Smartphones are evolving but Brits are most concerned with the basics: how easy they are to use (29%), call reception (19%) and battery life (19%)
Brits vote fingerprint-scanning security as the most useful quirky feature on a smartphone – more than half (56%) use it more than once a day
Robust is best: long battery life would make 89% more likely to buy a smartphone, while a waterproof body would sway two thirds (67%)
Three quarters (75%) couldn’t care less about eyeball-tracking technology, 69% don’t give two hoots about voice control, 62% will not be swayed by 3D graphics
Of those who have the following features on their smartphones, 66% never use eyeball tracking and 55% never use voice control
With 3D graphics, eyeball scrolling and flexible glass no longer merely futuristic concepts but incorporated into our smartphones, mobiles are getting more sophisticated all the time. However, while some new smartphone technology is proving useful, it’s still the basics that British mobile users are most concerned about, according to new research from price comparison and switching service Uswitch.com.
When asked what smartphone owners care most about in a handset, the top priority was simply how easy it is to use, voted for by almost three in 10 (29%). In second place was call reception, the primary concern of one fifth of Brits (19%) and in third place was battery life (19%). One in ten (10%) said apps were their chief concern. Interestingly, only 3% put quirky or unique features first.
According to smartphone users, the most useful feature – for which Apple’s iPhone 5S can claim bragging rights – is fingerprint scanning security. More than half (56%) of people who have this function use it more than once a day. In second place is the camera – more than a fifth (21%) use their smartphone’s camera more than once a day, while almost half (49%) use it a few times per week.
Long battery life would make almost nine in 10 (89%) Brits more likely to buy a smartphone, while a waterproof body (67%) and a zoom camera lens (66%) would also sway them.
The data suggests that Brits are a sceptical crowd, not easily swayed by gimmicks. Three quarters (75%) said eyeball-tracking technology – as seen on the Samsung Galaxy S5 – would make no difference to their purchasing decision, while 69% said they wouldn’t be lured by a phone with a voice control function, like Apple’s Siri or Samsung’s S Voice. More than six in 10 (62%) said that 3D graphics, as shown off at the US launch of Amazon’s Fire Phone, wouldn’t make them any more or less likely to buy a handset.
The table below shows the responses to the question ‘if you were choosing a new smartphone, which of the following features would make you more likely to buy it?’:
| More likely to buy | No difference | Less likely to buy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long battery life | 89.2% | 10.8% | 0% | ||
| Fingerprint scanning security | 37.6% | 55.5% | 6.8% | ||
| Voice control | 26.1% | 68.9% | 5.1% | ||
| Eyeball tracking | 14.2% | 74.9% | 11% | ||
| Fingerprint-proof screen | 48.5% | 48.1% | 3.4% | ||
| Waterproof body | 67.2% | 32.3% | 0.5% | ||
| A zoom camera lens | 66.4% | 32.1% | 1.5% | ||
| 3D display / graphics | 26.4% | 61.9% | 11.7% | ||
| Flexible phone | 17.7% | 62% | 20.2% | ||
| Projector | 32.3% | 54.5% | 13.3% | ||
| Mobile payment technology | 34.5% | 59.7% | 5.8% |
Of those who do have the following features on their smartphones, almost two thirds (66%) never use eyeball tracking and more than half (55%) never use voice control. Interestingly, almost a third (32%) who have fingerprint-scanning security never actually use it.
Almost one in eight (13%) Brits don’t own a smartphone, but have a feature phone instead. Of these people, nearly half (47%) simply don’t feel they need a smartphone, while almost three in 10 (28%) are put off by the cost. The over 65s are least likely to own smartphones – almost a third (32%) don’t have one, with six in 10 (60%) saying they just don’t need an internet-connected phone.
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “It’s becoming increasingly hard for smartphone makers to differentiate their handsets from those of their rivals. They hope that flash features like Fingerprint ID on the iPhone 5S, or Amazon’s Fire Phone and its ‘Dynamic Perspective’ display, will give their phones the edge. However, our research shows that many Brits can spot a gimmick from a mile away. It’s actually the basics that affect the every day user experience – like long battery life and a robust design – that people really care about.
“Entry-level smartphones can cost from as little as £7.50 per month including a ‘free’ handset. If you’re not a self-confessed ‘early adopter’ – that’s code for tech geek – and you don’t care about the bells and whistles, like 3D screens or ultrapixel cameras, you can pick up a decent internet-connected handset very cheaply. Just keep an eye on your mobile data usage on your bill to make sure you’re not going over your limit each month.
“That being said, it doesn’t take long for science fiction to become science fact in the mobile world, and features that we considered to be gimmicks just a couple of years ago like touchscreens and front-facing cameras are now integral to our daily smartphone experience. So whilst great handsets are available that do the job, sometimes a bit of futuristic phone tech is just what’s needed to move the industry forward.”
For more information visit www.uswitch.com or call 0800 093 0607
Maja Hauke
Phone: 0207 148 4663
Email: maja.hauke@uswitch.com
Survey conducted online via the Uswitch.com Consumer Opinion Panel in July 2014 among 1,605 mobile customers on pay-monthly contracts. 1.Respondents were asked: ‘what’s the one thing you care most about in a smartphone?’ and were only allowed to choose one answer option. 28.5% said how easy it is to use, 19.4% said reception for calls, 18.7% said battery life, 9.8% said apps, 9.7% said internet speed, 4.6% said email functionality, 3% said quirky or unique features, 1.5% said sound quality, 1.2% said keyboard, 3.6% said none of the above 2.Participants were asked: ‘does your phone have any of the following features, and how often do you use them?’ Responses shown are from those who do have these features on their phones: More than once per dayOnce per dayA few times per weekOnce per monthNever Fingerprint scanning security56%3%7%2%32% Voice control6%4%14%21%55% Eyeball tracking11%5%10%8%66% Camera21%9%49%20%1% 3D display / graphics18%9%18%11%44% 3.See full results in the first table above 4.There are 50.1million UK adults (ONS) and according to our survey 86.6% have smartphones = 43,386,600. Of these 12.6% say they have bought a new smartphone based on a new gimmicky feature and regretted it later. 12.6% of 43.3m = 5,466,712 5.The 12.6% that had bought a new smartphone based on a gimmicky feature and regretted it afterwards were then asked ‘which gimmick did you base your decision on?’ – 35.8% said faster processor and 28.9% said long battery life 6.13.4% of survey respondents don’t own smartphones. They were asked ‘which of the following best describes why you don’t own a smartphone?’ – 46.7% said not necessary for what I need a phone to do, 28.3% said too expensive
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