The iPhone 5S is still the UK’s top mobile for a 4th month in a row, having also been Christmas number one
Samsung Galaxy S4 has held fast in the top five for the past 10 months
Sony Xperia Z1 and HTC One were the only non-Samsung or Apple handsets in the January mobile chart
One of January’s biggest climbers was also the cheapest, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Mini – up two places.
Apple and Samsung have started the New Year on an even keel, with four phones each in January’s Uswitch.com Mobile Tracker, which is based on live searches, pre-orders and sales. But top of the tree is Apple’s iPhone 5S. Demand for Apple’s flagship handset in gold, which was the Christmas bestseller, hasn’t wavered for four consecutive months. The price has already begun to drop – deals are now around £4 per month cheaper than those offered in October last year.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 held onto second place, where it has been since December, although perhaps more impressive was the fact it has remained in the top five for the past 10 months in a row.
Apple’s bright, polycarbonate iPhone 5C has featured in the chart since it launched, but for the first time, the blue model is now more popular than its green sibling. The iPhone was the 5th most popular phone in December but has since climbed two places to 3rd. Deals on the 5C start at just £25 per month including the handset.
The other biggest climber in January was the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, which jumped two places to become the UK’s 8th most popular mobile. It is also the cheapest phone in the chart, with deals starting from just £14 per month, including a free handset. By contrast, the most expensive is the iPhone 5S which – at £33 per month with a free handset – will set mobile users back almost £230 per year more.
The HTC One was one of only two phones in the top 10 spots not held by Apple or Samsung. Customers responded well to this high-spec, value-for-money handset, featuring a 13-megapixel camera, HTC BoomSound and BlinkFeed for just £21 per month.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is still in the top 10, although it has struggled to make its way up the chart – clinging on in 9th place for a third consecutive month. Despite boasting a 20-megapixel camera and water resistant casing, it doesn’t seem to be pulling customers away from Apple and Samsung just yet.
Number one handset – Apple’s iPhone 5S 16GB in gold was the number one phone at the start of 2014.
New entries – no new mobiles but several colour changes. The Apple iPhone 5C is now more popular in blue than green, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 is preferred in white.
Biggest losers – the Apple iPhone 5 dropped two positions to 10th.
Top Ten Handsets for January – correct on 31 January, 2014
|
1
|
Apple iPhone 5S (16GB Gold)
|
iOS
|
No change
| |
2
|
Samsung Galaxy S4 (16GB)
|
Android
|
No change
| |
3
|
Apple iPhone 5C (16GB Blue)
|
iOS
|
Up two
| |
4
|
Samsung Galaxy S3 (16GB White)
|
Android
|
Down one
| |
5
|
Apple iPhone 4S (8GB Black)
|
iOS
|
Down one
| |
6
|
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
|
Android
|
No change
| |
7
|
HTC One
|
Android
|
No change
| |
8
|
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
|
Android
|
Up two
| |
9
|
Sony Xperia Z1
|
Android
|
No change
| |
10
|
Apple iPhone 5 (16GB Black)
|
iOS
|
Down two
|
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “The iPhone 5S Gold has sailed into the New Year as the nation’s favourite mobile phone, having spent the last quarter of 2013 in the top spot. Price clearly hasn’t deterred customers who are happy to pay a premium for their favourite brand, which has allowed Apple to dominate the top of the table – holding three of the spaces in the top five. And with the price already falling, its popularity is likely to continue.
“Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Mini is gaining popularity – and it’s not hard to see why. The manufacturer can’t really go wrong by offering consumers a top-spec Galaxy for less than £15 a month. It boasts many of the same features as the flagship S4 model in a considerably more compact design. However, the sharper display and larger storage of the S4 continues to win over more consumers despite the higher price tag – and it’s only £7 per month more expensive.
“With the Mobile World Congress last this month, and Samsung widely expected to reveal a Galaxy sequel in March, we can expect a chart re-shuffle come Spring. As the major manufacturers unveil their latest handsets, it will be very interesting to see if other brands can steal some market share away from current leaders, Apple and Samsung. Lesser known brands are going to have to up their games to tempt brand loyal mobile users away from the big players – either differentiating on price or features.”
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.
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