We believe the superb Q1 2021 for the total handset market (smartphones and feature phones) sets the scene for a strong rebound of sales assuming current trajectory of covid-19 continues in China, USA and larger Western European markets. 

Global 5G handset sales grew +1,350% in 2020, driven mainly by the Chinese market. 5G will be above 1/3 of total sales in 2021.   

China, US, and South Korea held 80% of the 5G sales in 2020 and will still be dominant in 2021. 4G LTE will decline due to the transition to 4G but will still be an important technology over the next few years. 

Let's not  write off 2G, 3G and 4G as there will still be  strong sales in Africa and some other regions.



Our extensive report forecasts handset sales for 6 regions and 88 countries worldwide for 19 separate technologies, including GSM, EDGE, CDMA, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, HSPA+, HSUPA, LTE, LTE-A and 5G. 

Clients to our Emerging Device Technologies service can access the written analysis here and the full excel document forecast by 88 countries here.