Apple Inc's iPhone 5S Outperforms Samsung Galaxy S5 in South Korea's Smartphone Satisfaction Rankings

Apple Inc reigns supreme in Samsung's home turf in South Korea with the iPhone 5S leading in smartphone satisfaction rankings. South Korean marketing firm Marketing Insight has tracked users' satisfaction based on a variety of factors.

The smartphone satisfaction survey has pitted Apple's iPhone 5S against Samsung's Galaxy S5, Nexus 5, LG G Pro 2 and other smartphone models. The firm noted that Apple Inc has scored above average in every category while Samsung garnered below average scores in design, multimedia speed, display, processing speed, size and weight.

Samsung's latest flagship phone also scored low in terms of usability, response to touch and UI design. In every category, Samsung was ranked below Apple, but the South Korean electronics giant was also below average when compared to other Android phones based on design. Samsung was ranked sixth place in design behind Apple's iPhone 5, the last two models of LG's G2 phones and Nexus 5 which carries the Google brand.

The research firm asked 9,397 customers who bought a smartphone between October 2013 and April 2014. In a report by Korean-language Ohmy News, the gap satisfaction between Apple's products and those of South Korean has increased.

The site also reported that Apple's smartphone satisfaction score was 798 out of 1,000. The score propelled Apple to first place in the rankings with a gap of nearly 200 points from its local competitors. LG came in second overall with 609 points followed by Samsung with 600 and Pantech with 577 points.

The South Korean survey also revealed that almost 90 per cent of iPhone users responded they were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their device. About 50 per cent of local smartphone users replied similarly.

Marketing Insight has been quoted as saying the score of iPhone 5S is "amazing" considering the observation that product satisfaction decreases based on the period since the phone has been released in the market.

The site further reported that Samsung's Galaxy S5 had a "humiliating result" since it ranked below LG's G Pro 2 in any category.

According to Apple Insider, Samsung has fired its head of mobile design after the company has observed the market's cool reception for its latest flagship, the Galaxy S5.