(Image: Gabriele Cascone)

Xiaomi will launch its Pocophone F1 in South Korea through the three local telecommunication carriers, becoming the first Chinese handset manufacturer to do so.

The phone will begin sales on November 19, priced at 429,000 won (US$380), and will be available in the stores of SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus.

The Pocophone F1 has been a major hit in India when it launched there in August 29, selling over 68,000 units in less than five minutes. The phone's standard model is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845, has 6GB RAM, and 64GB internal storage, with a 4000mAh battery.

It has been popular in South Korea as well and many consumers purchased the phone directly from overseas and through online shopping sites.

South Korea has been a tough market for overseas handset makers for years due to the dominance of local manufacturers Samsung and LG.

But more consumers have been open to other brands, especially Chinese goods, which they perceive as price-competitive. Xiaomi launched its Redmi Note 5 in South Korea back in July.

Chinese handset makers launch phones with razor-thin margins due to their cut-throat local market, where Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, and Xiaomi vie for market share.

Honor Magic 2 launched last month has a price tag of US$550 but boasts premium specs.

Their rise has been directly eating away at Samsung's once dominant position in the low- to mid-tier segment of the market worldwide.

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