Falling average selling prices in India fuelled a surge in shipments of 5G handsets in Q2, with devices supporting the technology accounting for 77 per cent of the total smartphone market, data from Counterpoint Research showed.

Despite robust demand for 5G models, total shipments fell 2 per cent in the quarter.

Research analyst Shubham Singh said the overall market reached its highest ever Q2 value, driven by users upgrading to premium models.

In 2023, the share of 5G smartphones topped 52 per cent, after growing 66 per cent year-on-year. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel only started building out their 5G networks in October 2022.

In China, nearly five years after deploying 5G networks, compatible devices accounted for just over 84 per cent of smartphone shipments in H1, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology showed. Shipments grew 27.8 per cent.

Counterpoint figures indicate 5G smartphones made up about 60 per cent of smartphones sold in China in 2020, 15 months after the service was launched in October 2019.