Samsung tops 5G smartphone shipments in Q1: report

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. was the top vendor of 5G smartphones in the first quarter of the year, a market report showed Wednesday, as the South Korean tech giant aims to further expand its presence in the sector.

Samsung shipped 8.3 million units of 5G smartphones in the January-March period, taking 34.4 percent share in the global market, according to market tracker Strategy Analytics.

"Samsung has strong global distribution networks and operator partnerships and new 5G smartphones in Q1 2020," Strategy Analytics said. "Popular 5G models for Samsung include the S20 5G and the S20 Ultra 5G."

Samsung was followed by Chinese firms, with Huawei Technologies Co. coming in second place with 33.2 percent market share after shipping 8 million units of 5G smartphones.

Vivo Mobile Communications Co. was third with 12 percent market share, while Xiaomi Corp. was fourth with 10.4 percent market share.

Despite the novel coronavirus crisis, global 5G smartphone shipments grew to 24.1 million units in the first quarter of the year, which was more than all 5G smartphones shipped in 2019, according to Strategy Analytics. Last year, global 5G smartphone shipments reached 18.7 million units.

"Demand for 5G smartphones was strong, particularly in China, despite the emergence of the COVID-19 epidemic," said Ken Hyers, director at Strategy Analytics. "China is the leader in demand for 5G smartphones, but demand is also growing in South Korea, the U.S. and Europe."

kdon@yna.co.kr
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