Global 5G phone shipments grew 6% YoY in the first quarter, reaching 136 million units. 5G phone demand remains strong, especially in China, the U.S., and Western Europe. 5G phone shipments are expected to reach 624 million units in 2021, compared to 269 million units in 2020.

Samsung shipped 17 million 5G phones in the first quarter, up 79% YoY. Vivo ranked second in terms of growth, with shipments up 62% YoY to 19 million units. 55% YoY growth for OPPO and 41% YoY growth for Xiaomi, which was driven primarily by China.

Although Apple did not perform and its rivals, 5G iPhone shipments still accounted for 40.4 percent of the overall 5G phone market, compared to 52.2 percent in the fourth quarter last year. Behind Apple was OPPO, which had a 21.5 percent share, compared to 13.9 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. Samsung's share of 5G phones increased from 9.5 percent to 17 percent.

The decrease in Apple's 5G phone shipments could be attributed to two reasons: first, people think there will be a new phone launch in September, so they postpone the purchase; second, competitors launch cheaper 5G phones.