Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Smartphones in the UK- statistics & facts
Be it for calling, messaging, or using the internet, smartphones have grown to become an essential part of people’s lives all around the globe. The United Kingdom (UK) is no exception, counting over 80 million mobile cellular subscriptions. Indeed, over the decades, such number has drastically increased, and with the development of new smartphone models, such as foldables and AI smartphones, namely, smartphones embedding more AI functions, as well as recent telecom technologies, i.e., 5G, smartphones will continue to increase in popularity among all ages.
Apple is ahead in the UK
The UK smartphone industry - forecast to record revenues of over 11 billion British pounds by 2028 – reflects the dynamics of the global market. Apple and Samsung are the main market players and Apple leads it with over 50 percent of the market in 2023, ahead of the 30 percent Samsung maintained over the years. On the other hand, the UK operating system market shows an even split between Apple and Android devices, with over 50 percent of active devices running on Apple iOS and almost 50 percent on Android.Apps remain a key attraction for smartphone users
Smartphones go well beyond a standard feature phone, due to their ability to run apps using the phone’s computing power, internet connectivity, cameras, and GPS capability. In 2023, internet browsers, social media apps, and e-mail services were the most popular app types in the UK. Particularly, in that same year, WhatsApp and Facebook recorded the highest reach among consumers. Other social media apps, such as YouTube, Messenger, Instagram, and TikTok recorded slightly lower shares.5G set to shape the smartphone market
5G – the fifth generation of mobile broadband technology – is set to shape developments in the global smartphone industry. Mobile providers in the UK purchased licenses to operate on 5G-relevant frequencies as early as 2018. Four carriers – EE, Hutchison 3G, Telefónica UK, and Vodafone – spent 1.16 billion British pounds to purchase spectrum in the 3.4 GHz range in 2018. Further auctions took place in 2021 for the 700 MHz frequency. As a result, the number of 5G connections increased and, by 2030, it is estimated that 5G will account for 90 percent of all mobile connections.
