Z Flip events canceled by telecom companies

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Z Flip events canceled by telecom companies

Korean mobile carriers are moving to cancel launch events for the Galaxy S20 smartphone amid the coronavirus scare, industry sources said Thursday.

SK Telecom and KT had originally planned to hold launch events for the Samsung smartphone on Feb. 27.

According to the sources, SK Telecom will not hold a launch event participated in by its customers.

KT is highly unlikely to hold an offline launch event, they added.

“With high public worries over the novel coronavirus, there seems to be no need to create a feeling of anxiety by insisting on holding large-scale launch ceremonies as in the past,” an industry source said.

LG U+ has decided not to hold launch events for new mobile phones beginning this year, starting with the Galaxy S20.

The three mobile carriers used to hold massive launch events for Samsung and Apple phones with sports stars or popular entertainers attending.

Instead of massive events, the companies are reportedly seeking to ramp up online marketing activities or provide customers with more benefits as the Galaxy S20 series is seen as a magnet for 5G customers.

On Tuesday, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Z Flip, a vertically folding phone, at an event in San Francisco. All three Galaxy S20 phones have bigger screens, upgraded cameras and larger battery capacities than the Galaxy S10 predecessors.

Samsung said the Galaxy Z Flip will hit the market Friday, starting with South Korea and the United States, and the Galaxy S20 series will be launched on March 6. Pre-orders in Korea will be taken between Feb. 20 and 26.

At the event, Roh Tae-moon, chief of Samsung’s mobile communications business, said the tech company has decided to cancel a range of events for customers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

As of early Thursday, Korea has reported 28 confirmed cases of the corona virus, with seven patients released from quarantine after making full recoveries.

Yonhap
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