Among the handful of 5G smartphones available for sale in the global market as of now, iPhone 12 topped the sales for the month of October.?
Impressively, the latest Apple smartphone managed to do so within two weeks of its launch in mid-October.
A new report by Counterpoint Research highlights the achievement of the iPhone 12, mentioning a "large pent-up demand for 5G upgrade, especially within the iOS base, which is now getting converted into sales." The demand is clearly visible as the iPhone 12 grabbed 24 percent of all 5G smartphone sales in October despite being up for only two weeks of sales in the month.
The iPhone 12 was followed by the iPhone 12 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra as the highest-selling 5G smartphones in the month of October.
Even with its delayed launch, the iPhone 12 also managed to rank in the top 10 best-selling 5G smartphones (grabbing the seventh spot) for the entire year, i.e. for a period from January to October.
A big factor in the high sales of the iPhone 12, as pointed out in the Counterpoint's Maker Pulse Service's monthly report for October, is Apple¡¯s wider market coverage. Available in over 140 countries, the report mentions a strong initial demand for the Apple devices even in the eastern countries including China and Japan. In comparison, many other 5G offerings are restricted to a regional presence.
Another reason highlighted is the promotions of iPhone 12 from carriers, which was responsible for over a third of iPhone 12 sales in October this year.
Interestingly, iPhone 12¡¯s sales also resulted in the push of mmWave support in smartphones. Touted as the true enabler of 5G¡¯s capabilities, mmWave support is offered within iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. With both the Apple smartphones ranking at the top two spots in October, the ratio of mmWave capable smartphones rose to 12 percent in October as compared to 5 percent in September.
The report anticipates a strong demand for the iPhone 12 series going forward. So does Apple, as the tech major has ramped up its production of iPhones for the year to come. You can read all about it here.