For the first time, the iPhone 6 has become the most commonly used mobile handset in the UAE. This is followed by the iPhone 5s which was previously the most popular handset. In terms of handset brands, Samsung handsets have overtaken Nokia handsets as being the most commonly used handset brand in UAE.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has revealed statistics for the second quarter of 2015 on the nation’s most popular mobile phone handsets, social networking platforms and applications websites. Investigating the current state of the market, the report reveals the market share of mobile phones in the UAE by manufacturer and model.

According to the report, during the period between 1 April 2015 and 30 June 2015, 67% of handsets registered on the UAE’s networks were Smartphones, a figure that has been constantly increasing over time. In terms of Smartphone models, the iPhone 6 has become the most commonly used Smartphone in the UAE comprising 4.9% of total handsets registered on UAE networks. The report shows that the iPhone 5s was the second most popular Smartphone with 3.5% of the market share.   The third most commonly used Smartphone was the Galaxy S Duos (2.9%), followed by the  iPhone 5 (2%), Samsung S III (1.8%), Samsung Note 3 LTE (1.5%), iPhone 6 Plus (1.3%), Samsung S4 LTE (1.3%), iPhone 4S (1.2%), iPhone 4 (0.9%), Samsung S III (0.8%) NEO and Samsung Note 4 (0.8%).

In relation to Smartphones, the iPhone 6 recorded an increase in market share during the second quarter of 2015. During Q2-2015, other smartphone handsets that witnessed increases in market share included the iPhone 6, Samsung Note 4 LTE, and Galaxy S Duos 2 S and iPhone 6 Plus.  Handsets whose market shares have declined include Samsung S III, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and Samsung S4 LTE. Blackberry handsets also continue to lose market shares.   

The report shows that Samsung replaced Nokia as being the most used handset brand in the UAE in Q2 2015. The report indicates that 32.6% of all handsets registered on UAE networks were manufactured by Samsung, a figure that has been steadily increasing over time. Nokia handsets have a presence of 31.5% on all networks. The third most popular handsets used in UAE is manufactured by Apple with a share of 14.2% on the UAE networks. This was followed by Blackberry (4%), Lenovo (2.5%), HTC (1.7%), Sony (1.5%), Huawei (1.5%) and LG (0.9%). The newly emerged manufacturer Lenovo surpassed famous brands such as HTC Sony and LG in one quarter. With the exception of both Blackberry and Nokia, all major handset brands witnessed increases in the market shares.

In terms of specific handset models (including handsets that are not Smartphones), the iPhone 6 was the most popular mobile handset in the UAE in Q2.  The iPhone 5s (3.5%) was the second most popular handset followed Galaxy S Duos 2 (2.9%), Nokia 108 (2.3%), iPhone 5 (2%), Samsung S III (1.8%), Nokia E5 (1.5%), Samsung Note 3 LTE (1.5%), Nokia 1280/1282 (1.5 %), iPhone 6 Plus (1.3%), Samsung S4 LTE (1.3%), Nokia 101/1010 (1.2%), iPhone 4S (1.2%), Samsung S III NEO(0.9%), iPhone 4 (0.8%), Samsung Note 4 LTE (0.8%) and Samsung S4 (0.7%). For the first time, the 3 most commonly used handsets in the UAE in Q2-2015 were smartphones.  The market shares of the most popular feature phones including 105/1050, Nokia 101/1010, Nokia X1, E5, and 1280/1282 declined during the last 3 quarters.

The report also provides information on the most popular mobile operating systems used in the UAE.  Android was the most commonly used operating system in the UAE as of Q2-2015 followed by iOS operating system, while the use of Symbian has been declining over time.  The market share of iOS is steadily increasing while the market share of RIM (the operating system for Blackberry) is progressively declining.

During the period from 1 April 2014 to 30 June 2015, users of Smartphones and fixed Internet services in the UAE visited various applications websites.  Apple iTunes was by far the most commonly visited applications website, followed by Samsung Apps, Blackberry App World, Android Applications and finally Nokia OVI. The number of visits to BlackBerry and Nokia applications websites has been declining over time while the volume of visits to Apple iTunes and Samsung has been progressively increasing.

In terms of social media, UAE Smartphone and fixed Internet users made a total of 33 billion visits to social networking websites during the period 1 April 2014 to 30 June 2015. Visits to Facebook accounted for 90% of total visits to social networking sites, followed by Twitter with 7% of visits, then LinkedIn, Maktoob and MySpace.