It was anyone’s guess as to whether 5G devices would revive sluggish smartphone sales, especially during a global pandemic. Despite the odds, which included production slowdowns due to COVID-19, 5G networks continued to roll-out across the globe and sales of 5G smartphones exceeded expectations. In fact, Gartner recently reported that worldwide smartphone sales would increase by 11% this year, pointing to pent-up consumer demand because of delayed device upgrades and wider availability of entry-level 5G smartphones. The promise of lower latency and data speeds from 10 to 100 times the standard wireless connection appeared to be clear triggers that encouraged consumers to upgrade from their old device to a newer 5G-enabled smartphone.
