Apple will almost certainly debut 5G iPhones this fall, and they could be a big boost to the company’s smartphone sales in the country.
Smartphone sales in China declined 17% year-over-year in quarter two of 2020, according to Counterpoint’s Market Pulse, a monthly smartphone sales tracking service. However, the sales increased 9% quarter-over-quarter, indicating some signs of recovery. COVID-19 has been mostly contained in China, but the demand for smartphones is yet to recover to pre-COVID levels, according to Counterpoint Research. And 5G smartphones are growing in popularity.
“Although China’s commercial activities have resumed, consumer confidence remains low,” says Counterpoint Research Analyst Mengmeng Zhang. “Both original equipment manufacturers and Chinese operators are actively pushing 5G smartphones by lowering prices of 5G devices as well as 5G plans. This has increased the adoption of 5G, with one-third of the total smartphone sales during the quarter being 5G devices, the highest adoption in the world.”
Apple’s iPhone 12 line-up is expected to be introduced in September or October and be available a month after the preview.
