Some new data reported by PCMag indicates that the iPhone 12 Pro Max, 12 Pro and 12 are already the three best-selling 5G phones in the United States. The fact that the phones are only four months old shows the continued popularity of the iPhone in the United States and how big a role it will play in the adoption of 5G in this country.
These reports come from sales data from research firm M Science and information collected from Ookla Speedtest users. AM Science tracks cumulative sales of 5G phones in the USA. This data set includes sales from the week of January 23 and, notably, does not include Galaxy S21 series phones, which had not yet started to be marketed at that time. These are third-party reports, so they should be considered with caution, but M Science’s findings align with previous reports of 12 strong Pro Max sales and 12 less good mini sales.
Apple, as it usually does, was slow to add 5G to its phones. Samsung started in 2019 with the Galaxy S10 5G and added 5G to its S20 series in 2020. Outside of these two manufacturers, the 5G has moved from a formerly premium feature to the low-cost phone class most recently. Despite this growing range of options, adoption has been slow. Since Apple accounts for just under half of all cell phone sales in the United States, it makes sense for an iPhone 5G to push adoption rates. So far, it seems to be the case.
In the US, the slow start of 5G was certainly not helped by a less-than-stellar product. While all major carriers offer nationwide 5G coverage, performance is often the same as 4G – and sometimes even worse. That will change when more spectrum becomes available to operators later this year and next, but not before many new iPhone 12 owners (unfortunately?) Try 5G for themselves.