Despite its rather sluggish start, 5G technology is growing into more of a mainstream product. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are all working on distributing more towers around the country to increase the 5G spread. Dish is even working on becoming a major 5G carrier in the States.
More than half of the phones sold in January were 5G phones
This is why more phones are coming out with the 5G moniker slapped on the box. 5G technology is in a lot of phones nowadays. Of course, the $1,000 flagship phones are 5G enabled, but there are also mid-range phones that come with 5G modems. This is thanks, in no small part, to Qualcomm’s mid-range chipsets that support 5G. According to Bloomberg, 5G smartphones made up 51% of the phones sold in January. That’s a major milestone for 5G smartphones. The technology finally launched to the public back in 2019, and it had its ups and downs. Now, it seems that it’s making its way to more handsets.
Who’s leading the 5G phone race?
A new chart from Counterpoint Research puts things into perspective. Apple went home with the gold, unsurprisingly. Of the 5G phones sold around the globe, Apple made up 37%. Samsung is trailing behind Apple with 12%, and it’s not too far ahead of the competition. Xiaomi and Vivo are nipping at Samsung’s heels with 11% of the market, and Oppo is right behind them with 10%. The rest of the smartphones didn’t sell enough to score their own spot on the chart, so they make up the “Other” category with 19% of the market. We can’t deny that the aggressive marketing by carriers helped this out. Have you heard this like before “Sign up for a line today and get two Galaxy 5G phones for free!”? Since 5G phones are now present in less expensive markets, it’s easier for carriers to leverage the technology as a means of moving phones.
