Consumers experience 5G mobile phones at a business hall of China Mobile Beijing Branch in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

Shipments of 5G smartphones in China reached 167.5 million units in 2020, accounting for more than half of the total smartphone shipment throughout the year, according to global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

In the fourth quarter last year, China shipped 60.1 million 5G handsets, data from IDC showed.

Last year, the country had shipped a total of 325.7 million units of smartphones, down 11.2 percent year on year.

The shipment of smartphones in Q4 edged up 0.3 percent year on year to 86.4 million units, with major vendors in the Chinese market registering a favorable growth, the firm said.

Huawei continues to dominate the domestic mobile phone market with a 38.3-percent market share last year. Its total shipment reached 124.9 million units, according to the IDC.

Vivo and OPPO, another two Chinese smartphone makers, took up 17.7 percent and 17.4 percent of the market, respectively, followed by Xiaomi with a 12-percent share.

Apple was the only vendor among the top five that achieved a full-year growth in the Chinese market bolstered by its new release of the iPhone 12 series and continued demand for the iPhone 11 series, the IDC said.

"China will see a more stable consumer demand in 2021 as the local COVID-19 cases are expected to be less impactful," said Wang Xi, a research manager with IDC China.

The market is expected to see a gradual recovery, along with the changes in the smartphone and upstream competition, Wang added.