Top

Budget 5G Smartphones are the New Battlegrounds for OEMs

T-Mobile Drives US 5G Competition in $100-$250 Price Band

T-Mobile is pushing the envelope when it comes to budget 5G smartphones ($100-$250 band) in the US. While both AT&T and Verizon are focused on upgrading their base with the latest premium 5G offerings, T-Mobile has moved in with its “5G for All” campaign and a promise to give free 5G smartphones to those looking to upgrade. Initially starting out with the Samsung A32 5G, T-Mobile recently changed the offer to the new OnePlus N200 5G, a $216 device. This was the first sub-$250 5G smartphone available on a carrier network.

More recently, T-Mobile announced another sub-$250 5G device in the form of the REVVL V+ 5G. The device, which will sell for $199.99 on both Metro and T-Mobile, is the fifth iteration of the REVVL smartphone line-up. Previously, REVVL phones have been manufactured by TCL and Motorola, but this time Wingtech will make the newest device for T-Mobile. Overall, when you look at 5G smartphones for under $300, the carrier now has five devices available at full retail, compared to only one each at AT&T (Samsung A32 5G) and Verizon (Motorola One 5G UW Ace).

Table 1: T-Mobile Sub-$300 5G Smartphones

T-Mobile 5G smartphones Sub $300

Budget 5G smartphones present a huge opportunity for OEMs

In 2020, budget smartphone sales made up around 20% of total sales. More importantly, it is not a price band that is solely dominated by Apple and Samsung, like in the premium $600 and above segments. Instead, OEMs such as Motorola, TCL/Alcatel and about-to-be-shut LG compete against Samsung for market share in this band. LG is leaving a sizeable market share up for grabs, and this is where a big opportunity lies for OEMs to gain both market share and mind share, especially related to 5G and its capabilities.

5G smartphones are becoming cheaper thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 480 5G and MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 5G SoCs. Both prepaid and postpaid service providers are eager to have more 5G smartphones in their portfolios, especially since they want customers to upgrade their plans to 5G. With more devices launching in H2 2021, we expect to see increased competition for 5G budget smartphone market share.

Maurice Klaehne is a Senior Analyst with Counterpoint Technology Market Research, based out of Boston, USA. He has spent more than five years working as a market researcher and strategy consultant heavily focused on emerging markets and uncovering new growth opportunities for his clients which include business service, CPG, healthcare, and life science companies. Maurice holds a Master’s in International Development and Management from Sweden’s Lund University, and an undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Development from Canada’s McGill University. He is a native German speaker and also speaks fluent French.

Term of Use and Privacy Policy

Counterpoint Technology Market Research Limited

Registration

In order to access Counterpoint Technology Market Research Limited (Company or We hereafter) Web sites, you may be asked to complete a registration form. You are required to provide contact information which is used to enhance the user experience and determine whether you are a paid subscriber or not.
Personal Information When you register on we ask you for personal information. We use this information to provide you with the best advice and highest-quality service as well as with offers that we think are relevant to you. We may also contact you regarding a Web site problem or other customer service-related issues. We do not sell, share or rent personal information about you collected on Company Web sites.

How to unsubscribe and Termination

You may request to terminate your account or unsubscribe to any email subscriptions or mailing lists at any time. In accessing and using this Website, User agrees to comply with all applicable laws and agrees not to take any action that would compromise the security or viability of this Website. The Company may terminate User’s access to this Website at any time for any reason. The terms hereunder regarding Accuracy of Information and Third Party Rights shall survive termination.

Website Content and Copyright

This Website is the property of Counterpoint and is protected by international copyright law and conventions. We grant users the right to access and use the Website, so long as such use is for internal information purposes, and User does not alter, copy, disseminate, redistribute or republish any content or feature of this Website. User acknowledges that access to and use of this Website is subject to these TERMS OF USE and any expanded access or use must be approved in writing by the Company.
– Passwords are for user’s individual use
– Passwords may not be shared with others
– Users may not store documents in shared folders.
– Users may not redistribute documents to non-users unless otherwise stated in their contract terms.

Changes or Updates to the Website

The Company reserves the right to change, update or discontinue any aspect of this Website at any time without notice. Your continued use of the Website after any such change constitutes your agreement to these TERMS OF USE, as modified.
Accuracy of Information: While the information contained on this Website has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, We disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. User assumes sole responsibility for the use it makes of this Website to achieve his/her intended results.

Third Party Links: This Website may contain links to other third party websites, which are provided as additional resources for the convenience of Users. We do not endorse, sponsor or accept any responsibility for these third party websites, User agrees to direct any concerns relating to these third party websites to the relevant website administrator.

Cookies and Tracking

We may monitor how you use our Web sites. It is used solely for purposes of enabling us to provide you with a personalized Web site experience.
This data may also be used in the aggregate, to identify appropriate product offerings and subscription plans.
Cookies may be set in order to identify you and determine your access privileges. Cookies are simply identifiers. You have the ability to delete cookie files from your hard disk drive.