The global 5G smartphone race among Android vendors is highly competitive. The global Covid-19 pandemic has not had as big an impact on 5G demand as anticipated. Globally 5G smartphone shipments are on pace to surpass 4G smartphone shipments. Android 5G Smartphone

Samsung and Xiaomi are the two leading contenders in the Android 5G smartphone race.  They swap leadership on an almost quarterly basis.

In the most recent Q2 2021 Xiaomi led, on the basis of healthy growth in India and China and by grabbing share given up by Huawei in Europe.

OPPO and vivo are also in the Android 5G Top-5, having captured much of Huawei’s share in China.  They are also aggressively pushing into India and Western Europe, threatening Xiaomi there.

The global Android 5G race is not settled.  While Samsung and Xiaomi will remain neck-and-neck through 2022, there are opportunities for break-throughs for other vendors.

5G Smartphone Shipments in North America – A Clash of Two Titans Android 5G Smartphone

The North American 5G smartphone market has many vendors currently vying for market-share.  But in the battle to ship the most, there are really only two vendors, Apple and Samsung, who dominate shipments.

Samsung was the first to launch a 5G smartphone in North America, in Q2 2019, and through Q3 2020 it was the leading 5G smartphone vendor in the market.

When Apple entered the 5G smartphone market, from Q4 2020, everything changed.  Apple now holds the lead in smartphone shipments, a result of its dominant position in the US market.

Meanwhile, Samsung is the leading 5G Android smartphone vendor.  Between the two, Apple and Samsung hold nearly 90% share of 5G smartphone shipments in any given quarter, leaving little opportunity for others to gain meaningful share.

In 2022 the market will open up somewhat as vendors offer a bigger portfolio of 5G smartphones. Motorola is best positioned to capture increased share, taking the 3rd place spot traditionally by LG, which abandoned smartphones earlier in 2021.


Will other vendors grow their 5G smartphone share? Can TCL-Alcatel, offering low-cost 5G smartphones, carve out a position as an alternative to both Samsung and Motorola in inexpensive 5G smartphones?