Apple will beat out Samsung and Huawei in 5G handsets next year, according to a forecast by industry analysts. This despite accusations by some critics that not putting 5G in the iPhone 11 would put Apple far behind its rivals.
“It may seem counterintuitive that Apple, which currently has no 5G phones in its portfolio will be able to pass current 5G market leaders Samsung and Huawei,” comments Ken Hyers, Director at market-analysts firm Strategy Analytics. “But with three new 5G models coming next year, Apple merely needs to match its current upgrade rates for newly introduced iPhone models to take the lead next year.”
Hyers is referencing an unconfirmed report by Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple watcher with a history of generally correct predictions. In July, Kuo said every iOS handset coming next fall will boast 5G.
It’s hard to argue that Apple missed the 5G boat considering wireless carriers are still in the beginning stages of deploying this faster replacement for 4G. Verizon and Sprint have it available only in very limited areas, AT&T currently offers its version only to businesses, and T-Mobile is planning a big rollout in December. A 5G iPhone next fall should launch about the time people in large cities actually see a benefit from the new networks.
5G iPhone will be temporarily on top
Samsung dominates 5G sales now, but will soon drop to third place. “With the two largest 5G markets in 2020, China and the USA, dominated by Huawei and Apple respectively, these two vendors are set to lead in 5G next year,” predicted Ville-Petteri Ukonaho from Strategy Analytics.
This is a temporary situation, however. As 5G continues to spread around the world in the coming years, Samsung will surely offer a broader selection of 5G-enabled handsets than Apple, pushing it back to the top of the market. Huawei’s sales will be hampered by the Trump Administration’s trade war with China.
Source: Strategy Analytics
