New numbers from Kantar are showing a growing number of consumers are interested in buying 5G smartphones within six months. The data were drawn from a survey of offline stores and online shoppers across several countries with an appreciable 5G infrastructure. More than two-thirds of the persons surveyed overall were planning to buy a 5G smartphone.
Smartphones with 5G connectivity are currently the gold standard in the smartphone segment, and the data has shown a growing appetite for a faster and more advanced technology. However, several countries are yet to get the necessary 5G network infrastructure in place, which could require a substantial quantum of resources.
The Kantar research covered China, the US, Australia, Japan, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. These countries have an established and expanding 5G network infrastructure, thus, budding markets for 5G smartphones. From the data, up to 91% of customers in China preferred or were planning on getting a 5G phone in the next six months. The corresponding percentage in Japan was 55%, and the United States, 74%. Japan was the only country with less than 60% of the surveyed respondents with a preference for buying a 5G smartphone.
A look at sales data from these countries also indicated a strong preference for 5G phones. The sales data for the top 10 smartphone sales in the listed countries were correlated with the responses from the Kantar survey. It showed that 70% of high-end smartphones sold in China had 5G connectivity, while the US, Japan, and Australia indicated a 50% sales threshold for 5G-rated smartphones. The lowest sales percentage came from the top 5 countries in Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain) with 40%.
The Kantar research also showed a growing preference of consumers to pick offline stores to purchase their smartphones compared to online stores. The use of offline stores is gradually picking up in some markets after the coronavirus pandemic led to the total shutdown of offline outlets’ operations last year. The growing preference could be possibly driven by increased vaccination rates across several countries, which means that public places could be open to the citizens, with safety protocols still being observed. Sales data for Q2 2021 has shown single-digit growth from the first quarter of the year. However, the data also indicated that shoppers in China, Australia, and Japan are still unwilling to return to offline shopping.
Global Android sales surpassed that of iPhones, although Apple continues to maintain its position as a top smartphone brand, while Samsung, Oppo, Sharp, and other brands are making inroads across the markets.
As earlier stated, the research only considered countries with some level of 5G network infrastructure and deployment. There are a lot of countries yet to have any 5G deployment.
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(via)
