2015/06/22 Smartphone Size Preference H2 2014

5.0" Most Likely For Next Purchase; Thicker Devices Acceptable for Longer Battery Life

Boston, MA - June 15, 2015 - A recent study from the Mobile Device UX group at Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com) surveying touchscreen smartphone consumers in the US and UK, found greatest interest in devices with display sizes between 5.0” and 5.5”. Although slightly more respondents rated the 5.3” device in their top three, a higher proportion chose the 5.0” prototype as the device they would most likely consider purchasing for their next smartphone.

In the second half of 2014, 23% of respondents ranked the 5.0” prototype as their favorite overall, with a further 27% of respondents placing it in their top three. 16% of respondents ranked the 5.3” prototype as their favorite overall, while a further 36% of respondents placed this device in their top three. Device prototypes of 6.0” or larger and 4.5” or smaller were least preferred overall. Exhibit 1 presents this data.

Exhibit 1 – Purchase Intention (% Probably or Definitely Would, US & UK)

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Paul Brown, Director, Mobile Device UX commented, “As in previous findings, the majority of respondents chose a prototype with a larger display than their current phone as their most preferred size prototype. Respondents were most likely to be interested in a device that had a display that was no more than 1.5” larger than their current smartphone. However, when thickness of a device was considered, respondents initially showed overall preference for the thinner prototype (6mm rather than 8mm). Yet when told that the thicker device could provide a third more battery life, the majority of respondents instead opted for the thicker prototype. What is clear is that respondents prioritize battery life over a thin design. Crucially however, this does not mean that manufacturers can make very thick devices in order to provide much larger batteries.”

Kevin Nolan, VP, UXIP added, “As with device size (length x width), there will be a maximum thickness that consumers will bear. The challenge for manufacturers will be to find the sweet spot between device thickness and battery life that their target segment of consumers will accept.”

 Source:Strategy Analytics