5G Smartphones Sold More Despite COVID-19... Samsung Leads with 34.4%

Source: Strategy Analytics

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Despite the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the global 5G smartphone shipment volume in the first quarter (January to March) surpassed the total volume of last year. Samsung Electronics, led by the Galaxy S20 series, is currently leading with a market share of 34.4%. However, with the strong growth of Chinese brands and Apple’s plan to release a 5G iPhone within the year, there is uncertainty about how long Samsung Electronics can dominate the 5G sector.

According to Strategy Analytics (SA) on the 28th (local time), global 5G smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year were estimated at 24.1 million units. This far exceeds the total annual shipment volume of 18.7 million units in 2019, when 5G was commercialized. SA analyzed that despite the impact of COVID-19, demand for 5G smartphones remained strong in China. Demand is also increasing in South Korea, the United States, and Europe.

By company, Samsung Electronics was clearly in the lead. Samsung shipped 8.3 million 5G smartphones worldwide in the first quarter, recording a market share of 34.4%.

The IT specialized media Phone Arena described this as "an interesting result considering that sales of the Galaxy S20 series have been weaker than initially expected," adding that "Samsung is reportedly reducing production scale, anticipating a decline in demand within a few months." The media also mentioned Apple’s plan to launch a 5G iPhone and Huawei’s aggressive strategy focusing on mid-to-low-end models, noting that Samsung is being pressured.

In second place, by a narrow margin, was China’s Huawei. Huawei’s 5G smartphone shipments in the first quarter reached 8 million units, with a market share of 33.2%. The market share gap with Samsung Electronics was 1.2 percentage points. Following were Chinese brands emphasizing mid-to-low-end models: Vivo (2.9 million units), Xiaomi (2.5 million units), and Oppo (1.2 million units), showing strong performance.

Neil Mawston, SA director, explained, "In the first quarter, Chinese smartphone manufacturers accounted for 61% of global 5G smartphone shipments," adding, "This reflects the fundamental demand for 5G smartphones and the speed of 5G network deployment despite the COVID-19 pandemic." It is expected that the scale of 5G smartphone shipments will further expand depending on China’s economic growth.

However, it is uncertain whether this growth will continue into the second quarter. The impact of COVID-19 is expected to hit not only 5G but the entire smartphone market. The full impact is believed to have been reflected after early March, when the pandemic was officially declared. Also, while 5G smartphone shipments showed growth in the first quarter, the overall smartphone market may have experienced a downturn during the same period. The analysis released by SA on this day only included information related to 5G smartphones.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.