5G Smartphone Shipments To Snare 55% Of Oz Market

Overall smartphone sales in Australia are forecast to grow 16.2 percent this year to 9.1 million units. Industry analyst outfit Gartner says it is expecting smartphone sales to bounce back to close to 2019 levels, after a decline in 2020.

Gartner is confident enough to declare 5G the next frontier of growth for smartphones here.

The analyst says growing availability of 5G networks, coupled with a higher variety of 5G smartphones starting at $200 will steer demand in mature markets like Australia.

Gartner forecasts sales of 5G smartphones will total 539 million units worldwide in 2021, which will represent 35 percent of total smartphone sales.

The latest company figures foresee no fewer than 55 percent of smartphones sold in Australia in 2021 being 5G handsets, up from 23 percent in 2020.

“The combination of delayed smartphone replacements and the availability of lower-end 5G smartphones are poised to increase smartphone sales in 2021,” said Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta.

The company is forecasting 1.5 billion devices shipped globally for 2021, amounting to an 11.4 percent increase across the board.

Gartner forecasts sales of 5G smartphones will total 539 million units worldwide in 2021, which will represent 35 percent of total smartphone sales this year.