Demand for 5G smartphones increased significantly in Q1 2020 compared to last year, and Samsung is leading the pack in terms of 5G smartphone shipments, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung had a 34.4% 5G market share in the first quarter of the year and shipped 8.3 million 5G smartphones.

A total of 24.1 million 5G smartphones have been shipped globally throughout Q1 2020. This figure shows significant demand for 5G phones, as it has already exceeded the total of 18.7 million 5G phones shipped across 2019.

Galaxy S20 5G and S20 Ultra 5G are Samsung’s more popular 5G phones

Samsung sits in the lead in terms of 5G smartphone shipments and it’s closely followed by Huawei with 8 million units shipped. Out of 24.1 million 5G phones shipped in the first quarter of the year, 8.3 million were Samsung’s. Popular 5G models include the Galaxy S20 5G and S20 Ultra 5G.

The major difference between the two OEMs is that Samsung’s 8.3 million 5G devices were shipped in various countries including the USA, South Korea, and some markets in Europe, whereas Huawei is enjoying high demand in China despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3rd largest 5G smartphone vendor was Vivo with 2.9 million shipments and 12% market share.

According to Strategy Analytics, demand for 5G smartphones in China should continue ‘to expand dramatically in 2020.’ Whether or not this will give Huawei an advantage over Samsung in the following quarters remains to be seen. Presently, China is leading in terms of demand for 5G devices, and markets including Europe, the USA, and South Korea may or may not be able to catch up and surpass it in the following quarters. Samsung remains one of the least popular smartphone brands in China regardless of whether they are LTE or 5G-enabled.