[E-Daily Shin Yeong-bin Reporter] The transaction value of the domestic used cell phone market exceeded 600 billion won in the third quarter of this year. While the volume of transactions remained similar to last year, the market size expanded significantly as transactions involving high-end smartphones increased. Apple’s transaction value surged 52% year-over-year, surpassing SamsungElectronics(005930).

According to used phone distributor UPM on the 2nd, the total purchase value of used phones in the third quarter of this year was 606.9 billion won. This represents a 33.3% increase from the 455.2 billion won recorded during the same period last year.

During the same period, the number of phones purchased rose by 2.1%, from 1,613,908 to 1,648,098. While the number of phones traded remained largely unchanged, the price per unit has increased.

The average purchase price per device rose by 30.6%, from approximately 282,000 won in the third quarter of last year to approximately 368,000 won this year.

Looking at the data by manufacturer, Apple’s performance stood out.

The transaction value for used Apple phones in the third quarter increased by 52.0%, from approximately 225.2 billion won last year to 342.1 billion won this year. Its share of the total used phone transaction value also rose from 49.46% to 56.37%.

In contrast, the transaction value for SamsungElectronics’ used phones rose 15.3% during the same period, from 228.8 billion won to 263.9 billion won. Its market share fell from 50.27% to 43.48%.

In the third quarter of last year, SamsungElectronics and Apple had similar market shares in transaction value, at 50.27% and 49.46%, respectively. This year, Apple surpassed 56%, widening the gap with SamsungElectronics.

In terms of volume, SamsungElectronics still led. A total of 1,167,741 SamsungElectronics units were purchased in the third quarter of this year, accounting for 70.85% of the total. Apple accounted for 27.74% with 457,231 units.

However, compared to last year, SamsungElectronics’ market share fell by 3.89 percentage points from 74.74%, while Apple’s rose by 4.51 percentage points from 23.23%.

The influx of used smartphones into the secondhand market also increased around the time of new product launches.

In July, ahead of the launch of the SamsungElectronics Galaxy Z Fold 8, the volume of used phones purchased reached approximately 592,000 units, the highest among the three quarters. In August, 16,400 units of the previous-generation Galaxy Z Fold 6 256GB model were purchased, ranking first in monthly purchase volume.

In September, the impact of the iPhone 18 series launch became apparent. As existing premium models, such as the iPhone 16 and 17 Pro, entered the market, the average purchase price per used Apple device reached approximately 738,000 won.

Apple’s share of the total used phone transaction value also rose to 64.2% that month. In the last week of September, it reached 79.58%.

The new iPhone 18 series also appeared on the used market immediately after its launch. The average purchase price for the iPhone 18 Pro 256GB was approximately 1.83 million won, while that for the iPhone 18 Pro Max 256GB was approximately 2.22 million won.

UPM analyzed that while the increase in transaction volume was modest in the third quarter of this year, high-end premium smartphones drove the growth of the used phone market due to significant increases in total transaction value and average purchase prices.