China had the highest 5G penetration in the world at 84 percent in January
Surpassing the penetration of 4G smartphones for the first time, global 5G smartphone shipments reached 51 percent in January 2022, as per a report by Counterpoint Research.
China, North America and Western Europe were the biggest drivers of this growth.
China had the highest 5G penetration in the world at 84 percent in January.
The 5G smartphone penetration for North America and Western Europe reached 73 percent and 76 percent respectively.
Apple dominates North America and Western Europe with a sales share of over 50 percent and 30 percent respectively.
After Apple shifted to 5G in October 2020 with the iPhone 12 Series, North America and Western Europe saw a natural increase in the sales penetration of 5G smartphones.
Thanks to the affordable chips offered by MediaTek and Qualcomm, Android 5G smartphones entered the mid-to-high ($250-$400) price segment and are now trickling down to the $150-$250 price range, contributing one-fifth of the 5G sales in January.
Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America are the next focus areas for OEMs to increase 5G penetration. 5G models in the sub-$150 price segment are the sweet spot for these regions, which are currently dominated by 4G.
The low-end 5G SoC is priced more than $20 at present. Once it comes down to sub-$20, it is likely to start seeing 5G smartphones in the budget segment.
