Strategy Analytics: 5G will propel Apple to the top of the smartphone pile
- nov
- 15
"Apple merely needs to match its current upgrade rates for newly introduced iPhone models to take the lead next year."
What you need to know
- Strategy Analytics has published a report forecasting that Apple's entry into the 5G market in Q3 of 2020 will make it the leading vendor of 5G smartphones.
- The report suggests Apple will capture "a dominant market share".
- It claims that the current leader Samsung will eventually retake the number one spot.
A report published by Strategy Analytics claims that Apple's entry into the 5G smartphone market in Q3 of 2020 next year will see it become the leading vendor of 5G smartphones.
According to the news announcement:
Strategy Analytics in a newly published report from the Device Technologies (EDT) team, forecasts that Apple's entry into the 5G race in 3Q 2020 will catapult the vendor into the lead in 5G smartphones. The report, Global 5G Smartphone Shipments Forecast by Vendor by Region by Quarter shows that Apple will capture a dominant share in the emerging smartphone technology segment.
Director of Strategy Analytics Ken Hyers commented saying:
"It may seem counterintuitive that Apple, which currently has no 5G phones in its portfolio will be able to pass current 5G market leaders Samsung and Huawei... But with three new 5G models coming next year, Apple merely needs to match its current upgrade rates for newly introduced iPhone models to take the lead next year."
Hyers went on to suggest that whilst Samsung is the current "undisputed" 5G smartphone vendor, Huawei and Apple would both pass it in 2020 thanks to their dominant presence in the Chinese and U.S. markets respectively. Hyers does, however, suggest that Apple's lead will be short-lived. He notes that Samsung will eventually recapture the number one position, thanks to its overall dominance of the smartphone market and the fact that it has a wider portfolio of devices across more price points.
He further notes that Huawei's opportunities for expansion beyond China remain limited whilst the US technology trade ban remains in place. Author of the report Ville-Petteri Ukonaho also said:
"Regardless of its long-term prospects in terms of 5G smartphone market share... 2020 will be Apple's time to grab bragging rights in 5G."
Apple chose to hold off on 5G in the iPhone 11 for several reasons, however the rumor mill is churning out plenty of hints that Apple will indeed embrace 5G in the next iteration of iPhone. Most recently, it was purported that Apple's next phone will be powered by Qualcomm's industry-leading 5G modem chip, the X55. According to that report, Apple is planning to launch three 5G devices in 2020.