Asus takes No. 2 spot in local laptop market, first for non-Korean brand

Asus' 17.3-inch foldable Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is shown at the IFA 2022 tech fair in Berlin, last Thursday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Samsung and LG are slipping from their top spots in the local laptop market, as Asus pushed its way up to second place in the April-June period. This marks the first time for a non-Korean brand to rank No. 2 in Korea's laptop market, said the Taiwanese electronics maker.

Asus took up a 22.7 percent share, selling 186,901 laptops in the second quarter, a significant jump from last year’s 6.1 percent, according to market tracker IDC.

Samsung topped the list with a 33.7 percent market share, down 0.1 percentage point compared to the same period last year, while LG lost 5.5 percentage points in market share to 16.2 percent, taking the third spot.

Apple came fourth with 8.1 percent share and Lenovo fifth with 7.4 percent.

Though laptops have never been Korean electronic makers’ forte in the global market, Samsung and LG have been keeping a firm grip at least at home, thanks to Koreans' preference for local brands and well-established customer service systems.

But overseas brands such as Asus have recently started gaining traction with local users leveraging their cost-competitiveness, especially in schools and at workplaces.

In the first six months of this year, Asus became the top seller of commercial laptops — which are for workplace purposes — selling 312,851 units in total, with a 30.6-percent market share. That was a whopping 27.4-percentage-point jump in market share compared to last year’s 3.2 percent.

The rapid stride was thanks to a government deal signed in February to supply 280,000 laptops to students in the South Gyeongsang region.

Meanwhile, Samsung sold 307,073 commercial laptops in the same period, taking the second spot with a 30.1 percent share. That was down by 6.5 percentage points from last year’s Jan-Jun period.

Cost competitiveness, as well as improved customer services, are cited as the reasons behind the strong sales.

Asus said that it will continue to boost its market share by targeting the newly emerging demand driven by online lectures and telecommuting, while enhancing after-sales services for corporate customers.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]