Podcast: 5G Smartphone Shipments to Double in 2021 Despite Component Shortages

Mar 13, 2021

We saw the first wave of 5G smartphone launches in H1 2019 with prices above $1,000. These premium smartphones gave way to a completely new pricing landscape in just around a year, with the most affordable 5G smartphone coming under $200 in China in 2020. Moving into 2021, we have the ongoing issue of component shortages across the semiconductor industry.

In our previous podcast, we discussed the auto sector’s semiconductor shortage and how it may not ease until late 2021. But how will the chip and component shortage impact the smartphone market in 2021? Will we see the prices of 5G smartphones going down further or will they stabilize? While operators in the US are pushing for mmWave 5G, the other regions are mostly looking at Sub-6GHz. So, will Sub-6GHz 5G smartphones outsell the mmWave ones?

In the latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Peter Richardson is joined by Associate Director Brady Wang and Research Analyst Parv Sharma to discuss our growth outlook for 5G smartphones, expectations for 2021 and a lot more.