Japan sees 40-fold increase in 5G smartphones thanks to iPhone 12

The popularity of the iPhone 12 in Japan has led to a 5G boom in the country, with demand expected to double again in 2021.

In late 2020, Apple introduced four iPhone 12 models with support for sub-6GHz 5G internationally. Since they released, Japan has seen a huge increase in 5G usage thanks to the iPhone's popularity.

According to data from MM Research Institute reported by TechNews, the iPhone is driving a 5G boom in Japan as smartphone demand reaches a new record high. Domestic smartphone shipments in Japan increased by 16.9% year-over-year to 32.757 million units, which is higher than the 2017 record of 32.58 million units.

The report says that thanks to Apple's four 5G iPhone 12 models, Japan saw 11 million 5G smartphones shipped in 2020. That is a 4,000% increase from the 269,000 5G smartphones shipped in 2019. The market share of 5G smartphones is 33.6% in Japan, thanks to the dramatic adoption rate.

Apple shipped half of the smartphones sold in Japan in 2020 and is the number one company in the Japanese smartphone market according to this data. The popularity of these devices continues into 2021, and 5G adoption is expected to double again by March 2022.

Apple shipped the iPhone 12 with 5G internationally but didn't support the faster mmWave band anywhere outside of the United States. This is expected to change with the "iPhone 13," which could cause high international demand for those seeking the faster data speeds.

Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get the latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.

6 Comments

Xed 2875 comments · 4 Years

About 3 years ago

Sure, but they have no choice if they buy a new iPhone. I wonder how good Japan's 5G infrastructure actually is. I'm sure it's considerably better than the US, where even when I get a 5G iPhone this year as part of my upgrade cycle I doubt I'll be in many areas with 5G coverage for most of its use.

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

Xed said:

Sure, but they have no choice if they buy a new iPhone. I wonder how good Japan's 5G infrastructure actually is. I'm sure it's considerably better than the US, where even when I get a 5G iPhone this year as part of my upgrade cycle I doubt I'll be in many areas with 5G coverage for most of its use.

Well sure, they get 5G but they are under no obligation to turn it on, especially if carriers charge extra for it. My next iPhone will also be 5G but I have no intention of turning it on because the extra fees won't be worth it to me. No matter how fast 5G is it will still take 90 minutes to watch a 90 minute movie on a tiny screen.

lkrupp said:

Xed said:

Sure, but they have no choice if they buy a new iPhone. I wonder how good Japan's 5G infrastructure actually is. I'm sure it's considerably better than the US, where even when I get a 5G iPhone this year as part of my upgrade cycle I doubt I'll be in many areas with 5G coverage for most of its use.

Well sure, they get 5G but they are under no obligation to turn it on, especially if carriers charge extra for it. My next iPhone will also be 5G but I have no intention of turning it on because the extra fees won't be worth it to me. No matter how fast 5G is it will still take 90 minutes to watch a 90 minute movie on a tiny screen.

I don't know about all US carriers, but my carrier already includes 5G nationwide as part of my plan. If I could save money by having it removed I would.

Beats 3073 comments · 4 Years

THIS is why monopolies are good.

People cry and say Android gives you “choice” with their 3,000+ knockoff iPhones that all look the same but fragment and contaminate the market. The “competition drives innovation” myth is also false.

Had Apple owned the entire iPhone market, we wouldn’t have seen so much fragmentation. The Japanese are doing things right. I wish Apple would pour more money into rewarding the Japanese. Back in 2014 I said Apple should have bought Line (a popular Japanese App). Who knows what it’s worth now.

If Apple takes gaming more seriously, they will see another surge in Japanese market share as mobile gaming is a big deal there. It’s also why I think a small iPhone would have been a megahit in Japan. It’s “kawaii” and makes a killer mobile gaming platform.

prismatics 164 comments · 9 Years

Beats said:

THIS is why monopolies are good.

People cry and say Android gives you “choice” with their 3,000+ knockoff iPhones that all look the same but fragment and contaminate the market. The “competition drives innovation” myth is also false.

Had Apple owned the entire iPhone market, we wouldn’t have seen so much fragmentation. The Japanese are doing things right. I wish Apple would pour more money into rewarding the Japanese. Back in 2014 I said Apple should have bought Line (a popular Japanese App). Who knows what it’s worth now.

If Apple takes gaming more seriously, they will see another surge in Japanese market share as mobile gaming is a big deal there. It’s also why I think a small iPhone would have been a megahit in Japan. It’s “kawaii” and makes a killer mobile gaming platform.

*cringes in five million colors*