Hyped up for years, 5G wireless technology was supposed to give sluggish smartphone sales a shot in the arm this year. The global pandemic has put paid to that. Unless lockdowns end and supply chains fire back up soon, new launches will have to go on hold until 2021.

This may be a problem for Apple. A worldwide drop in phone sales last year spurred the US gadgets giant to raise prices, lifting revenues at the same time. Demand for a new 5G model due this autumn was expected to drive up sales by volume too. 

Without a rollout of 5G phones, consumers may continue to avoid upgrading their handsets. In 2019, smartphone sales fell 2 per cent by volume, according to data from technology research firm Gartner. It expected a resurgence this year, largely because of new 5G models. Gartner predicted sales would rise 3 per cent on the previous year in 2020 to 1.57bn. If sales fall back 2 per cent instead, shipments will dip to 1.49bn.