By Lee Min-hyung
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S8 and A8 have been chosen as the most-preferred phones for users here who are in the grandparent generation, wireless operators said Sunday.
According to the nation's largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, the new Samsung flagship S series topped the sales list for customers over the age of 65 last month. The new premium device took up 40 percent of the sales among that age group.
The mid-tier A model came in second with 14 percent of the sales. The business bellwether also said one out of four people in their 60s and older are using smartphones, dispelling the common belief that the elderly still opt for feature phones.
"The recent data shows the mobile trend among the grandparent generation has drastically changed in recent years, as they were described as a generation having a hard time handling smartphones due to their intuitive icons and touchscreens," an SK Telecom official said.
This is in contrast to Korea Gallup data that only some 10 percent of the people older than 60 used smartphones in 2012.
On top of that, senior citizens are no longer putting priority on buying cheaper models, as the S8 is one of the most expensive smartphone models on the market. The A8 also comes with high-end specifications, including a 16-megapixel rear camera.
The latest data was released in time with Parents' Day, which is today.
"The days are gone when people think of ‘flip phones' as the most representative phone as a gift for grandparents," the company official said. "Grandparents are now called silver surfers which indicates the elderly are familiar with digital devices. They prefer to get large-screen smartphones with the latest versions of hardware specifications."
Since its debut late last month, the Galaxy S8 attracted many customers, not only senior citizens but also people from the younger generations.
The popularity was expected even before it hit the shelves.
Preorders for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, which ran April 7 to 17, surpassed the 1 million unit mark, setting a new record among all of the company's smartphones so far.
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S8 and A8 have been chosen as the most-preferred phones for users here who are in the grandparent generation, wireless operators said Sunday.
According to the nation's largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, the new Samsung flagship S series topped the sales list for customers over the age of 65 last month. The new premium device took up 40 percent of the sales among that age group.
The mid-tier A model came in second with 14 percent of the sales. The business bellwether also said one out of four people in their 60s and older are using smartphones, dispelling the common belief that the elderly still opt for feature phones.
"The recent data shows the mobile trend among the grandparent generation has drastically changed in recent years, as they were described as a generation having a hard time handling smartphones due to their intuitive icons and touchscreens," an SK Telecom official said.
This is in contrast to Korea Gallup data that only some 10 percent of the people older than 60 used smartphones in 2012.
On top of that, senior citizens are no longer putting priority on buying cheaper models, as the S8 is one of the most expensive smartphone models on the market. The A8 also comes with high-end specifications, including a 16-megapixel rear camera.
The latest data was released in time with Parents' Day, which is today.
"The days are gone when people think of ‘flip phones' as the most representative phone as a gift for grandparents," the company official said. "Grandparents are now called silver surfers which indicates the elderly are familiar with digital devices. They prefer to get large-screen smartphones with the latest versions of hardware specifications."
Since its debut late last month, the Galaxy S8 attracted many customers, not only senior citizens but also people from the younger generations.
The popularity was expected even before it hit the shelves.
Preorders for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, which ran April 7 to 17, surpassed the 1 million unit mark, setting a new record among all of the company's smartphones so far.
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