Last week I took a short trip to Asia with my girlfriend. We visited Tokyo for a couple of days and then we headed to Seoul. Every time I come to a new place, one of the things I do is observe people and try to understand their relationship with technology. I look at what technology they use, how they use it and how it differs from how technology is used here in the western part of the world. I wanted to share a few of my three key observations here:

1. Sizes differ

Phone sizes in Asia are completely different than what you see in the US and even more different than what you find in Europe. While 5+ inch smartphones are not very widespread in the western world and often considered as “too big”, they seem to be the smallest you can find on the streets in Tokyo and Seoul. In fact, so-called Phablets are surprisingly ubiquitous. According to the research firm IDC, over 50% of all Phablets are bought and used in Asia. This is mainly due to the fact that most people have longer commutes and Wi-Fi is widely available in subways, which makes big screens more useful to watch movies or play games on the way to work.

2. Phone types and form factors differ

Japan has always had a very distinct mobile phone culture and it is still quite unique today. Although you can see many iPhones and Samsung phones in different sizes, there is one phone type that is still surprisingly popular — the flip phone. The interesting thing is that they look like old-fashioned flip phones from the outside but they are modern high-tech machines inside. For example, the hugely popular Fujitsu Docomo F02D (see image above) is equipped with everything you would ever want from a modern phone, including WiFi, fingerprint scanner, a 16MP camera and a waterproof casing.

At the same time I noticed that many Korean phones are equipped with extendable Antennas that allow people to watch digital TV right from their phones. You see people watching all sorts of TV channels while waiting in line, sitting in the subway or walking on the street.

In addition to that, I have noticed that people love decorating their phones. Phone stores have huge sections dedicated to covers, stickers and especially decorations for headphone jacks like the one you see to the left.

4. Shopping is huge

One of the things I observed most people doing is shopping on their phones and tablets. I have seen people buying bags, shoes, ties and even suits from their phone wile riding the subway. In fact, South Korea is one of the fastest growing markets for mobile commerce in Asia, growing over 150% since last year with a total sales volume of nearly $3bn per year that is produced by around 22 Million mobile shoppers.

In many ways, this short experience in Asia opened my eyes to the nuances and cultural differences in how technology is used in different markets and cultures. I’m excited to go back and learn even more in the months and years to come.