TrendForce forecast: Chinese 5G smartphones to hold 4 of top 6 spots by production volume in 2020

Posted on by Alan Weissberger

Annual 5G smartphone production is expected to reach 235 million units in 2020, an 18.9 percent penetration rate, according to the latest research from TrendForce. Total smartphone production is forecast to reach 1.24 billion in 2020.

Ranked by production volume, Chinese brands are expected to account for 4 of the top 6 spots for 5G smartphone brands in 2020. Huawei tops the ranking, and is expected to produce around 74 million 5G smartphones in 2020. Apple is in 2nd place with a forecast yearly 5G smartphone production of around 70 million units. Samsung will be in 3rd place with production of 29 million 5G smartphones. They are followed by Chinese brands Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi in 4th, 5th and 6th place with 5G smartphone production volumes of 21 million, 20 million and 19 million units respectively.

Note that this is a forecast, especially for Apple which has not yet announced a 5G smartphone.

Mid-to-low end 5G chipsets released by AP suppliers are expected to raise the penetration rate of 5G smartphones in 2021

TrendForce’s analysis of future developments in the 5G market shows that an aggressive push by mobile processor manufacturers will lead to the rapidly increasing presence of 5G chipsets in the mid-to-low end market, driving 5G smartphone production to surpass 500 million units in 2021, which will potentially account for about 40% of the total smartphone market. Once 5G chip prices reach a stable level this year, smartphone brands may look to gain additional shares in the 5G smartphone market by sacrificing gross margins. In doing so, they are likely to accelerate the drop of 5G smartphones’ retail prices, and the market may see the arrival of 5G smartphones around the RMB 1000 price level by the end of this year. Incidentally, it is worth noting that the penetration rate of 5G smartphones does not equal the usage rate of the 5G network, which depends on the progress of base station construction. Since the current 5G infrastructure build-out is pushed back as a result of the pandemic, the global 5G network coverage will be unlikely to surpass 50% before 2025 at the earliest, with complete coverage taking even longer.

Editor’s Questions:

In the absence of any true 5G standard, e.g. IMT-2020.SPECs, will any of these 5G smartphones work on a 5G network other than the one they are subscribed to?  Or will they fall back to 4G-LTE?  Will the 5G smartphones sold in 2020 be upgraded to comply with IMT-2020.SPECs and/or 3GPP Release 16 specs?

References:

http://www.trendforce.com/presscenter/news/20200722-10398.html

https://www.telecompaper.com/news/global-5g-smartphone-production-to-reach-235-million-in-2020-research–1347559

15 thoughts on “TrendForce forecast: Chinese 5G smartphones to hold 4 of top 6 spots by production volume in 2020”

  1. Appreciate this IEEE Techblog post on China 5G smartphones. I will let my friends know about the great telecom technology content you provide in this blog.

  3. Thanks for your marvelous post on China 5G smartphones! I seriously enjoyed reading it. You are a great author. I want to encourage you to definitely continue your great work!

  4. Quality content is the secret to enitce people to visit a tech
    web site, and that’s exactly what the IEEE Techblog is providing.

  5. Thanks for a marvelous posting on China made 5G smartphones! I really enjoyed reading it. However, why didn’t you include Apple which outsources the systems integration, packaging and testing of their iPhones to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd (better known as Foxconn), Wistron and Pegatron which are all located in China.

    I will make certain to bookmark your IEEE Techblog and will come back very soon to read your new posts, especially about China telecom market.

    I want to encourage you to definitely continue your great writing. Thanks and have a nice evening!

  6. I’ll immediately snatch your rss feed as I can’t find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please reply so that I may subscribe. Thanks.

  7. Very good blog post on China 5G smartphone makers. I absolutely appreciate the IEEE Techblog website.
    Keep writing!

  8. Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News.

    Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thanks

    1. I have no idea how to get listed on Yahoo News and did not know the IEEE Techblog was listed there. Best of luck!

  9. Appreciate the time and energy you put into your IEEE Techblog website and detailed information you present in articles like this one on dominance of China 5G smartphones.

    It’s nice to come across a blog like yours that isn’t the same old rehashed material. Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feed to my Google account.

    1. Thanks for your kind words. You can follow me on Twitter @ajwdct to receive notifications of blog posts. Also, you can subscribe to Feedspot.com and search on IEEE Comsoc 5G to subscribe for free.

  10. Very nice article on China made 5G smartphones. Apple’s iPhone should also be included as it’s made in China.

  11. Thanks a lot for sharing this blog on Chinese 5G smartphones. I want to encourage you to definitely continue your great work. If you want to read a similar blog visit us.

  12. Thanks for your marvelous post on China 5G smartphones! I seriously enjoyed reading it. You are a great author. I want to encourage you to definitely continue your great work.

Comments are closed.

Archives