Apple's iPhone 13 goes on sale in Japan

NHK -- Sep 25

Apple's latest version of its iPhone has gone on sale in Japan.

Customers who preordered the iPhone 13 streamed into an Apple Store in central Tokyo when it opened at 8 a.m. on Friday.

The new handset has improved camera functions and battery life, but an unchanged design.

A 21-year-old male university student said, "I update to the latest model every year to see how much it has evolved."

The iPhone accounted for 48 percent of smartphone shipments in Japan in fiscal 2020, according to MM Research Institute.

But competition is intensifying. Samsung Electronics is set to launch new versions of its foldable phones. Other brands such as Germany's Leica and Japan's Balmuda are making forays into the market.