Huawei device usage challenges Apple, Samsung

Traffic to tablets is highest in France, lowest in India

Dublin, January 19, 2018 - DeviceAtlas has released its latest report containing statistics for device usage of the top smartphone and tablet models from around the world. The report reveals that Huawei devices have moved into third place in many markets as the most used device behind Apple and Samsung. 

The report also found that tablet usage remains strong, despite a slowdown in sales of the devices over several quarters. Falling tablet sales figures may be related to market saturation and a long lifespan, especially for high-end tablet models. Tablet usage represents up to 16.9% of mobile traffic depending on the country. The most “tabletized” countries are mainly developed markets with France, the UK and Germany topping the list. For the USA, tablet traffic reached 8.5%. India is the country where tablets are least popular with only 2% share of the overall web traffic in the analyzed period.

Huawei shows growth during the Apple v Samsung battle

While the report shows Apple devices ahead of Samsung in many markets. Huawei was the third most used device brand. In terms of web traffic, Apple leads Samsung in Australia, Canada, Sweden, UK, and the USA. Over the last four quarters examined, Apple lost some traffic in France (-11%), Canada (-4%), and the UK (-4%) but the good news for the Cupertino based company is that it gained in the USA (+5%). Samsung dominates markets such as Argentina, Egypt, Germany, and Italy. The Korean manufacturer gained some share in Argentina (+4%), UK, (+4%) and Germany (+2%), while it lost share in the USA (-3%).

Some market commentators say that Huawei has already overtaken Apple, though these reports focus on shipments rather than usage. DeviceAtlas statistics reveal that Huawei drove the third largest share of web browsing in 8 countries. However, despite the dominance of the larger players, a long tail of different device manufacturers accounts for up to half of all devices in most markets.

Diverse range of devices in use

DeviceAtlas data consistently shows a variety of form factors account for the wide array of devices that are in use around the world. Larger screen sizes remain popular with end users.

Devices with diagonal screen sizes of 4.7 inch to 5.5 inch are most popular in 20 different markets.

The largest screen sizes are most popular in emerging markets. 5.5-inch phones are the most used in India, Malaysia, and Nigeria with a significant share at 26-24%. Countries with the largest share of 5.7-inch devices include Malaysia, Egypt, and Russia. For many users in these countries, smartphones may be the main way to access the Internet which makes a large screen a good choice.

720x1280 most used worldwide, while Full HD growing fast

The most popular screen resolution remains 720x1280 which is used in many low-end and mid-range smartphones. It is closely followed by 750x1334 used in many iPhone models. Full HD found in many high-end and mid-range Android devices is most used in France and Germany. Giving pause for thought to companies who address users on a global scale, the data also showed that millions of users have no access to LTE. While the need for speedy performance of websites on mobile devices is a universal, often 4G connectivity is not available, even in developed markets. According to Martin Clancy, Head of Marketing for DeviceAtlas,

“As the shift in mobile device preferences continues, it is ever more important for companies to be aware of which devices are being used in their markets. This latest report once again highlights that the landscape is constantly evolving. DeviceAtlas can help you stay on top of this complexity.”