Efforts to break away from existing mid-range phone price competition

SK Telecom announced that, to celebrate the New Year, it plans to begin pre-orders for its second self-designed smartphone following 'Luna', 'Sol' (hereinafter 'Sol'), starting on the 19th and officially launching it on the 22nd.

From the planning stage of 'SOL,' SK Telecom strove to break away from the existing price competition for mid-range phones, which typically involves lowering hardware specifications to reduce costs. This approach was based on preliminary customer research revealing that smartphone users spend a significant amount of time consuming media content (games, videos, music, etc.) and, to this end, purchase additional accessories such as external batteries, earphones, and memory cards separately.



Accordingly, SK Telecom first configured the specifications and accessory packages essential for users to use media content, and persistently implemented them through collaboration with manufacturers.

Despite having a large 5.5-inch Full HD screen, 'Sol' uses polycarbonate material for its exterior, making it the lightest (134g) and slim design among products larger than 5.5 inches released in Korea. In addition, it is equipped with a Qualcomm octa-core AP chipset to improve power efficiency when running media content, and features two speakers on the top and bottom of the front to double sound output.

10,400mAh high-capacity external battery, 2GB external SD card

SK Telecom provides customers who purchase 'SOL' with, unusually for the industry, a set of in-box components including high-end JBL earphones from the world-renowned audio company Harman, a 10,400mAh high-capacity external battery (which also serves as a stand), and a 32GB external SD card.

SK Telecom plans to focus on after-sales service by operating specialized 'SOL' service centers at approximately 100 major locations nationwide. Additionally, starting on the 19th with pre-orders, a large-scale advertising campaign featuring SK Telecom's representative heroine, Seolhyun, will begin. While the 'Luna' advertisement emphasized chicness and sophistication, this advertisement expresses passion and dynamism in line with the product concept of 'SOL'.

SK Telecom’s Kim Sung-soo, Head of Smart Device Division, stated, “This year, customers will choose products that have basic specifications and offer high value for the core functions they need most, rather than products that are merely cheap,” adding, “We will continue to introduce products that reflect the core values customers consider.”