The iPhone 5S is still Britain’s most popular mobile for a fifth consecutive month
Three of the top five handsets in February are Apple iPhones
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact enters the chart, and proves more popular than the Xperia Z1
Samsung is the most popular manufacturer in February with four handsets in the top 10.
Having 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 – February has seen Samsung take the lead with four phones to Apple’s three.
The Apple iPhone 5S has now been the nation’s favourite mobile phone for five months, but the now-discontinued iPhone 5 has dropped out of the top 10 altogether, with Brits moving towards the 5C and the older, affordable 4S. Despite having fewer phones in the chart, Apple is still dominating the top five, holding three out of five of the top places available.
Apple’s plastic iPhone 5C moved up to 2nd placFe in February, which is surprising as this ‘budget’ sibling to the 5S is now the same price – deals for both models now start at £25 per month including a ‘free’ phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been knocked from 2nd place down to 3rd by the rising popularity of the 5C, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 has slipped a place to 5th. The Galaxy S3 is the most reasonably priced handset in the chart, with deals starting from as little as £13 per month including a ‘free’ handset. The Galaxy S4 Mini – in 10th place – also boasts exceptional value for money with contracts starting at just £14 per month.
The Sony Xperia Z1, which was in 9th place in February, has appeared in the chart for five months but now has competition from its sibling, the Xperia Z1 Compact, at number eight.
Deals for both phones are similarly priced, but opting for the smaller variant could save customers just under £50 each year. Both phones boast top-end Android operating systems, sleek, glass fibre polyamide design and are 100% waterproof.
The main difference is the size, as the Z1 Compact sports a 4.3-inch display, which might be less appealing for those who use their phones for extensive media, while the Z1 has a 5-inch screen.
Number one handset – Apple’s iPhone 5S 16GB was the number one phone in February
New entries – Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is the only new entry for January
Biggest losers – Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 have all slipped one place.
|
1
|
Apple iPhone 5S (16GB)
|
iOS
|
No change
| |
2
|
Apple iPhone 5C (16GB)
|
iOS
|
Up one
| |
3
|
Samsung Galaxy S4 (16GB)
|
Android
|
Down one
| |
4
|
Apple iPhone 4S (8GB)
|
iOS
|
Up one
| |
5
|
Samsung Galaxy S3 (16GB)
|
Android
|
Down one
| |
6
|
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
|
Android
|
No change
| |
7
|
HTC One
|
Android
|
No change
| |
8
|
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
|
Android
|
New entry
| |
9
|
Sony Xperia Z1
|
Android
|
No change
| |
10
|
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
|
Android
|
Down one
|
Source: Uswitch.com
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “The biggest surprise this month has been the impressive jump of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact which has shot into the charts and even surpassed its bigger brother, the Z1.
“The iPhone 4 is no longer in the charts, which sees Samsung become the most popular manufacturer, based on total number of handsets in the top 10. However, the British public are still very much Team Apple, with the iPhone 5S and 5C holding onto the top two spots.
The flagship 5S appears to be untouchable for now, but the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona unveiled what is likely to be some very stiff competition for Apple.
“The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes in gold, and has fingerprint scanning technology – remind you of anything?
If there’s any phone I’d put my money on as an iPhone 5S killer, the S5 is it. It’s not as eye-catching, but it’s packed with well-thought out features. Trouble is, we’ll have a long wait to find out – as the S5 isn’t due for release until April.”
Maja Hauke
Phone: 0207 148 4663
Email: maja.hauke@uswitch.com
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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