Apple has confirmed South Korea as a first-wave release country for the iPhone 18 Pro series next month. While there were initial speculations that South Korea might be excluded from the first-wave release due to potential product shortages, it has been confirmed that the three major telecom companies—SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus—are preparing for sales in line with the first-wave release.
According to the mobile communications industry on the 25th, the three telecom companies are organizing online and offline sales systems and preparing promotions in anticipation of the iPhone 18 launch.
The iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and the first foldable iPhone are expected to be unveiled on September 9th (local time). Typically, Apple begins first-wave sales one to two weeks after the product announcement, following a pre-order period. South Korea has been included in the first-wave release since the iPhone 16 series two years ago.
Apple usually notifies telecom companies of the release schedule about a month in advance. However, with no such communication for the iPhone 18, there were concerns that South Korea might be excluded from the first-wave release.
It has been reported that Apple recently shared the release schedule with telecom companies. Multiple telecom officials stated, “We are aware that there are no changes compared to last year,” and added, “We are proceeding with preparations for online and offline systems in line with the release date.”
However, the initial supply allocated to South Korea is expected to be limited, raising concerns about potential shortages. Due to a shortage of components such as DRAM, the shipment volume of new products in the second half of this year is expected to decrease compared to previous models. If the domestic supply is insufficient, shortages may occur, particularly for popular colors and high-capacity models of the Pro series. The industry anticipates that after the official pre-sale, the waiting period for some models could range from two weeks to a month.
While the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and foldable iPhone will be released next month, the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Air, and budget iPhone 18e are likely to be released in the first half of next year. Starting this year, Apple plans to stagger new product releases, launching the Pro series and the first foldable device in the second half of the year. With the standard and Air models shifting to the first half of next year, the total shipment volume of iPhone 18 new models is expected to decrease compared to the previous generation.
An industry official stated, “iPhones are not always released with sufficient stock for all models and colors from the beginning,” and added, “Given the overall unfavorable supply conditions this year, popular models may take time to receive even after pre-ordering.”
