5G was launched in India in October last year and since then, it has been reported that there has been an upward tick in monthly 5G smartphone sales. Now, a new report has claimed that the monthly 5G smartphone sales share has crossed the 50% mark in India for the first time in April this year.
“There’s still a long way to go, especially in terms of network coverage. But this is a milestone for sure,” said Tarun Pathak, Research Director.
The report by Counterpoint Research, however, pointed out that 5G services are still patchy across most of India.

Samsung, OnePlus top players
The report claimed that while Samsung helped boost the reach of the 5G devices across the country, OnePlus which turned out to be the “real winner”. “Samsung helped 5G get across the line, but OnePlus was the real winner. Huge month for them as they punched above their weight, capturing a third of all 5G sales,” said senior research analyst Shilpi Jain.
5G smartphone contribution at 43% in first quarter
In a previous report, the market research company said that despite India’s smartphone shipments declined 19% YoY in the first quarter of 2023 (Q1-2023), the quarter saw an increased contribution of 5G smartphones.

“The quarter’s silver lining came from 5G smartphones, whose contribution (43%) crossed 40% for the first time, registering 23% YoY growth as consumers kept upgrading to 5G devices,” the report said.
Samsung was the top 5G brand in India in Q1-2023, accounting for a 24% share. The South Korean company was the leading brand for 5G shipments in the past two quarters as well. While the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G was the best-selling model in Q1-2023, Samsung’s 5G-capable A series performed well in the offline market.