The share of 5G phones in the U.S. has tripled, but it still lags far behind China

The analyst firm noted that 5G smartphones accounted for 13.5% of total sales in the U.S. in August, a threefold increase from 3.3% in January. The firm attributed the increase to a decline in the average selling price of next-generation phones, which fell by more than $300 year-on-year to $730 in July.

Ronan Dunne, CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, said on Twitter that the Counterpoint Research data is "consistent with what we're seeing, equating to a faster adoption curve than 4G."

Jeff Fieldhack, research director at Counterpoint Research, predicts that the 5G iPhone, expected to be launched this month, will further turn things around, given the brand's nearly 40% share of the U.S. smartphone market. He estimates that in 2020, 5G phones will account for about 20% of total sales.

But the U.S. still needs to catch up, with Counterpoint Research previously noting that 5G-enabled devices accounted for 33% of total smartphone sales in China in the second quarter.

An analysis report released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology last month showed that in August, the shipments of 5G mobile phones in the Chinese market were 16.17 million units, accounting for 60.1% of the mobile phone shipments in the same period; from January to August, the cumulative shipments of 5G mobile phones in the domestic market were 93.679 million units, accounting for 46.3% of the total shipments.

According to the latest data from Canalys, global 5G smartphone shipments will reach nearly 280 million units in 2020, of which about 172 million units will be shipped in Greater China. In the next 12 months, the penetration rate of 5G models in China will reach 83%.