A new report published today by Counterpoint investigation notes that the iPhone 12 became the world’s best-selling 5G smartphone in October, despite the delayed launch.
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Although the iPhone 12 was only sold for two weeks in October, it managed to top the rankings. Thanks to the two-week sale, the iPhone 12 became the seventh best-selling 5G device to be sold between January and October 2020.
The iPhone 12 Pro was the second best-selling 5G smartphone, followed by the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G. Together, iPhone 12 and 12 Pro accounted for nearly a quarter of total 5G smartphone sales in October.
Counterpoint credits a number of factors for the explosive success of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro compared to other existing 5G devices. For instance, it is believed that there was significant pent-up demand for a 5G upgrade within the iOS user base. The rebound was also driven by strong carrier promotions in the United States, which accounted for more than a third of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro sales during the month. Compared to most other 5G devices, iPhone generally has wider market coverage with availability in more than 140 countries.
The iPhone 12 ook and iPhone 12 Pro have also provided a “much-needed” boost to the 5G smartphone market, which achieved its highest-ever share of 24 percent in global smartphone sales in October.
Sales of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro have more than doubled the penetration of mmWave-compatible smartphones from five percent in September to 12 percent in October. Counterpoint highlights how this is likely to affect the telecom industry, speculating that it could ease Apple’s future push to other industries, such as augmented reality or virtual reality:
This is important because it gives operators an incentive to deploy mmWave infrastructure quickly. The high throughput and low latency provided by mmWave help unlock the true potential of 5G. With the mmWave network and devices in place, it would provide a solid foundation for Apple to leverage the power of mmWave in segments such as AR / VR.
Counterpoint expects demand for the iPhone 12 series to remain strong in the fourth quarter of 2020, especially during the holiday season. The late launch of the devices is likely to push sales into the following months, maintaining the momentum of sales through early 2021.