Deloitte Consulting: 2019 UK Smartphone Report

Smartphone penetration in the UK and other developed markets is close to saturation levels. Since 2018, penetration has risen by just one percentage point, to 88% (see Figure 1). Over the next 12 months, the growth in penetration is likely to become irrelevant.

As a result, the smartphone will join laptops and tablets as a stable platform, but at the top, a position it is unlikely to relinquish.

The smartphone is likely to remain the most ubiquitous device among UK adults for many years to come. In fact, the device is likely to consolidate its dominance and become even more important in the coming years.

Smartphones have become an integral part of many people's lives, both because of the ever-expanding number of apps on the device, improvements to existing apps, and the growing number of devices it supports.

Its core features, including cameras, screens, graphics processing, machine learning, and biometric authentication, are boldly iterated on a yearly basis. Smartphone displays rival the latest televisions in terms of color range and brightness. Its cameras may soon outperform some DSLRs at capturing stars at night and even at taking professional wedding photos.

Smart speakers, fitness trackers, security cameras, smart watches, wireless headphones, and smart lighting are just some of the hardware products that rely on smartphones. Smartphones are used to configure smart speakers, display data collected by fitness trackers, relay images from security cameras, process data displayed on smart watches, store data played on headphones, or configure smart lights. The more auxiliary devices you get, the more important they become, and the more smartphones are used.

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