The top three most popular Christmas handsets for 2012 were all Samsung Galaxy phones
Christmas number one this year was the Galaxy S3 – also the most popular phone of 2012
Samsung’s previous flagship handset, the Galaxy S2, was in the top five every month last year, and was number one for first quarter of 2012
The iPhone 4S was a regular contender in the top ten, appearing in the chart every month this year but only hitting the number one spot once, in April
The iPhone 5 failed to reach number one in 2012.
Handsets from Samsung’s Galaxy range were the stand out winners in the Christmas mobile phone battle, with the South Korean manufacturer’s flagship S3 phone outdoing all others to be festive number one, closely followed by the Galaxy S2 and the Ace. That’s according to the latest Uswitch.com Mobile Tracker, which is based on live searches, pre-orders and pay monthly sales.
The climb of the Galaxy S2 – unveiled back in February 2011 – proves that there is still space for golden oldies, even in the fast-moving smartphone space. Meanwhile, the popularity of the Galaxy range and new Google phone, the LG Nexus 4, relegated Apple’s iPhone 4S and 5 to 5th and 6th place respectively in December. The older 4S dropped three places since November, having impressed in recent months with its affordable price point – pay monthly deals start from £26.
The LG Nexus 4, which launched just in time to be a serious contender in the Christmas mobile race, boasts Google Now, which learns user habits and uses GPS to provide personalised information like traffic updates for the journey to work. It also includes the Android Beam technology loved by Samsung Galaxy fans, which lets users share photos, videos and contacts by simply tapping their handset to another enabled device. The strong specs and bargain price point – deals start from £24 per month with a free handset – have boosted popularity.
There was plenty of movement further down the chart, with price crashes seeing the Nokia Lumia 800 rising four places and the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini up seven. The Mini has enabled Samsung to target the naysayers who reckon the S3 is too big, sweet-talking them with deals that start from just £15.50 per month with a free handset – more than £10 per month cheaper than the S3.
Looking at bestsellers of the year, the Galaxy S3 has now been Britain’s favourite smartphone for eight consecutive months after hitting the shelves in May and going straight to number one. Its standout features made it the smartphone to beat in 2012, and not even Apple managed to dislodge it. But Apple’s handsets have been consistent top performers this year, with the iPhone 4S appearing in the chart every month in 2012, and hitting number one in April. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5 still hasn’t made number one, but has remained at the top end of the chart every month since launch.
Both the original Samsung Galaxy Note and its slimmer sequel bridged the gap between smartphone and tablet with massive screens and remained regulars in the chart this year, appearing in the top ten seven times in total.
Number one handset – the Samsung Galaxy S3 has retained its title as the UK’s most popular pay monthly handset, enjoying its 8th consecutive month in the top spot.
New entries – no new entries for December, but Google’s LG Nexus 4, is the newest kid on the block. It has risen one place since it entered the chart upon launch in November.
Biggest losers – having both dropped three places, the iPhone 4S and 5 were December’s biggest losers.
Top Ten Handsets for December – correct on 31st December, 2012
|
#
| Handset | Powered by |
Movement
| |
1
|
Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB Blue
| Android | No change | |
2
| Samsung Galaxy S2 | Android |
Up two
| |
3
| Samsung Galaxy Ace | Android |
Up three
| |
4
| LG Nexus 4 | Android | Up one | |
5
| Apple iPhone 4S 16GB | iOS | Down three | |
6
| Apple iPhone 5 16GB Black | iOS |
Down three
| |
7
|
Nokia Lumia 800
| Windows Phone | Up four | |
8
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Android |
Down one
| |
9
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini | Android |
Up seven
| |
10
| Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 | Android |
New Entry
|
Source: Uswitch.com
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “December’s top ten chart reads like the Who’s Who of smartphones. Top of the tree were three Samsung Galaxy phones – more than matching the iPhone with a range of incredibly affordable devices. The enduring presence of the Ace and Galaxy S2 – both released back in 2011 – prove that a bargain price point and strong software support can keep classic handsets battling with the heavyweights.
“2012 certainly saw the rise of the ‘phablet’, with Samsung again leading the way. Both the Note and newbie Note 2 were consistently in the top ten bestsellers thanks to their colossal touchscreen displays and S-Pen stylus.
“2013 looks set to introduce yet more exciting phones – January sees the make-or-break return of BlackBerry with a brand new operating system and refreshed range of devices. Rumour has it that a wave of turbo-charged Android devices are set to follow suit, while new Windows Phone 8 phones will also be looking to make an impact.
“What can be certain is that current favourites Samsung and Apple had better watch out – competition is certainly going to be hotting up in the New Year.”
Katherine Moss
Phone: 020 3021 5893
Email: katherine.moss@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
The Uswitch.com Mobile Tracker data is derived from Omio's (www.omio.com) network of comparison sites, which includes Uswitch.com and a number of leading consumer technology websites which total in excess of 10 million monthly page views. The data is a result of an aggregation of all of the clicks and all of the sales from these partner sites.
It’s all about “U”!
Thank you for indulging us over the last 20 years by using a small ‘u’ and a big ‘S’ when writing about our brand in your articles.
We are delighted to let you know that you are now off the hook - it’s big U’s all the way (and small s’s) as we undertake our biggest ever rebrand - so let your autocorrect go wild!
Uswitch is the UK’s top comparison website for home services switching. Launched in September 2000, we help consumers save money on their gas, electricity, broadband, mobile, TV, and financial services products and get more of what matters to them. Last year we saved consumers over £373 million on their energy bills alone.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a new business that also owns Money.co.uk and Bankrate.
If you would no longer like to receive our press releases please email prteam@uswitch.com with 'unsubscribe'.