5G smartphone shipments in North America in will grow by nearly 40% YoY in 2022.

The USA will account for more than 9 in 10 of total smartphone shipments in the region in 2022. 



Apple is the leading 5G smartphone vendor and Samsung is the leading Android 5G smartphone vendor.

But only five vendors can claim market share of over 1% of 5G smartphone shipments currently, and two of those, Apple and Samsung, combined account for 90% of 5G smartphone shipments in the market.

Even if you're not good at math, it's obvious that there's little share left for the remaining vendors. What are they to do?

The North American smartphone market has become highly concentrated among just a few brands – especially so for 5G smartphones.  More brands, particularly innovative ones from China such as Xiaomi, vivo and OPPO could shake up the 5G smartphone market while giving consumers more choices.

Understanding who the customers for 5G smartphones are, their attitudes towards and knowledge of 5G, and what are driving their buying decisions are all critical data points for understanding the buying journey for 5G smartphone buyers. It is the job not just of operators but of smartphone vendors to understand these points through in-depth research and customer surveys to create appealing products and propositions to reach the those consumers who have not yet purchased a 5G smartphone in 2022.  For smaller vendors, understanding why 9 in 10 of 5G smartphones shipped in 2022 are by Apple and Samsung will be just as critical.

Clients of Strategy Analytics' Device Technologies (EDT) service can see who is gaining in 5G smartphones in North America, quarter by quarter, here.