Global sales of 5G mobile phones surpass those of 4G for the first time

Madrid, 20 Mar Sales of mobile phones with 5G technology worldwide have surpassed those of 4G devices for the first time thanks to the boost of the Chinese market, the expansion of state-of-the-art networks and competitive prices. 5G devices reached 51% market penetration in January 2022, surpassing that of 4G mobile phones for the first time, according to data released by consultancy Counterpoint Research. This advance of 5G devices comes after in the last quarter of 2021 their shipments increased by 35% year-on-year, compared to the 6% decline recorded by the mobile phone market as a whole. By geographical area, the main drivers of growth were China, Western Europe and North America. In the case of China, the country achieved the highest penetration in the world in January 2022, with sales of 5G devices of 84%, while in Western Europe and North America it stood at 76% and 73%, respectively. Counterpoint concludes in this regard that sales of 5G devices in North America and Western Europe were driven by the launch in October 2020 of the first Apple 5G device, the iPhone 12 series, which caused penetration to increase gradually. For its part, the consultancy points out that the next areas of expansion of this technology will be Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America, where 4G continues to dominate, but 5G penetration is expected to increase thanks to the arrival of new models priced below 140 euros. ASSAULT THE MID-RANGE Counterpoint Research reports that the increase of 5G mobile phones in the market has also been driven by the proliferation of competitively priced devices. Although when mobile phones with 5G technology entered the market they fell into the high price segment, affordable chips from MediaTek and Qualcomm have allowed their cost to fall to the range of between 140 and 230 euros. In fact, 5G devices with prices between 140 and 230 euros accounted for 25% of total sales of mobile phones with this connectivity in January 2022. The commitment to mid-range 5G devices is evident in the latest technology launches, such as Samsung, which this week has presented two devices from its mid-range A series, the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 5G, which feature this connectivity. DRIVE GLOBAL SALES Global mobile sales increased by 4% in 2021, to over 1.39 billion units, according to Counterpoint data. A growth that IDC places at 5.7%, with 1.35 billion phones sent. Although the consultants do not disaggregate data by 4G and 5G devices, they both agree that the growing interest of consumers in this latest technology has boosted demand and counteracted semiconductor and logistics problems.