5G consumer awareness is raising, US 5G device market is expected to grow

As 5G coverage in the United States gets better and better, more people are inclined to seek an upgrade with a 5G-capable smartphone this year. Although the 5G smartphone demand for the first half of 2019 was just 1% of the market, now, according to a research by NPD Group’s Mobile Phone Tracking Service, the demand is starting to rise.

The difference between sales of 5G phones in the first half of last year versus the second one is impressive - the sales have increased almost nine times. The improvement of 5G phone sales is due to the better network coverage, provided by US carriers, as well as the new flagship devices, for example the 5G models from the Samsung Galaxy S20 line. Additionally, some mid-range smartphones, like for instance the Samsung Galaxy A90 5G, are also starting to emerge with next-gen network capabilities.

According to Brad Akyuz, industry analyst and executive director of the NPD Connected Intelligence, the increase in diversity of 5G capable smartphone models, which brings better price ranges as well, is expected to drive upgrade cycles for buyers.

Additionally, the NPD Mobile Connectivity Report shows that the awareness of 5G has grown from 73% in the first half of last year to 89% in the second one (that means 9 out of 10 customers). 65% of consumers have stated they would be interested in buying a 5G phone, and the “not interested” in the new network technology users accounted to only 15% of the interviewed.