Samsung continues to lead the global 5G smartphone shipments chart. According to a report from The Korea Herald, the South Korean company shipped 8.3 million 5G smartphones globally in the first quarter of 2020, more than any other vendor in the world.
The figures account for 34.4 percent of the global market share in Q1 2020. Chinese phone maker Huawei was a close second with around 8 million phones and a 33.2 percent market share.
Vivo, Xiaomi, and Oppo make up the top five. The three Chinese companies shipped 2.9 million, 2.5 million, and 1.2 million 5G smartphones respectively during the first quarter.
Samsung has several 5G smartphones under its belt. In fact, it has the biggest 5G smartphone lineup as of now. Not only flagships but the company offers 5G variants of select mid-range phones as well, like the Galaxy A51 5G and the Galaxy A71 5G. The Exynos 980 chipset, which comes with an integrated 5G modem, powers Samsung’s current mid-range 5G phones.
Overall, a total of 24.1 million 5G smartphones were shipped globally during the first three months of this year.
If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, we could have well seen a several-fold increase in those numbers by the end of this year. The global health crisis caused by the pandemic has created a financial uncertainty and limited the growth of 5G adoption.
Mid-range 5G smartphones could help Samsung drive sales further
5G finally became a reality in 2019 and Samsung welcomed the revolution with its Galaxy S10 5G.
The company then added four more smartphones to its 5G portfolio last year, including the Galaxy Note 10 5G, Note 10 Plus 5G, Galaxy A90 5G, and the Galaxy Fold 5G.
These devices gave the Korean giant a big head start in the global 5G smartphone race last year, as it captured more than 50 percent of the market. In the US, Samsung grabbed a whopping 74 percent share of the 5G smartphone market in 2019.
In Q1 2020, Samsung added the Galaxy S20 series to its 5G smartphone lineup. The company is now looking to expand its portfolio to mid-range phones as well. It already has two mid-range 5G-capable phones and is likely to add more in the coming months.
Mid-range phones often drive sales and help secure a bigger market share. So if Samsung does things right, it may see a substantial increase in sales of 5G smartphones in the coming months.
That’s once the ongoing coronavirus situation settles down and the global smartphone market regains its shape, of course.