The Korean mobile phone industry will see a big shift in marketing strategy this year as the country’s three handset makers now put the emphasis in product development on design rather than high-tech features.

For several years now, the big three -- Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Pantech -- have competed in developing innovative handsets with new advanced features and technologies, with most newly developed products described as “the world’s first.” But now they are all stressing design.

◆ Samsung Electronics

From left, Samsung’s SCH-B630 Ultra Edition DMB Cell Phone, F300 Ultra Music Phone, and F500 Ultra Video Phone

The present flagship model of Samsung Electronics is the SCH-B630 Ultra Edition DMB Cell Phone, for which the company says it developed a new interior to make it as slim as possible -- it is 12.9 mm thick -- despite being equipped with the mobile TV feature. The model heralds an era where design is everything in product development, even though the multiple features still abound.

Korea’s largest handset maker went the extra mile to promote the design of its next-generation phones Ultra Music F300 and Ultra Music Video F500, unveiling the front and back of the phones separately. The front was unveiled at the ITU Telecom World in Hong Kong late last year, and the back at the Consumer Electronics Show in U.S. early this month.

Expected to hit the market within the first half of this year, the two models boast innovative design. They feature a touch screen without a keypad and look like MP3 players from behind.

Design will get ever more important in the firm’s development and marketing after Choi Ji-sung took the helm of its digital media division. He is the man behind the popular Bordeaux TV, designed to look a little like a wine glass. Describing himself as a “dealer”, the new president has spent his career in marketing and sales, while his predecessor, vice chairman Lee Ki-tae, is engineering-minded.

◆ LG Electronics

From left, LG’s Shine Phone and Prada Phone

Over at LG Electronics, the flagship model is the Shine Phone. It is encased in stainless steel, a feat once considered impossible in the industry because steel blocks radio waves and is conductive, so it can cause electric shocks. The reason the company put everything into solving those problems is that it makes for a sleek look.

Now the company is moving its focus to premium design phones. It collaborated with the Italian fashion brand Prada to develop a phone that also features a touch screen and no keypad. Its innovative design even caused controversy overseas, where some argued that Apple’s recently-released iPhone copies the LG phone on the grounds that it also comes with a touch screen and has a very similar design.

LG also has appointed Ahn Sueng-kwon, who spearheaded the global success of the Chocolate Phone, as new mobile communications division chief.

◆ Pantech

From left, Pantech’s IM-S130 Sky Slim Slide Phone and IM-U170 Phone

Pantech is also putting design first to survive its financial difficulties. Its strategic IM-S130 Sky Slim Slide Phone has sold more than 250,000 units since its release in October. The company attributes the phone’s popularity to its black-and-metal design. In terms of features, users can use the phone as navigator without extra devices and make recordings of up to an hour. It can also read files written using Microsoft’s office programs and features an electronic dictionary.

Pantech’s next flagship IM-U170 phone, made from magnesium, boasts a simple and sophisticated design. The company says it is already getting a lot of calls asking about the product.

(englishnews@chosun.com )