The latest report from market research firm Canalys showed that smartphone shipments will drop 10.7% in 2020, due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 epidemic.

According to the Canalis report, the adoption of phones supporting 5G networks is growing, and the company expects that about 280 million 5G phones will be shipped during 2020, and the Chinese market will have the lion’s share of those shipments with a percentage of 62 percent, thanks to low-cost phones, such as : Realme V3, whose price does not exceed $ 150, which is an extraordinary price for a product that supports fifth generation networks.

The North American market comes in second place, with about 15% of shipments, while the market Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the countries of Asia Pacific (without Greater China) is expected to account for about 11% each. The upcoming iPhone 12, which is rumored to support 5G technology, should help speed up adoption as well, when it launches in the next month or so.

“Smartphone vendors have relentlessly pushed new product launches, as well as online marketing and sales during the post-lockdown period, which has increased consumer interest in the latest devices,” analyst Ben Stanton said in a statement. “The gradual reopening of physical stores, improvement of logistics and production has provided the necessary uplift for most of the markets to move into the more stable second half of 2020,” he added.

The 5G network was expected to have a positive impact in the industry, but the plans were quickly hindered by the epidemic, however 5G is believed to have a role in helping to prevent a further decline in sales. The numbers are still expected to rebound somewhat in 2021, by 9.9 percent year on year. This isn’t enough to bring things back to pre-2020 levels, but it will be a welcome sign for the industry which has shown signs of declining for some time now.