CMR's new global consumer study finds that video will rule in the 5G era

As per a new global consumer study from CMR, 5G has enabled an explosive growth in video content creation, especially short-form videos, amongst consumers in China and Western Europe. More than four in every five 5G smartphone users are satisfied with overall 5G usage. In India, there is heightened consumer excitement and optimism around 5G smartphones.

The research findings are based on a new major global study by CMR, The 5G Future Now, that offers a compelling narrative around what 5G smartphones posit for the consumer, the early benefits that 5G users are seeing, and what 5G intenders are expecting from 5G.

According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, “5G will positively impact the way we create, communicate, collaborate, consume content and share our experiences with our loved ones and the world through primarily, a video-led medium. In global markets, 5G smartphones are fuelling video content creation and consumption, video calling, as well as use cases such as mobile gaming, among others. I believe that when 5G becomes available in India within the next two years, it will give a considerable thrust to the increasing trend of short-form video creation and sharing, amongst millennials.”

“As per our study findings, Indian consumers are seeking to upgrade to 5G-ready phones driven by the urge to future-proof themselves. While doing so, they seek to benefit from the overall user experience that the premium device offers, whether it be through smooth everyday performance, AI-enabled cameras, or enhanced mobile gaming capabilities,”said Satya Mohanty, Head-Industry Consulting Group, CMR.

Here are the key takeaways from the report:

• For early 5G smartphone users in China and Western Europe, 5G is translating into exciting use cases, such as short-form video creation and consumption, video-calling, mobile gaming and AR/VR, among others.
  • Some of the early benefits that early 5G users are seeing include better quality video calls (66%), faster downloads (59%), and ability to stream UHD videos (55%). 5G is significantly faster than 4G. For consumers, 5G translates into superior speeds, while uploading, sharing on social media, or in streaming better quality videos, without any lags.

• 5G is now a key smartphone purchase consideration everywhere.
  • In technology-developed markets, such as China and Europe where 5G is already available, 5G is a key smartphone purchase driver (60%), just behind battery life (67%).
  • In India, 5G readiness is one of the top three considerations amongst premium smartphone users (83%), just behind battery life (84%) and smartphone brand imagery (84%).

• Amongst early 5G adopters and 5G intenders in India, there is a strong appeal to upgrade to 5G-capable smartphones.
  • Nearly three in every five existing premium smartphone users are definitely seeking to upgrade to 5G ready smartphones.

· When it comes to 5G smartphone offerings, consumers nurture emotional bonds and affinity with smartphone brands that can deliver on consumer expectations around their brand vision, new innovations, and 5G tech R&D leadership.

o In China, Huawei is the most preferred 5G smartphone brand (91%), followed by Apple (58%) that is gaining ground

o Samsung scores the highest in Western Europe (88%), followed by Huawei (65%)

o In India, amongst early 5G smartphone adopters and tech intenders, OPPO scores the highest (81%), followed by Samsung (79%)

“I believe the future will be visual, and primarily video-led. With the extremely low latency of 5G, consumers will be able to upload and stream their content as seamlessly and effortlessly as they stream music today. At a macro level, there will be a significant digital acceleration, enabled by the confluence of 5G, Cloud, AI, and Edge Computing. In essence, 5G is a definitive trendsetter that will fundamentally redefine the future of content, remote work, virtual learning, healthcare, and manufacturing, among others,” added Prabhu.