tiara6918 (Posts: 2110; Member since: 26 Apr 2012)

htc has one-http://www.htc.com/www/accessories/htc-stylus/
but never advertised it and sony uses a pencil for the z ultra but still nothing can beat the s pen on the note series.

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 08:42

16. Zeeya (Posts: 325; Member since: 17 Mar 2013)

Yuk.. still Android inside...

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 09:48 4

18. shuaibhere (Posts: 1986; Member since: 07 Jul 2012)

That's the best part of it....If not for andriod note series would be meh..

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 06:24 4

2. nobelset (Posts: 270; Member since: 17 Oct 2012)

I'm jealous :-D

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 06:29 2

3. starandmountain (Posts: 53; Member since: 01 Apr 2012)

The country i really would like to visit for more than 4 years... hopefully this year^^

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 06:29 16

4. shuaibhere (Posts: 1986; Member since: 07 Jul 2012)

it's funny how people with small hands use bigger phones comfortably but people with big hands keep complaining about big phones...

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 08:40

15. JunitoNH (Posts: 1934; Member since: 15 Feb 2012)

Is all psychological my amigo. Notice the people whom, are driving oversized pick trucks, usually short people. Is all part of the human experience.

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 09:15

17. shuaibhere (Posts: 1986; Member since: 07 Jul 2012)

Well you're not goin to handle trucks in hand...it enough if your legs can reach accelerator and brake to drive truck...but when it comes to phablets size of hand matters(not in this case i think)

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 06:34

5. clarkjeferson (Posts: 67; Member since: 22 Dec 2013)

Strange. Korea doesn't like Slide-out keyboards?
They need a motorola droid 4 for that.

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 06:43 2

6. Just.Saying (Posts: 132; Member since: 04 Apr 2013)

I want a korean chick.....................

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 07:30 2

10. xperiaDROID (banned) (Posts: 5629; Member since: 08 Mar 2013)

Well, u can go to a Korean restaurant to try one, but most of their dishes are spicy. :P

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 08:05 1

13. Just.Saying (Posts: 132; Member since: 04 Apr 2013)

Well, at least its easy to operate with one hand, A good assistant thats real, not virtual. It has different covers and wont blow up whe YOU PLUG IT INTO THE SOCKET....................

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 09:53

19. nobelset (Posts: 270; Member since: 17 Oct 2012)

Yea, but too bad she's just gonna be a beauty with no brains...

posted on 17 Jan 2014, 09:02

22. clarkjeferson (Posts: 67; Member since: 22 Dec 2013)

Looks like we can go to Taiwan for some Taiwanese girls. Premium looking with the smarts and quiet brilliance of their beauty. :)

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 07:03 4

7. _Bone_ (Posts: 2155; Member since: 29 Oct 2012)

They know what's up. "Too big" is just another Apple creation just like retina display and others, ppl. should use whatever THEY feel comfortable and not what they are told comfortable, and Koreans do so.

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 07:30

11. nasznjoka (Posts: 413; Member since: 05 Oct 2012)

I gues those divices gotta be sold at a cheap price

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 08:03 2

12. kylehudsons (Posts: 53; Member since: 04 Apr 2012)

Actually people in Seoul, South Korea has like really fast 4G connection and their phones always comes with extra battery out of the box with a TV antenna... Yes, u guys read correctly... A TV antenna and they watch their favourite drama on the go and always have a spare battery with them... That is why they prefer a bigger screen coz its more convenient to watch movies on it.... Plus people here walks around with earphones in their ears...}

By the way, price of phone here is not cheap.... Unlike US where you guyz can get subsidized gadgets, well here its about 900 USD for the newest product.... Then goes lower by time...

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 08:18

14. itsdeepak4u2000 (Posts: 3718; Member since: 03 Nov 2012)

There is a trend and they like big phones.

posted on 16 Jan 2014, 11:07 1

20. DnB925Art (Posts: 1059; Member since: 23 May 2013)

Also with the Note, using the S-Pen is great when writing with Asian characters. Much faster than typing, since there are hundredss, if not thousands of different characters.

posted on 17 Jan 2014, 07:52

21. saiki4116 (Posts: 404; Member since: 31 Mar 2011)

The first question that hit my mind after observing 10 million sale figure is what is the population of South Korea.