Samsung Electronics Co. dominated the 5G smartphone market in Western Europe in the first half of the year, a report showed Friday, but its market share is likely to decline in the second half as Apple Inc.'s first 5G-supporting handset, the iPhone 12, will go on sale.

Samsung captured an 88 percent market share of all 5G smartphones shipped in Western Europe in the first six months of the year, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics.

"Samsung today is the clear 5G leader across Western Europe, due to a strong portfolio of premium Android models, such as the Galaxy S20 5G and A90 5G," said Ken Hyers, a director at Strategy Analytics.

A record 4 million 5G smartphones were estimated to have been shipped to Western Europe in the first half of 2020, accounting for 7 percent of all smartphones shipped in the region, Strategy Analytics said.

With the 5G smartphone market in Western Europe tipped to grow further, Samsung, however, was expected to face big challenges in the second half of the year as its rivals Apple and other Chinese brands are to release new 5G smartphones.

"Samsung's 5G dominance will soon come to an end in the second half of the year and final months of 2020," said Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, an associate director at Strategy Analytics. "Apple's popular iPhone 12 5G is finally on sale, while a flood of Chinese rivals with lower-cost 5G models, such as Xiaomi and OPPO, is pouring into the region."

Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new iPhone 12 lineup with four models. They are scheduled to start launching next week in select countries.

Strategy Analytics estimated that Apple could ship 50 million units of the iPhone 12 in the remainder of 2020 and become the second-largest 5G smartphone vendor this year.

The market researcher also predicted that Apple could rise to become the world's biggest 5G smartphone vendor next year, with its shipments reaching an estimated 180 million. (Yonhap)