Samsung shipped more than 6.7 million of its 5G smartphones in 2019 – making up more than half of the global market for 5G phones.
The 6.7 million total exceeds the expectations of the company, which originally predicted its 5G smartphones sales to reach 4 million by the end of the year.
Samsung accounted for around 54 per cent of the global 5G smartphone market as of November, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
This far outstripped its rivals – in part due to the large range of handsets available, but also because its main rival in smartphones, Apple, is yet to release a 5G device.
The South Korean tech giant has a range of five Galaxy 5G devices globally, the Galaxy S10 5G, Note 10 5G, Note 10+ 5G, Galaxy A90 5G and Galaxy Fold 5G.
The Galaxy S10 5G (pictured) was released in time for the switch-on of 5G networks last year and has proved a hit with consumers as Samsung accounted for around 54 per cent of the global 5G smartphone market as of November
The company had sold two million 5G smartphones in September, meaning the Korean tech giant has sold around a further 4.7 units in the last five months.
‘For Samsung, 2020 will be the year of Galaxy 5G and we are excited to bring 5G to even more device categories and introduce people to mobile experiences they never thought possible,’ said TM Roh, President and Head of Research and Development at IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics.
‘Consumers can’t wait to experience 5G and we are proud to offer a diverse portfolio of devices that deliver the best 5G experience possible.’
At IFA 2019 in September, Samsung said it had sold two million 5G smartphones since the first went to market in May, and predicted sales of its next-gen network devices to reach 4 million by the end of 2019.
5G smartphones made up just one per cent of global smartphone sales in 2019, according to Counterpoint Research.
‘In both South Korea and the US, Samsung is only challenged for market share supremacy by Apple, and as Apple has yet to launch any 5G products, Samsung has had few challengers,’ Peter Richardson, research director at Counterpoint Research, told MailOnline.
‘Most 5G smartphones will have been bought by tech pioneers and early adopters and 2020 will see broader network rollouts and a much bigger range of smartphones at more affordable prices,’ he said.
‘These will include Apple iPhones, though likely not before September or October. This will likely mean that the market share landscape will be different a year from now.’
Samsung has five 5G phones on the market, including the Note 10 5G and larger Note 10+ (above)
While Samsung took 53.9 per cent 5G device market share as of November, Huawei was in second position with 19.3 per cent share, despite the trade ban with the US.
LG was in third position with 10.6 per cent market share, while Chinese vendors Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi and OnePlus have also achieved reasonable sales, Counterpoint Research said.
5G smartphone sales are poised to grow nearly 17 times over in 2020, according to the firm, to account for 18 per cent of total 5G smartphone sales volume.
The Galaxy A90 5G is Samsung’s 5G offering in the more affordable Galaxy A range, at just over £600
Samsung has worked closely with telecommunications carriers to roll-out the next generation network and provided network equipment for the world’s first 5G commercial service in Korea, which went live last April.
In May, the company was the first in the world to launch a 5G smartphone – the Galaxy S10 5G – in time for the UK’s first 5G network, which was switched on by EE the same month.
The phone offers internet speeds to that allow users to download films in less than a second, as well as new VR capabilities, depth-sensing and four cameras.
Samsung now is offering consumers five 5G devices globally – the Galaxy S10 5G, the Note 10 5G and the Note 10+ 5G, as well as the Galaxy A90 5G and the Galaxy Fold 5G – the company’s first foldable smartphone.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S6 5G, which will be available in the first quarter of this year, is set to be the world’s first 5G tablet.
5G is expected to be up to 1,000 times faster than the currently used network standard, 4G
Samsung’s collapsible Galaxy Fold is also 5G-ready and retails for around £1,800
The Galaxy Fold has reportedly sold more than one million units since September as of last month, marking a major turnaround after well-documented flaws with the device’s design
The Galaxy Fold, which costs an eye-watering £1,800, folds down the centre, allowing users to switch from a 4.6-inch display on the outside to a 7.3-inch display on the inside once unfolded.
The much-anticipated device was released in September following technical troubles that held up its worldwide launch, including reports of broken displays after only a few days of use.
Samsung President Young Sohn told press last month that the company had sold one million Galaxy Fold units since its release in September.
However, the company later backtracked on this claim, saying Sohn confused the tech giant’s initial sales target with actual figures.
WHAT IS 5G AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
The evolution of the G system started in 1980 with the invention of the mobile phone which allowed for analogue data to be transmitted via phone calls.
Digital came into play in 1991 with 2G and SMS and MMS capabilities were launched.
Since then, the capabilities and carrying capacity for the mobile network has increased massively.
More data can be transferred from one point to another via the mobile network quicker than ever.
5G is expected to be 100 times faster than the currently used 4G.
Whilst the jump from 3G to 4G was most beneficial for mobile browsing and working, the step to 5G will be so fast they become almost real-time.
That means mobile operations will be just as fast as office-based internet connections.
Potential uses for 5g include:
- Simultaneous translation of several languages in a party conference call
- Self-driving cars can stream movies, music and navigation information from the cloud
- A full length 8GB film can be downloaded in six seconds.
5G is expected to be so quick and efficient it is possible it could start the end of wired connections.
By the end of 2020, industry estimates claim 50 billion devices will be connected to 5G.
The evolution of from 1G to 5G. The predicted speed of 5G is more than 1Gbps – 1,000 times greater than the existing speed of 4G and could be implemented in laptops of the future
