5G Network Encourages People to Buy New Phones

The 5th generation network, or 5G for short, is the latest network that supports wireless technology. It is the newest connectivity advancement that allows machines, objects, and devices to sync virtually together. 5G wireless technology enhances the overall user experience by connecting new industries to a better performance network and improved efficiency.

Qualcomm, a prominent technology company, explained that 5G wireless technology is designed to deliver a higher peak data speed. It embodies features such as ultra-low latency, enhanced reliability, expanded network capacity, and increased availability that deliver a uniform user experience for many users.

With all these great features inherent in 5G, Real Research launched an open survey to 1000 respondents that aim to measure people’s knowledge about this new technology. Interestingly, 90% of respondents have heard or know details about 5G technology. In contrast, 15% of them admitted that they are not familiar with 5G at all.

5G is limited, and on this Real Research survey, respondents were given three reasons why they think their location will influence their decision to buy 5G phones. Most people believe 5G phones would only be beneficial for technologically-advanced cities.

Second, people are also aware that 5G is not widely implemented yet across the globe (27%). However, there are less people who focus on the infrastructure issues (13%) for other countries that are not capable of integrating 5G networks to their telecoms.

In this sense, people only perceive 5G-enabled phones as essential when living in smart cities such as Seoul, Dubai, and Singapore.

5G to Revive the Smartphone Market

Every year smartphone manufacturers introduce a number of smartphones, varying from flagship to mid-range phones. Currently, smartphone market demand is down amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Counterpoint Research’s Associate Director Tarun Pathak shared his thoughts: “From the consumer standpoint, unless replacing a broken phone, smartphones are mostly a discretionary purchase.”

But 5G is seen to be a market-starter by phone manufacturers. This Real Research survey shows that many people feel the need to update their phones to stay up-to-date with technology advancements. More than half of the respondents (59%) admit to feeling this towards 5G technology.

Meanwhile, around 700 respondents (23%) already have plans to upgrade their mobile phones to 5G after completing their postpaid plans and other contracts. Notably, only 10% don’t wish to jump into the 5G bandwagon anytime soon. And 9% of the respondents think there are not much advantages in 5G phone over 4G counterparts.

In a direct question asking whether the respondents feel the need to upgrade to a 5G-enabled phone as 5G is continuously being rolled-out in various parts of the world. 64% replied ‘yes’ as they feel the urge, while 32% said they are not in a hurry to buy a 5G smartphone.

However, given a chance to buy, Real Research asked which specific 5G-enabled phone model is available in the market now would they be interested in purchasing. iPhone 12 5G takes the top spot with 22% of the respondents’ votes. At close competition is Samsung S20/ S20 plus with 21%, one percent lower than those who prefer Apple.

5G Chinese phones Oneplus 8 Pro (15%) and Oppo Find X2 Pro (9%) take 3rd and 4th choice. Then, a Samsung phone again took 5th spot, with it Samsung Note 20 Ultra (7%). However, 8% of respondents didn’t select anything and expressed that their phone choice is out of the options provided.