Realme recorded the highest growth in 5G smartphone sales globally, much of it in India, says Counterpoint

Realme registered a record growth in Q3 2021 to become the fastest-growing 5G smartphone in the world, a new report suggests. The company saw year-on-year (YoY) growth of 831 per cent in sales in the three months, and interestingly enough, this marked an over 9500 per cent YoY growth for the brand within India.

The numbers have been shared in a new Market Pulse Service report by Counterpoint Research. The report notes that the growth has helped Realme grab the 6th spot in global 5G Android smartphone sales for the second consecutive quarter. Other smartphone brands that registered impressive growth in their 5G smartphone sales include Oppo and Vivo.

In numbers, Oppo recorded a 165 per cent YoY growth in 5G smartphone sales, within the third quarter of this year. In the same three months of July to September, Vivo saw a 147 per cent YoY hike in its 5G smartphone sales. For Xiaomi, this number stood at 134 per cent.

Samsung saw modest growth in the division, with a YoY increase of 70 per cent in 5G phone sales. Honor, which is now separated from its parent firm Huawei, had a dismal 11 per cent growth in the segment.

The report follows an earlier market study by Strategy Analytics which showed that Apple has once again trumped the 5G Android market as iPhones turned out to be the most selling 5G phones in Q3, 2021. The report stated that all 5G iPhone models constitute a 25 per cent share of the global 5G smartphone market. With this, Apple ranks at the top of the 5G smartphone market, followed by Xiaomi in second place and Samsung in the third position.

Samsung, meanwhile, managed to edge out Oppo to grab third place in global 5G phone shipments in quarter 3, 2021. Samsung's broad portfolio of 5G devices, ranging from mid-range offerings to its premium foldable phones, all saw a significant demand over the three months.

The reports show a clear attraction of smartphone buyers towards 5G capable devices. Even though India is yet to use 5G bands for communication, people are gearing up for it with new phones that will be 5G ready and hence set for action as soon as the telecom operators start with the service. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has hinted that 5G telecom services will start rolling out in select Indian cities in the coming year.