Worldwide 5G smartphone shipments are set to climb more than tenfold from 19 million units in 2019 to 199 million in 2020 despite disruption caused by the ongoing coronavirus scare, according to research from Strategy Analytics. Demand will see 5G penetration rise from 1 percent of all smartphones shipped globally in 2019 to 15 percent in 2020, with China, the US, South Korea, Japan and Germany accounting for 9 in 10 of all 5G handsets sold worldwide in 2020.
However, the report cautioned that the COVID-19 outbreak is currently restricting smartphone production in Asia, disrupting supply chains and deterring consumers from visiting retail stores to buy new 5G devices in some parts of China. It said the subsequent economic slowdown will put a cap on overall 5G demand this year and result in weaker than expected shipments in H1, before bouncing back strongly in the second half of the year if the coronavirus spread is brought under control.
Last year the researcher predicted that 5G devices will make up nearly half of all phones sold within five years, reaching shipments of 1 billion per year by 2025.
