Consumer electronics in 2025: The big picture
Consumer electronics in South Korea continued its downward trajectory in 2025, with retail volume sales decreasing, although to a slower extent. This was the fourth consecutive year of decline in volume terms, reflecting the challenging landscape in which players are operating. Persistent economic uncertainty, subdued consumer sentiment, and a growing reluctance to replace high-cost electronics, translated into weaker sales. While innovation was visible across most categories, consumers in South Korea are holding on to existing devices for longer, contributing to an extended replacement cycle.
2025 key trends
Artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from a novelty feature to a fundamental driver of product differentiation within consumer electronics in South Korea. In 2025, AI capabilities became deeply embedded in smartphones, wearables, wireless headphones, and even televisions. Smartphones such as Samsung’s Galaxy S25 and Apple’s latest iPhone integrate on-device AI to offer real-time summarisation, personalised assistance, and natural language interactions. Smartwatches have evolved into proactive health companions, with Galaxy Watch8 and Apple Watch10 offering features like sleep apnea detection, carotenoid measurement, and predictive health alerts. Wireless headphones, particularly TWS earbuds, now include adaptive soundscapes and AI-driven noise cancellation that adjust based on environmental context. Within in-home entertainment, AI-powered TVs analyse content and ambient conditions to optimise picture and sound settings in real time. As AI becomes more intuitive and device-agnostic, consumers increasingly expect seamless, context-aware experiences that span across their digital ecosystems.
Competitive landscape
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd continued to lead consumer electronics in 2025, supported by its extensive product portfolio that spans smartphones, TVs, computers and peripherals, smartwatches, TWS earbuds, and beyond. The company’s dominance in South Korea is reinforced by the breadth of its portfolio, offering premium and mass-market products to give it a volume advantage over competitors, including Apple Inc.
Channel developments
Appliances and electronics specialists remained the leading distribution channel for consumer electronics in 2025, accounting for just under half of retail volume sales. These physical stores continue to dominate when it comes to high-ticket and hands-on products, such as televisions, laptops, and desktop computers, where in-person consultation and product trials remain important to consumers. Retail e-commerce follows closely with a 44.5% share and has significantly narrowed the gap between the two channels. This closing margin underscores the growing influence of online platforms in South Korea’s consumer electronics landscape. Platforms like Coupang, Naver, Gmarket, and 11st are expanding their share by offering competitive pricing, fast delivery, and easy access to a wide range of both new and refurbished products. The surge in demand for SIM-free smartphones, TWS earbuds, and smartwatches, categories with lower involvement and high online discoverability, further fuelled this trend.
What next for consumer electronics?
Consumer electronics in South Korea is expected to return to growth towards the end of the forecast period, with marginal retail volume growth projected overall. Several trends are expected to shape this recovery. First, the continued integration of artificial intelligence will enhance user experiences across nearly all major product categories. In mobile phones, AI is powering real-time translation, text generation, and context-aware assistant features. In wearable electronics, it enables more proactive health management through biometric data interpretation and predictive alerts. In wireless headphones and TVs, AI improves sound tuning, adaptive noise cancellation, and smart content recommendations. As AI evolves from a novelty into a standard user expectation, it will drive consumer interest and increase perceived product value.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Consumer Electronics industry in South Korea with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Computers and Peripherals
- In-Car Entertainment
- Home Audio and Cinema
- Home Video
- Imaging Devices
- Mobile Phones
- Portable Players
- Wearable Electronics
If you're in the Consumer Electronics industry in South Korea, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Consumer Electronics in South Korea report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Consumer Electronics in South Korea?
- Which are the leading brands in South Korea?
- How are products distributed in South Korea?
- How is the rise of e-commerce changing the retail landscape?
- How has COVID-19 and accordant macroeconomic and retail disruption impacted consumer demand?
- How are considerations such as urban development and the rise in single-person households driving sales growth?
- Where is technology taking the market? Which products are pioneering growth? Which face obsolescence?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Consumer Electronics in South Korea
Consumer electronics in 2025: The big picture
2025 key trends
Competitive landscape
Channel developments
What next for consumer electronics?
DISCLAIMER
Computers and Peripherals in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Transition from desktops to laptops accelerates
AI Integration and advanced user features drive demand for premium laptops
Gaming desktops and high-performance monitors emerge as key segments
Device convergence and the rise of hybrid form factors
Connected workspaces and the evolution of peripherals
Shift towards subscription-based models
In-Car Entertainment in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Factory integration rapidly shrinks the aftermarket for in-car entertainment
Smartphone integration accelerates the decline of standalone devices
Retail e-commerce achieves strong gains in share
Further contraction in sales expected for in-car entertainment
Aftermarket opportunities in used and car rental car segments
Growing sales of electric cars will impact aftermarket in-car entertainment sales
Home Audio and Cinema in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Home cinema and speaker systems expand as outdated products decline
Home cinema systems evolve due to demand for premium, wireless, and immersive experiences
Smart home integration and AI-Driven audio experiences accelerate market evolution
Slight decline expected in the forecast period
Home cinema and speaker systems provides scope for growth
AI-driven personalisation and automation to redefine home audio experiences
Home Video in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
OLED and Premium TV technologies stimulate value growth
Samsung’s leadership in LCD TV’s is becoming challenged by rise of Chinese brands
Mini LED and QD-OLED expand the premium segment
Premium TV technologies to support a softer decline
Smart TV and AI Integration become universal
Streaming-centric hardware and the end of physical media
Wireless Headphones in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Wireless headbands stand out in otherwise declining category
Noise cancelling technology drives premiumisation in wireless headphones
Improved connectivity and battery life boosts TWS earbuds
Wireless headbands and TWS earbuds to drive category performance
Samsung faces challenges in TWS earbuds
Personalised sound profiles enhance user experience in wireless headphones
Imaging Devices in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Mirrorless cameras dominate as entry-level compact devices fade
Hybrid video and photo capabilities drive demand
Premium compact and action cameras is attractive niche
Steady market contraction to continue throughout the forecast period
AI and computational imaging becomes standard
Content creation drives evolution of imaging devices industry
Mobile Phones in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Structural decline in mobile phone market
Growing popularity of unlocked phones and budget carriers
Samsung introduces subscription-based trade-in model to shorten upgrade cycles
Samsung and Apple’s competitive rivalry expected to intensify
AI-Driven smartphones to reshape user experience and stimulate upgrade demand
Foldable and slim smartphones continue to develop
Portable Players in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Modest growth driven by wireless speakers
Competitive landscape is intensifying
Wireless speakers emerge as interior decoration elements
Steady growth anticipated amid ecosystem integration
AI-powered wireless speakers to drive the next phase of category growth
AI speakers to play expanding role in social care and public safety
Wearable Electronics in South Korea
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Activity devices decline while smart wearables gain momentum
Xiaomi Corp continues to lead sales
AI integration accelerates in smartwatches
Players will need to overcome long replacement cycles through continuous innovation
Price-competitive Chinese brands poised to expand presence
From fitness tracking to intelligent preventative healthcare
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Consumer Electronics
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- Desktops
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- Laptops
- Tablets
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- Monitors
- Printers
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- In-Car Navigation
- In-Car Speakers
- In-Dash Media Players
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- Audio Separates
- Digital Media Player Docks
- Hi-Fi Systems
- Home Cinema and Speaker Systems
- Speakers
- Other Home Audio and Cinema
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- Analogue TVs
- LCD TVs
- OLED TVs
- Plasma TVs
- Other TVs
- TV Combis
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- BD Players
- DVD Players
- Video Recorders
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- Mass Wireless Headbands
- Premium Wireless Headbands
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- Mass Wireless Earphones
- Premium Wireless Earphones
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- Mass TWS Earbuds
- Premium TWS Earbuds
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- Digital Cameras
- Digital Camcorders
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- Feature Phones
- Smartphones
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- E-Readers
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- Portable Multimedia Players
- Other Portable Media Players
- Wireless Speakers
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- Activity Bands
- Activity Watch (Analogue)
- Activity Watch (Digital)
- Smart Wearables
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Consumer Electronics
Consumer Electronics refers to the sales of Computers and Peripherals, In-Home Consumer Electronics, In-Car Entertainment and Portable Consumer Electronics to the end consumer.
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This report originates from Passport, our Consumer Electronics research and analysis database.
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