iPhone 12 5G ‘perfect storm’ will have Samsung Galaxy S20 running scared

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Why one analyst predicts massive iPhone 12 sales

(Image credit: EverythingApplePro/YouTube)

The iPhone 12 will be greeted with high sales if speculation about the lineup supporting 5G prove true. One analyst predicts a "supercycle" of upgrades for the new phone when it debuts in the fall.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors that the iPhone 12 will launch in “window of an upgrade opportunity.” Whether customers skipped on the iPhone 11 series, or have converted to believers 5G following the Samsung Galaxy S20 release, Ives believes a “perfect storm of demand” is in store for the new iPhone.

Despite numerous reports detailing how the COVID-19 coronavirus is impacting Apple's manufacturing processes and causing struggles to release the iPhone 9 on schedule, Ives is optimistic that the "bumps in the way" won't impede on the company's success.

Financial news source Barrons shared snippets of Ive's report as it pertains to market advice. However, from a consumer's perspective (and from the perspective of someone who upgrades their iPhone annually) it's curious this note comes on the tail of the Galaxy S20 release.

We don't have U.S. sales numbers supporting interest in the Galaxy S20. In fact, Samsung's flagship is off to a slow start in Korea. But it's still in the pre-order stage and sales could definitely improve once the new phone is on store shelves. 

What's more telling about the Galaxy S20 is that every model, from the baseline to the $1,499 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, supports 5G. It's sets a pace for 5G phones to become an expectation among shoppers, rather than a niche premium.

When Apple releases a 5G iPhone, current iPhone owners will feel like they're missing out if they don't upgrade. Let's just hope by then wireless carriers will have expanded the reach of their 5G networks enough that we're not confined to testing the speedy tech on select street corners.

Kate Kozuch
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.