According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global 5G smartphone shipments will reach 199 million units in 2020. Disruption caused by the coronavirus scare and global economic slowdown will put a cap on 5G smartphone sales this year.
“Global 5G smartphone shipments will grow more than tenfold from 19 million units in 2019 to 199 million in 2020,” Ken Hyers, director at Strategy Analytics, said. “The 5G segment will be the fastest-growing part of the worldwide smartphone industry this year. Consumers want faster 5G smartphones to surf richer content, such as video or games. We forecast 5G penetration to rise from 1% of all smartphones shipped globally in 2019 to 15% of total in 2020.”
China, United States, South Korea, Japan and Germany are by far the largest 5G smartphone markets this year. Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, associate director at Strategy Analytics, said the big-five countries together will make up 9 in 10 of all 5G smartphones sold worldwide in 2020. However, other important regions, like India and Indonesia, are lagging way behind and will not be offering mass-market 5G for at least another year or two.
“The global 5G smartphone industry is growing quickly, but the ongoing coronavirus scare and subsequent economic slowdown will put a cap on overall 5G demand this year,” said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics. “The COVID-19 outbreak is currently restricting smartphone production in Asia, disrupting supply chains, and deterring consumers from visiting retail stores to buy new 5G devices in some parts of China. The first half of 2020 will be much weaker than expected for the 5G industry, but we expect a strong bounce-back in the second half of the year if the coronavirus spread is brought under control.”