According to data recently published by Kantar, a research, data and insight consultancy, the most popular smartphone in the UK this year is the iPhone SE.
The device – Apple’s cheapest model to date – outsold both the iPhone 6S and the Samsung Galaxy S7 in the second quarter of 2016 (April – June). Sales of the SE accounted for 9.2% of all UK smartphone sales in this time period, with the iPhone 6S following closely on its heels with 9.1% of total sales.
The SE is not only Apple’s cheapest handset, but it is also one of the most low-key, as it was released at the same time as the company’s various iPhone 6 models. One advantage away from the bank balance is that the SE is also one of the most powerful of the iPhone family, offering similar specs as the 6S, but in a smaller, more compact shell.
In total, all iPhone devices accounted for 37.2% of all UK smartphone sales, making it more popular over here in terms of sales compared to the US (31.8%) and compared to the 18.2% across the remaining five largest European markets, Italy, Germany, Spain and France. Sales for all iPhone devices are also up on the same period last year, which was down at 34.1%.
Android devices accounted for 57.3% of sales during this quarter, which represented a growth of 4.1% compared to last year. Although these figures are higher than those of Apple, Android covers a far more extensive list of products.
As both iOS and Android devices continue to increase in popularity and demand, Windows smartphones are now paying the price, with its UK market share tumbling from 11.3% last year to just 4.9% in 2016.
The use of smartphones has seen the way in which search giant Google operates change, with the company predicting that the number of searches made on mobile devices would eclipse the number of searches made on desktop machines. In the autumn of 2015, Google’s prediction came true.
Further to this, in March 2016, Google announced it would place more emphasis on ranking websites that are optimised to cater for mobile search by updating its algorithms. This emphasis came into effect in May this year.
This means that companies who seek to be at the top of Google’s rankings for particular keywords need to ensure that their websites are mobile friendly, as the search giant will penalise websites that make life for the mobile web user difficult by making those websites harder to find.
- Chrome to warn users regarding insecure web forms - August 20, 2020
- Google trials virtual business cards in India - August 14, 2020
- DuckDuckGo claims Google market share would drop if users given choice - August 11, 2020
