Oliver Haslam·

iPhone X Launch On Samsung’s Home Turf Sees The Handset Sell Out In Minutes

Apple’s iPhone X launched across the globe on November 3rd, but pre-orders have only just begun for those living in South Korea. With the device going on sale on November 24th, pre-orders are now live, but there is one problem and it’s a biggie.

As of right now, there are none available to pre-order.

That’s because when pre-orders began, the initial stock of iPhone X handsets was exhausted in just minutes. In fact, carrier SK Telecom says that it ran out of all iPhone X phones in just three minutes, down on the 20 minutes it took for the iPhone 7 to sell out last year. Things were particularly bad if you wanted to order the Silver iPhone X, apparently, with that particular option disappearing in just a minute – 60 seconds!

The same story played out across other carriers, with both KT Corp and LG Uplus saying their stocks were gone within minutes, with one official saying that “the initial inventories were … too low to meet the demand.” That’s one way of putting it, that’s for sure.

While stock shortages across Europe and some other regions have already begun to ease, it would seem that the distribution of handsets may have gone awry, with South Korea simply not receiving enough to go around. The lack of stock in the country is particularly troubling for Apple, with the iPhone X selling for more in South Korea than it does back home in the Unites States. In South Korea an iPhone X starts at $1237, compared to $999 in the States.

Industry types believe that South Korea received just 150,000 iPhone X handsets whereas more than 200,000 iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus phones were made available towards the end of September. It is, of course, unknown when stock will begin to be replenished.

(Source: Yonhap News)

You may also like to check out:

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.