It has been two years since the commercialization of 5G. The latest forecast and analysis from Canalys claims that the shipment of 5G smartphones will surpass 4G mobile phones in 2022. Furthermore, the research agency claims that 5G smartphones will become the mainstream market by 2022. In the first quarter of this year, the total shipments of 5G mobile phones account for 37% of smartphones. Canalys said that the total annual shipments of 5G mobile phones are expected to reach 610 million units. At this value, it will account for 43% of the total shipments of smartphones. This value will increase to 52% in 2022.
However, the report said that in order to accelerate the popularization of 5G mobile phones, the price war will be more intense. The idea is that there will be a “cold war” in the market to get cheaper 5G smartphones. Many manufacturers will water down the display and battery so as to get cheaper 5G smartphones. According to the Canalys report, there will be a plethora of < $300 5G smartphones next year.
Not long ago, another organization, Strategy Analytics, reported that Apple shipped 40.4 million 5G mobile phones (iPhone 12 series) in the first quarter, with Oppo, Vivo, Samsung, and Xiaomi ranking second to fifth respectively.
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Smartphone shipments will grow despite pressure
According to Canalys, the global smartphone market will grow by 12% in 2021, and smartphone shipments will reach 1.4 billion units. The report further claims that relative to 2020, there has been a strong recovery. Last year, smartphone shipments fell by 7% due to the severe restrictions on the market. Many thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the smartphone market took a nosedive last year. However, things are beginning to return back to normal.
As Canalys Research Manager Ben Stanton says, “The smartphone industry’s resilience is quite incredible. Smartphones are vital for keeping people connected and entertained. And they’re just as important inside the home as outside. In some parts of the world, people have been unable to spend money on holidays and days out in recent months. So many have spent their disposable income on a new smartphone instead. There is strong momentum behind 5G handsets. They accounted for 37% of global smartphone shipments in Q1. Also, they should account for 43% for the full year (610 million units). This will be driven by intense price competition between vendors, with many sacrificing other features, such as display or power, to accommodate 5G in the cheapest device possible. By the end of the year, 32% of all 5G devices shipped will have cost less than US$300. It is time for mass adoption.”
