Beijing, Feb 23 (IANS): Shipments of 5G phones in China went down 3.5 per cent year on year to over 26.32 million units in January this year, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) showed.

The volume accounted for 79.7 per cent of the country's total mobile phone shipments during the period, said the CAICT, a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

In January, a total of 15 newly-released mobile phone models were 5G phones, accounting for 50 percent of all the newly-released handset models, reports Xinhua news agency.

The data showed that China shipped 266 million units of 5G phones in 2021, surging by 63.5 per cent from 2020.

Meanwhile, shipment of 5G smartphones in India increased by six times in CY 2021, accounting for 17 per cent of overall shipments in the year, said Counterpoint Research.

The price of entry-level 5G devices has also come down by 40 per cent, and this can be attributed to the launch of affordable 5G chipsets that are now being used in several under Rs 20,000 devices.

Shipment of above 20,000 smartphones increased by almost 100 per cent in the year. The shipment of smartphones in the price range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 increased by 95 per cent, while the Rs 30,000 and higher segment increased by 98 per cent.