5G (and iPhone) now on top

THE SALES OF 5G smartphones surpassed those of 4G for the first time in January, according to Counterpoint Research. China had the highest 5G penetration in the world at 84%, followed by Western Europe (76%) and North America (73%). Apple dominated the latter two markets, with sales shares of 30% and more than 50% respectively. Globally, iPhones accounted for more than one third of all 5G smartphone sales, followed by Samsung with 12% and Xiaomi and Vivo at 11% each.

The release of the third–generation iPhone SE (see review, page 42), which supports 5G, will be a big factor in many markets, especially price– sensitive emerging economies, but analysts urged potential buyers to check network compatibility with their carriers — in the US, for example, the iPhone SE will not work on AT&T’s upcoming mid–band 3.45GHz (“Andromeda”) 5G network, although few devices will, and that particular band has yet to roll out widely.