With pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series starting on Saturday, South Korea's three major mobile carriers have launched campaigns to attract customers.
Each carrier is highlighting distinct benefits, including usage vouchers worth up to 300,000 won, device discounts, additional compensation for trade-ins, interest-free installment plans over 36 months, and AI (artificial intelligence) services.
SK Telecom will take pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max from Sept. 12 to 17, company officials said Friday. The devices will officially go on sale Sept. 18.
SKT will offer usage vouchers worth up to 200,000 won for customers purchasing the 256GB or 512GB models and up to 300,000 won for those buying the 1TB or 2TB models via its official online store, T Direct Shop, through a lucky roulette event.
Customers who trade in their existing devices will receive compensation of up to 1.22 million won based on an iPhone 17 Pro 256GB Grade A model, with an additional reward of up to 150,000 won depending on the program. For the first time, customers purchasing with Hyundai Card will also be eligible for a 36-month interest-free installment plan.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max 2TB models will be sold exclusively through T Direct Shop. Customers who activate new devices by Oct. 18 will receive two months of Google AI Plus and four months of TVING ad-supported standard service vouchers.
KT will also begin accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max starting on Saturday, with activations beginning on Sept. 18. Pre-orders for Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5 started Friday, with releases scheduled for Sept. 18. Apple's first foldable phone, "iPhone Duo," will also begin pre-orders on Oct. 16 and be released on Sept. 23.
KT will sequentially introduce Apple's new product lineup, including the iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are equipped with the A20 Pro chip and a 48MP fusion main camera featuring a variable aperture. The iPhone Duo offers a 5.4-inch screen when folded and a 7.6-inch screen when unfolded, and it is also powered by the A20 Pro chip.
LG U+ will provide device discount coupons worth up to 200,000 won to customers who pre-order through its official online store, U+. Payments made with Samsung or Hyundai Card are eligible for interest-free installments of up to 36 months, and customers trading in their existing phones will receive an additional 180,000 won on top of the used phone compensation value. Online reservation customers can receive their products on the morning of the release date through "morning delivery."
LG U+ is also enhancing its AI call services targeting iPhone users. Through the AI call app "Xio" on the iPhone 18 Pro series, it will offer features such as call recording and summarization, as well as "Roaming Call," which supports overseas voice calls.
During calls, AI will detect potential voice phishing risks in real time, and if suspicious financial transactions are identified, the system will alert users by connecting with KB Kookmin Bank and Woori Bank to guide them on abnormal activity.
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