Samsung Electronics became the world's No. 1 player in the 5G mobile phone market last year with a 43 percent share.
According to a report by the global market research company Counterpoint on Feb. 14, 5G smartphone sales accounted for 1 percent of global smartphone sales last year. Samsung topped the list by taking 43 percent of the total, while Huawei ranked second with a 34 percent share.
South Korean, U.S. and Chinese markets, where large telecom companies play a big role through massive marketing and subsidies, quickly introduced 5G-enabled devices, leading the 5G smartphone market.
"Samsung Electronics introduced the widest range of 5G products from medium-priced products to premium products, sub-6GHz, and ultra-high frequency models," said Kang Kyung-soo, a researcher at Counterpoint.
Strong collaboration with telecommunication businesses and sales channels and its own semiconductor capabilities also supported Samsung Electronics’ achievement in the market share.
“Thanks to China's 5G spread, cheaper products are pouring in. We believe this year will be an important time for Samsung as competition is intensifying in the second half, with the release of Apple's 5G iPhone expected," the analyst said.
Huawei ranked second with a 34 percent market share, with most being sold in the Chinese market. Among Huawei’s products, Mate 20X was the only product that was sold outside of China and provided by Google’s mobile service.
In particular, the 5G version of Huawei’s Mate 30 series was sold briskly in China. “Huawei will move aggressively this year and bring down prices of 5G smartphones to below $200 by the end of the year”, Counterpoint predicted.