New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS): Tech giant Apple is likely to see robust sales in the second half of this year that could lead it to grab one-third of the total global 5G smartphone shipments in 2021, said a new report.

According to market research firm Counterpoint, iPhone 12 and the upcoming 13 series devices are set to spike global 5G shipments to nearly 200 million units, helping grow 2021 total shipments to 605 million, in the fourth quarter.

"Last year, Apple's iPhone 12 accounted for 24 per cent of all 5G smartphone shipments globally, despite a late launch in October," the market research firm said in a statement.

"This year, with an earlier launch for the iPhone 13 and continued strong appetite for iOS, Counterpoint sees Apple taking 33 per cent of all global 5G shipments," it added.

As per the report, the US will again be the biggest shipment driver globally.

Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director for North America, believes "even without any amust-have' specs, there will be a tremendous appetite for upgrading because the iOS base is old in the US".

At this year's September Apple event, one can expect the Cupertino-based tech giant to officially take the wraps off of the iPhone 13.

The iPhone 13 lineup may mirror the iPhone 12 family of phones, with a 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max.