According to eMarketer.com, 2017 saw mobile web traffic overtake desktop traffic in the UK.
They predict that by 2019, adults in the UK will spend over two hours each day on their smartphones. The below chart shows the development of mobile v desktop over the last few years.
This fact underlines how important it is to know the landscape, whatever your business or website might be. When dealing with video content, this becomes an even more important angle to address:
"Adults in the UK will spend an average of nearly 32 minutes per day watching digital video on a mobile device in 2017, up 13.5% from last year."
With that in mind, let's take a look at the most popular phones, vendors, operating systems, screen sizes and mobile browsers in the United Kingdom, based on our data from Q1 2018.
The most popular smartphone in the UK is the iPhone 7
When we looked at the most popular smartphones of 2017 back in March, the iPhone 6 reigned supreme in the UK with 14.6% of the mobile market. The iPhone 7 clocked in with 7.4% share for the whole year.
As expected, as the 7 now sits top of the pile with 11.63% of total website visits recorded in Q1.
Compared to the landscape in the USA, there's more diversity in the top ten, with Samsung Galaxy S6, S7, S7 Edge and S8 taking four spots.
| Country | Position | Phone model | Traffic % |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 1 | iPhone 7 | 11.63 |
| UK | 2 | iPhone 6S | 9.12 |
| UK | 3 | iPhone 6 | 7.26 |
| UK | 4 | iPhone SE | 6.3 |
| UK | 5 | Samsung Galaxy S7 | 4.66 |
| UK | 6 | Samsung Galaxy S8 | 4.36 |
| UK | 7 | Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | 4.22 |
| UK | 8 | iPhone 5S | 4.18 |
| UK | 9 | iPhone 7 Plus | 3.98 |
| UK | 10 | Samsung Galaxy S6 | 2.99 |
Apple is the most popular vendor in the UK
With just under 54% of the total active smartphone share, Apple is way out in front in the United Kingdom, knocking Samsung into second place with 32%.
Sony, Huawei, Motorola , Google, LG, HTC and Nokia make up the top ten.
With over 53%, iOS is the most popular operating system
Following on from their dominance in the device landscape, iOS is obviously the most popular mobile operating system, too.
Android isn't too far behind though, and with 45.4%, it could make a charge for top spot in the coming months.
The top five features Windows Phone in third followed by RIM and Symbian.
The most common screen size is 750x1334
The most popular screen size in the UK in Q1 2018 was the same for 2017 - 750x1334.
With 30.6% of the overall share, it's actually increased from last year, proving the longevity and popularity of Apple devices.
The most popular mobile browser is Safari
Safari leads the way in the mobile browser stakes, with 52% of the overall. Chrome follows with 30.7%, with Samsung hanging in at 15%.
From there, a steep drop off in usage with Android Browser, Firefox, IE Mobile and Edge all under 1%.
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