Global 5G smartphone shipments touched 24.1 million units in Q1 2020 as demand from China was higher than expected, according to Strategy Analytics.
Samsung leads in 5G smartphones in Q1 2020. Samsung and Huawei captured 68 percent share of 5G smartphone shipments in the first quarter.

5G smartphone shipments in 2019 touched 18.7 million. Demand for 5G smartphones was strong, particularly in China, despite the emergence of the Covid-19 epidemic. China is the leader in demand for 5G smartphones, but demand is also growing South Korea, the US and Europe, said Ken Hyers, director at Strategy Analytics.

Samsung has shipped 8.3 million 5G smartphones globally in Q1 2020. Samsung has strong global distribution networks and operator partnerships and new 5G smartphones. “Popular 5G models for Samsung include the S20 5G and the S20 Ultra 5G,” Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, associate director at Strategy Analytics, said.

Nearly all of Huawei’s 5G smartphones were shipped in China, where it is the smartphone market leader. The top 5G smartphone from Huawei is the Mate 30, Honor V30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro.

Vivo is number three vendor in 5G smartphone market. Vivo’s IQOO and X30 5G smartphones were popular affordable alternatives in China.

Chinese smartphone vendors captured 61 percent of top 5 vendor 5G smartphone shipment volumes in Q1 2020.

“As China continues to ramp up economic activity, we expect 5G shipments to this market to continue to expand dramatically in 2020,” Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said.