One in five folks surveyed by Strategy Analytics think they already have 5G

Don’t expect 5G to appear in Apple’s iPhones until 2020 — perhaps even 2021. If this comes as a shock to you — especially if you think you already have 5G — you’re not alone. According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, one in five folks surveyed think they already have 5G.

The research group’s report notes that awareness of 5G is high with 57% of owners claiming “Basic Familiarity” or to be “Very Familiar with 5G.” The good news is that almost half of premium buyers ($1000+) are willing to pay more. The bad news is that smartphone pricing is overwhelmingly the biggest factor for not buying 5G for many.

“Three in four expect 5G to Increase smartphone prices but an element of sticker shock is likely as one-third expect prices to rise less than 10%. The reality of 5G device prices in 2019 is likely to be closer to $1,000. Only about 7% of buyers spend that much today,” says David Kerr, senior vice president at Strategy Analytics. “The industry has created a 5G problem where one in five think they have 5G already. Even among Apple fans, 27% believe their flagship device is already 5G despite the fact that Apple does not yet have such a device.”

Strategy Analytics consumer insights team developed and analyzed results of an online survey with 2,500 smartphone owners using a US nationally representative sampling of owners 18-64 years.