IDC’s newly released Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows 5G smartphone shipments to Australia have increased from 14 per cent of the market share in Q1 2020, to over 55 per cent in the first quarter of 2021.

John Riga, Associate Market Analyst at IDC Australia credits the release of the iPhone 12 series in the last quarter of December, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 series in early 2021 for this jump, noting they are “both exclusively as 5G-ready devices”.

“Additionally, the increased range of 5G devices in recent quarters, including more low-cost options from a variety of Android brands, has broadened the number of consumers willing to pick up a 5G device,” Riga continues.

The number of 5G-ready devices has jumped from just nine in first quarter 2020, to 36 models available in Australia during Q1 2021.

“However, it should be noted that these devices may not necessarily be connected to a 5G service yet, as rollout of Australia’s 5G mobile network coverage continues,” Riga adds.

“We saw YoY growth in the smartphone market of 13.5% in 2021Q1 and 8.8% in 2020Q4; indicating a rebound from the declines seen in the earlier quarters of 2020,” says Riga.

“We expect iOS to lead in 5G share in coming years, as some lower-priced 4G offerings will continue to be present on Android.”