THE MOBILE WEB

INTELLIGENCE REPORT
Q2 2016
LATEST STATISTICS ON PHONE MAKERS,
SCREEN SIZES, SCREEN RESOLUTIONS,
LTE, PHONE MODELS, AND MORE

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Mobile Web Intelligence Report for Q2 2016 helping you stay
in touch with the latest news in the mobile world. The report, based on web
traffic to a global network of partner websites, presents the popularity of
various device characteristics based on the number of website visits. This
helps us paint a broad and complex picture of the mobile landscape in terms
of what phones are actually used in various parts of the globe.

PHONE MAKERS AND SCREEN SIZES

According to previous reports, Samsung and Apple were the most popular
device manufacturers globally. When you look closer at some selected local
markets, you can easily notice that there are also smaller manufacturers
which get a large market share in certain countries. In the new report you can
learn which phone makers are the most used across the globe. We also talk
about the trends by showing the difference in web traffic share between Q2
2015 and Q2 2016.
In this quarters report we also focus on screen sizes and screen resolutions
which is a major consideration for web designers to ensure that all users get
an optimal viewing experience. The new report reveals the latest statistics on
the most used smartphone screen sizes, screen resolutions and screen PPI
(pixel density) in selected countries.

Q2 2016 REPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

Maker: Samsung

Between Q215 and

Q216 Apple lost in 18
out of 20 countries,
while Samsung and
Huawei grew

4-inch was one of the

most used screen
sizes in Q2 2016
possibly due to the
release of iPhone SE

QHD (1440 x 2560)

shows a large global
share with growth
focused on developed
markets

Emerging markets
get significantly
less PPI (Pixel Per
Inch) than developed
countries

PPI: 326

1. MOST USED SMARTPHONE MAKERS

We analysed web traffic share for the largest device manufacturers today.
The following stats show countries where each of them had the largest share.
We also analyse where manufacturers lost or gained traffic share compared
to Q2 2015 and Q2 2016.
For the purpose of this analysis, we selected 20 large local markets from
every continent to give you the idea about the current popularity and changes
in terms of phone makers popularity.
Apple
While Apple sells less phones than Samsung, the leading phone maker in
terms of sales, there are some countries where Apple captures over 50%
of web traffic. This is probably caused by the fact that Apple sells highend devices with a longer lifespan than many Android phones. iPhones are
typically bought and used in urbanized areas where good connectivity is
available resulting in many website visits generated by people who use these
phones.
Countries where Apple is the most popular with a share of around 50-60%,
include Australia, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, and USA. The least Apple
dominated countries, according to our analysis, include Argentina, Brazil,
Egypt, India, Nigeria, Poland and South Africa.

Apple share of web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 1)

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Argentina Australia

Brazil

Canada

Egypt

France

Germany

India

Japan

Malaysia

Apple share of web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 2)

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Mexico

Nigeria

Poland

Russia

Saudi
Arabia

South
Africa

Spain

Turkey

UK

USA

There is no certainty that Apple can hold on to the lead in these countries,
given that the last year certainly wasnt great for Apple in terms of web traffic
share. Comparing Q2 2015 and Q2 2016, Apple lost in 18 out of 20 countries we
analysed, including the largest markets such as UK (-10%), Germany (-6%),
and USA (-4%).

Apples web traffic share changes between

Q2 2015 and Q2 2016
5%
0%
-5%
-10%
-15%
-20%

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 Samsung
According to Gartner, Samsung is the worldwide leader in terms of sales
with over 24% market share. This is reflected in our web traffic stats which
show that Samsung devices generate a lot of website visits in every country.
Compared to Apple, Samsungs share is more evenly spread across the globe
with the exception of Japan where some Samsung devices are branded by
mobile operators which may skew the results. In Q2 2016 Samsung was the
most popular in Egypt, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.

Samsungs share of web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 1)

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Argentina Australia

Brazil

Canada

Egypt

France

Germany

India

Japan

Malaysia

Samsungs share of web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 2)

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Mexico

Nigeria

Poland

Russia

Saudi
Arabia

South
Africa

Spain

Turkey

UK

USA

Samsungs web browsing share grew significantly during the last four
quarters. We noticed the largest rates of growth, exceeding 10%, in France,
South Africa, Canada, UK and Australia. The only two countries where
Samsung lost between Q2 2015 and Q2 2016 were Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Samsungs web traffic share changes between
Q2 2015 and Q2 2016
15%
12%
9%
6%
3%
0%
-3%
-6%

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LG
LGs web browsing share is much lower than for the leading manufacturers
which is probably related to the sales figures. According to Gartner, LG was listed
among the top 5 phone makers in 2014 but lost its position the following year to
Xiaomi. In terms of web traffic, LG is most used in Mexico, Poland, Argentina,
Brazil and Turkey. Interestingly, the Korean manufacturer has a relatively large
share in the USA at over 6%.
LGs share of web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 1)
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Argentina Australia

Brazil

Canada

Egypt

France

Germany

India

Japan

Malaysia

LGs share of web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 2)

15%
12%
9%
6%
3%
0%
Mexico

Nigeria

Poland

Russia

Saudi
Arabia

South
Africa

Spain

Turkey

UK

USA

What LG lost in terms of sales is visible in terms of how its web traffic share
dropped during the last four quarters. Between Q2 2015 and Q2 2016 LG lost
some share in large markets such as France, Spain and Germany.
LGs web traffic share changes between
Q2 2015 and Q2 2016

3%
2%
1%
0%
-1%
-2%
-3%

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 Huawei, Sony and HTC

While according to Gartner Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi are now the third,
fourth and fifth largest manufacturers, their web traffic shares are not yet
as visible as Apple, Samsung or even LG. This is due to the fact that the other
manufacturers have a larger installed base, even though they may not sell
as many new phones. Here we show the difference between Q2 2015 and Q2
2016 for Huawei, Sony and HTC, which generated a significant amount of web
traffic, to give you an idea of the direction of changes. Its quite apparent that
Huaweis share increased rapidly, while for Sony and HTC the last twelve
months werent nearly as successful.
Huaweis web traffic share changes between
Q2 2015 and Q2 2016
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
-1%

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Sonys web traffic share changes between

Q2 2015 and Q2 2016
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
-1%
-2%
-3%

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HTCs web traffic share changes between

Q2 2015 and Q2 2016
2.0%
1.5%
1.0%
0.5%
0.0%
-0.5%
-1.0%
-1.5%
-2.0%

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2. SCREEN SIZES, SCREEN RESOLUTIONS

PIXEL DENSITY
iPhone SE driving popularity of 4-inch devices
It seems that 5 - 5.2-inch has been established as the standard screen size
for high-end devices in the Android world. Larger phones are available but
theyre considered non-mainstream phablets, such as the business-oriented
HP Elite x3 (5.96-inch screen). According to our web browsing statistics, 5.7inch phones generate the lowest share of traffic in all countries compared to
other popular screen sizes we analysed.
Interestingly, smaller phones are still as popular as the larger ones. This is
especially apparent when we look at the 4-inch devices. The web traffic share
of the 4-inch screen size remains at a very high level in several countries,
even though you might expect it to drop because there were very few 4-inch
phones on offer. This is popularity is likely due to the newly released iPhone
SE which is now the only widely sold 4-inch device.

Most popular screen sizes based on

web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 1)
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Australia

Argentina

4-inch

Canada

Colombia

4.7-inch

Egypt

5-5.2-inch

France

Germany

5.5-inch

India
5.7-inch

Most popular screen sizes based on

web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 2)
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Italy
4-inch

Japan

Malaysia

Nigeria

4.7-inch

South Africa

5-5.2-inch

Spain
5.5-inch

UK

USA
5.7-inch

Quad HD resolution is growing rapidly

In terms of screen resolutions, some high-end devices use qHD (1440 x 2560),
including Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC 10, while others stick to Full HD,
such as Sony Xperia X and Huawei P9. At the same time Full HD is becoming the
standard for mid-range phones, such as OnePlus X, Moto G4, and Huawei P9 Lite.
Interestingly, compared to the Q1 2016 report we noticed that the share for the
largest QHD screen resolution grew significantly in Australia (+3.5%), UK (+3.3%),
USA (+3.1%), Germany (+2.8%) and France (+2.7%).

Most popular screen resolutions based on

web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 1)
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Argentina

Australia

640x1136

Canada
720x1280

Colombia

Egypt

750x1334

France

Germany

1080x1920

India
1440x2560

Most popular screen resolutions based on

web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 2)
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Italy
640x1136

Japan

Malaysia
720x1280

Nigeria

South Africa

750x1334

Spain
1080x1920

UK

USA
1440x2560

Emerging markets get less pixels per inch (PPI)

In the Q2 2016 report we introduce stats on the sreens pixel density or PPI.
The PPI figure relates to the number of pixels in each square inch of the
screen which generally impacts image quality, although it depends on other
factors as well.
The following statistics indicate that emerging markets, such as Argentina,
Colombia, Nigeria, India, and Malaysia, get a very large share for the low PPI
screens (less than 300) which is insignificant for developed markets, such as
Australia, Canada, Japan, UK and USA.

Pixel density (PPI) in selected markets based on

web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 1)
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Argentina

Australia

Canada
less than 300

Colombia

Egypt

300-500

France

Germany

India

more than 500

Pixel density (PPI) in selected markets based on

web traffic in Q2 2016 (p. 2)
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Italy

Japan

Malaysia
less than 300

Nigeria

Spain

South Africa

300-500

UK

USA

more than 500

3. LTE, LTE-ADVANCED, VoLTE

LTE is slowly becoming the standard way to access mobile data services
especially in urbanized areas where customers get data speeds of up to
40mbps. It is now very rare to release a new phone which doesnt support LTE
even in the lowest price category. Some of the most recent examples of LTE
phones priced at around $100 include Lenovo Vibe C, LG K4, and Samsung
Galaxy J1.

The following table shows the share of mobile web traffic generated by all
phones supporting at least one LTE band (first column), and LTE Advanced
(second column). The third column shows the share of phones that support
VoLTE. This is a type of mobile network providing voice services using the LTE
standard which can be used instead of 2G or 3G voice services.

The share of web traffic generated by phones supporting

LTE, LTE Advanced and VoLTE in Q2 2016
Country

LTE

LTE Advanced

VoLTE

Argentina

60.4

60.7

63.7

Australia

92.7

84.1

87.4

Canada

93.0

81.1

84.7

Colombia

56.5

57.2

65.6

Egypt

60.7

60.7

59.6

France

85.2

69.7

69.2

Germany

82.8

67.3

70.4

India

58.2

72.7

81.5

Italy

71.5

52.8

52.3

Japan

95.5

82.0

86.9

Malaysia

75.9

55.2

50.9

Nigeria

63.7

59.5

54.9

Spain

74.1

52.5

50.7

South Africa

69.8

51.5

52.2

UK

91.0

79.6

82.6

USA

95.0

84.5

87.1

4. MOBILE OPERATING SYSTEMS

According to Gartners statistics for Q1 2016, Android was the leading mobile
OS in terms of sales with 78.8% market share. iOS came second with 17.9%
while Windows was third with 2.5% market share. Other operating systems
including Blackberry had only 0.4% share. Compared to Q2 2015, Android
sales dropped by 3.4% and iOS sales grew by 3.3%.
Of course shipment statistics may not represent installed base because some
of the devices wont actually reach consumers. Users of different operating
systems may have different browsing habits. In terms of web browsing
statistics, the difference between the two leading OSes is not as apparent
given that there are countries where iOS is clearly dominating. In 10 out of
16 countries we analysed Android has more share, but for 6 countries iOS is
dominant, outpacing Android by up to 31% in the case of Japan.
The following charts show the comparison for Android and iOS web browsing
share in Q2 2016.
Android and iOS share of web traffic
based on website visits in Q2 2016 (p. 1)

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Argentina

Australia

Canada

Colombia
Android

Egypt

France
iOS

Germany

India

Android and iOS share of web traffic

based on website visits in Q2 2016 (p. 2)
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Italy

Japan

Malaysia

Nigeria
Android

South Africa

Spain

UK

USA

iOS

5. MOST USED PHONE MODELS

The statistics on the most used smartphones in different countries are led by
iPhone 5/5S/5C/SE and 6/6S (but rarely by 6 Plus/6S Plus), while at the same
time Android in many regions is more popular than iOS which was shown in
the previous section.
This is caused by the fact that Android is largely fragmented. Users can
choose between a variety of Android phones and therefore its difficult for a
single phone to garner significantly more users than others. Also it is possible
that iPhone users just browse more often simply because their phones are
high-end devices often used in urbanised regions where good connectivity
is available. This is not always the case in terms of Android devices which
are available in every price category including low-end phones targeted at
emerging markets.
Despite this fragmentation, Samsungs domination in the Android world
is clear with the Samsung Galaxy family enjoying the largest user base in
Q2 2016 in most countries we analysed. Interestingly, some lesser-known
smartphone models can command significant market share in regions where
they have brand recognition.

AFRICA
Egypt

Morocco

Model

OS

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S/6S/6S

iOS

Samsung Galaxy Trend

Plus

Android

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Android

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Neo

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Samsung Galaxy J1

Android

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Neo

Android

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

South Africa

Nigeria

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

RIM

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

BlackBerry Z10

RIM

BlackBerry Curve

RIM

Infinix Hot Note

Android

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

BlackBerry Q10

ASIA
India

Indonesia
Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo

Android

Samsung Galaxy J5

Android

Samsung Galaxy J2

Android

Asus ZenFone 5

Android

Apple iPhone 4/4S

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Japan

Malaysia

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact

Android

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Android

Sony Xperia Z5

Android

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Android

EUROPE
France

Germany

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 4/4S

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S4

Android

Model

OS

Italy

UK
Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Apple iPhone 4/4S

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Spain

Sweden
Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S4

Android

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S4

Android

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

OCEANIA
Australia

New Zealand

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Model

OS

NORTH AMERICA
Canada

USA
Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S4

Android

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Samsung Galaxy S6

Android

Panama

Mexico
Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

iOS

Apple iPhone 4/4S

iOS

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Prime

Android

Model

OS

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Neo

Android

Samsung Galaxy J7

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Samsung Galaxy J5

Android

SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina

Brazil

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Motorola Moto G

Android

Motorola Moto G 2nd

Android

Apple iPhone 6/6S Plus

Android

Motorola Moto G

Android

Samsung Galaxy Core 2

Duos

Android

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Prime

Android

Colombia

Ecuador

Model

OS

Model

OS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 6/6S

iOS

Apple iPhone 5/5C/5S/SE

iOS

Motorola Moto G

Android

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S5

Android

Samsung Galaxy S3 mini

Android

Samsung Galaxy J5

Android

Samsung Galaxy J5

Android

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