Apple Predicted To Lead 5G Smartphone Segment; But Xiaomi Has A Plan To Prevent This

The Cupertino-based tech giant is anticipated to be at the helm of the 5G smartphone market come 2020 with the introduction of the iPhone 5G series, says Strategy Analytics. But, that could still change, considering the aggressive strategies other market players are planning to do next year. One of them is the Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi who could soon be one of the major smartphone players in the 5G market following the claim that it will launch at least 10 5G smartphones next year.

Research released by Strategy Analytics forecasts that Apple will take a dominant position in the 5G smartphone segment. That is, despite the projected late entry of the tech titan in the particular market segment, which is expected to be sometime in the fall of 2020. It may appear counterintuitive for the company, which currently does not have any 5G smartphone in its product portfolio to surpass the current 5G leaders in the market, Huawei and Samsung, Strategy Analytics Director Ken Hyers notes.

There are three fresh 5G models coming in 2020, and Apple just needs to match the current upgrade rates for its recently introduced iPhone variants to be at the helm next year, the director adds. Given its healthy market share and growing churn rate, the Cupertino-based tech giant can easily take the crown in the 5G smartphone segment. Other smartphone makers still need to create a market presence device by device to lead in the said segment.

However, it appears that Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will not easily let Apple reign in the 5G smartphone segment. Earlier Xiaomi said that all its smartphones releasing in 2020 retailed and over $285 will have 5G support. With this strategy, the company could be one of the major 5G smartphone players in the industry.

These details were recently shared at a recent keynote speech in Guangzhou in China, by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. The company’s strategy of releasing 5G smartphones at all price points could make 5G handsets more affordable and accessible than they are at the moment. For its part, Xiaomi is currently offering 5G smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G and the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha.