MIIT: Handsets with 5-inch Screens Comprise 79% of New Releases in China in Q1 2020
CAICT, 4/28/20
In Q1 2020, demand for further user experience upgrades drove the trend in China's mobile phone market towards larger screens and higher camera resolutions, according to a newly issued report from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). As China's main telecom operators further expand 5G services following their launch late last year, manufacturers are releasing more high-performance 5G models, while growing popularity and variety of multi-media and social applications continue to drive greater demand for handsets with higher resolution cameras.
The report provided the following analysis of trends in interactive components of handset models released in China during Q1 2020:
Screen Trends in Handsets Released in China
The screen is an important interface between the mobile phone and its user, and its configuration and features directly affect the user experience. Accordingly, along with the core chipset, the screen is one of two key components of the mobile phone, which together account for a relatively high proportion of the phone's cost.
Screen Size
As the most important element of a handset's appearance, the size of the screen heavily influences the user's first impression of the phone's look and feel, and also has an important impact on the user's usage and habits. According to CAICT's statistical analysis, the trend favoring large-screen handsets continued in Q1 2020, with screen-size of 5 inches and above accounting for 78.7% of mobile phone models released in China during the period. Of the 5G and 4G models released during the quarter, 100% and 81.8%, respectively, had screens of 5 inches or larger.
Screen Resolution
If screen size is large, but resolution too low, it will also greatly denigrate the user experience. Accordingly, resolution is another key criterion on which users focus when purchasing a new handset. Among the handset models released in China in Q1 2020, high-definition models (HD720 and above) accounted for 76.4%. The screen resolution of 2G handsets continued to be dominated by HVGA, while the proportion of high-definition models among 4G and 5G models released in Q1 2020 was 75.8% and 100%, respectively.
Screen Material
Mobile phone screens are produced from a variety of different materials, each with different imaging characteristics, leading to an array of possible variations in the color saturation, brightness, and power consumption of the final display. Screen material has also become one of the key technical specs manufacturers emphasize in marketing their handsets. TFT continues to be the preferred screen material technology in China's mobile phone industry, with 39.3% of new handset models released in China in Q1 2020 having TFT screens.
Screen-to-Body Ratio
The screen-to-body ratio refers to the proportion of the handset screen area to the total area of the phone (bar-shaped phone). With strong market demand for phone designs in which the bezel is as narrow as possible, manufacturers continue to strive to increase screen-to-body ratio. Among the handset models released in China in Q1 2020, those with a screen-to-body ratio of over 70% accounted for 74.2%, of which 5G models accounted for more than 75%.
Camera Trends in Handsets Released in China
Camera Configuration
The handset's camera is an important component for input, and also for facilitating various multi-media functions and services. Among the 5G handset models released in China in Q1 2020, all came equipped with a rear-facing camera, and 97.7% came equipped with a front-facing camera; among the 4G models, 94.0% came equipped with a rear-facing camera, and 94.0% came equipped with a front-facing camera; among the 2G models, 53.9% came equipped with a rear-facing camera, while none came equipped with a front-facing camera.
Resolution of Front-Facing Cameras
Front-facing cameras were originally developed mainly for use in video calling, but as mobile internet services have grown more sophisticated, have also come to be widely used in selfies and OTT video telephony. Among the front-facing-camera-equipped 5G handset models released in China in Q1 2020, those with cameras of 5 megapixels or higher comprised 97.7%, while among the front-facing-camera-equipped 4G handset models released in the same period, 5MP models comprised 90.3%, representing a slight increase in the trend towards higher resolution cameras.
Resolution of Rear-Facing Cameras
Compared with the front-facing camera, a handset's rear-facing camera is used more frequently, particularly for taking high-definition photographs and video, so requires a higher resolution. Among the rear-facing-camera-equipped 5G handset models released in China in Q1 2020, all had rear-facing cameras of 16 megapixels or higher, while among the rear-facing-camera-equipped 4G handset models released in the same period, 97.0% had rear-facing cameras of 5MP or higher. The rear-facing cameras in rear-facing-camera-equipped 2G handset models released during the period were almost all of 5MP or lower resolution.
Keywords: handset component display wireless 4G MIIT 5G CAICT Q1 2020 handset model national statistics
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