Samsung expects 2020 to be a breakout year for 5G smartphones

While Apple held back on adopting the latest 5G standard for its 2019 iPhone 11 range, Samsung forged ahead launching several 5G-capable variants of its flagship and mid-range last year. The Korean giant expects that its approach will position it well for what is expected to be a breakthrough year for the nascent cellular technology. With 5G network coverage expected to expand significantly in 2020, Counterpoint Research forecasts that the 5G market will experience a 1,687 percent increase in sales.

Interestingly, Apple’s decision to give 5G a miss in 2019 was justified by Counterpoint’s data, which showed that 5G smartphone sales only accounted for 1 percent of total smartphone sales globally last year. However, Counterpoint expects 5G sales to climb to a total market share of 18 percent. Apple’s iPhone 12 is expected to get 5G technology for the first time when it launches late in Q3. Counterpoint does add, though, that Samsung’s “momentum” in the 5G space will help it capitalize on the 5G boom.

Although not a huge set of numbers for the Korean giant, it also revealed that it has sold 6.7 million 5G-equipped smartphones to date which made for a 53.9 percent share of the 5G market. The Galaxy S10 5G was the first smartphone globally to hit the market with the latest cellular technology onboard and was followed by 5G variants of the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Fold. More recently, it brought 5G to its mid-range models with the launch of the Galaxy A90 5G which will be followed by a 5G-capable variant of the Galaxy Tab S6.