• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, July 1, 2019

It’s taking some time, but it looks like 5G smartphones will be filling the pipeline within a few years.

The new, high-speed devices will reach close to 800 million units shipping in 2023, according to the latest global forecast by Canalys.

By that time, 5G mobile phones are projected to account for more than half (51%) of all smartphone shipments, passing 4G phones five years after 5G’s global commercial launch.

The annual growth from now until 2023 is expected to be 180%, with 1.9 billion devices having shipped by the end of 2023, according to Canalys.

China will account for more than a third (34%) of phones shipped, followed by North America (19%) and Asia Pacific (17%).

This year is the basically the slow year for 5G phones, with 13 million of the devices projected to hit the market. Next year, it grows to 164 million devices, then 393 million in 2021, 582 million in 2022 and 774 million in 2023.

By 2023, 5G phone shipments in North America are expected to reach 145 million units.

Until then, 4G phones can work just fine.