Jiguang Big Data: 2017 Q4 Smartphone Industry Research Report

In the fourth quarter of 2017, the smartphone industry continued to be full of excitement. The iPhone X released in September boosted iPhone sales. The domestic Android camp was steady and steady, with Huawei and Xiaomi both increasing their sales share. Vivo surpassed OPPO for the second time this year, and the two sides ended the four quarters in a 2-2 tie. Jiguang Big Data released the "2017 Q4 Smartphone Industry Research Report", which depicted the final battle of the smartphone industry in 2017 from multiple angles such as retention rate, sales share, user loyalty, and user portraits.

Aurora Viewpoint

• In Q4 2017, iPhone’s market share reached 20.5%
• New first-tier cities contribute about 20% of users to mainstream mobile phone brands
• Huawei maintained its leading sales volume for five consecutive quarters and its market share continued to rise
• Vivo's sales share surpassed OPPO twice in Q2 and Q4 of 2017
• Thousand-yuan phones contributed nearly 60% of Xiaomi's Q4 sales
• 56.8% of iPhone users who change their iPhones still choose iPhone, and user loyalty reaches a new high
• Xiaomi has the highest proportion of male users, reaching 69.1%, while Huawei ranks second with 65.6%.
• China Mobile has a clear market share advantage among the three major operators, accounting for 73.9% of users

Aurora Viewpoint

• In Q4 2017, iPhone’s market share reached 20.5%
• New first-tier cities contribute about 20% of users to major mobile phone brands
• Huawei has maintained its sales lead for five consecutive quarters and its market share continues to rise
• Vivo's sales share surpassed OPPO twice in Q2 and Q4 of 2017
• Thousand-yuan phones contributed nearly 60% of Xiaomi's sales in Q4
• 56.8% of iPhone users who change their iPhones still choose iPhone, and user loyalty reaches a new high
• Xiaomi has the highest proportion of male users, reaching 69.1%, while Huawei ranks second with 65.6% of male users.
• China Mobile has a clear market share advantage among the three major operators, and 73.9% of mobile Internet users are China Mobile users

1. Analysis of Smartphone Ownership Rate

Domestic mainstream mobile phone brand ownership rate in Q4 2017

One in five Chinese mobile Internet users has an iPhone

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, as of the last week of December 2017, the top three mobile phone brands in China were iPhone, Huawei and OPPO. The iPhone's ownership rate was 20.5%, which means that at least 20 out of every 100 Chinese mobile Internet users are iPhone users.

Q4 Mainstream mobile phone brand ownership trends

Thanks to the promotion of new products, iPhone Q4 retention rate exceeded 20%

• By observing Jiguang Big Data, we found that thanks to the iPhone 8 series and iPhone X, the iPhone's October ownership rate reached its peak in the past year, breaking through 20% for the first time. The ownership rates of Huawei and OV have been rising with slight fluctuations over the past year.

Q4 City-level distribution of major mobile phone brands

New first-tier cities contribute about 20% of users to major mobile phone brands

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, new first-tier cities contribute about 20% of users to major mobile phone brands. Among them, the proportion of iPhone users in new first-tier cities exceeds that in first-tier cities. OV, which focuses on the layout of third-tier and lower cities, also accounts for more than 16% of users in new first-tier cities. The layout of new first-tier cities is of great strategic significance to various mobile phone brands.

Q4 Mainstream Mobile Phone Brand and Model Distribution

OPPO is the Android brand that relies most on star models, followed by vivo

iPhone model distribution trend

As of December 2017, the iPhone 6, which was released in September 2014, still has the largest share of iPhone users.

• According to Jiguang Big Data, the models with the highest share among iPhone users are iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 plus. The new models released this year, iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus, account for 2.6%, 2.4% and 1.3% of iPhone users respectively.

2. Analysis of Smartphone Sales

Domestic mobile phone brand sales share in Q4 2017

More than one in five mobile phones sold in Q4 was a Huawei phone

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, the top three brands in terms of sales share in Q4 2017 were Huawei, vivo and OPPO. Huawei has maintained its leading sales share for five consecutive quarters, and vivo's sales share exceeded OPPO in this quarter.

Q4 Mainstream mobile phone brands sales share change trend

OV sales share is catching up with each other, vivo Q4 is temporarily in the lead

• In the past five quarters, vivo's sales share has surpassed OPPO twice in Q2 and Q4 of 2017.
• Thanks to the launch of new products, iPhone sales share rebounded in Q4

Sales volume and price distribution of mainstream mobile phone brands in Q4

Thousand-yuan phones accounted for nearly 60% of Xiaomi's sales in Q4

• Among every 100 mobile phones sold in Q4 2017, nearly 24 were low-end, less than 54 were mid-range, and nearly 23 were high-end. 33.4% of consumers chose mobile phones priced between 1,000 and 1,999 in Q4.

Top 10 mobile phone models sold in Q4

Four models of vivo entered the top 10 mobile phone models in Q4 sales

• Jiguang Big Data shows that among the top 10 mobile phone models in Q4 sales, 7 models were released in Q4 of 2016. What can boost sales are not only the star models released in the quarter, but also the classic models that have accumulated a certain user reputation and are relatively affordable.

3. Analysis of user loyalty of mainstream mobile phone brands

User loyalty of mainstream mobile phone brands - iPhone

iPhone user loyalty reaches all-time high this quarter

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, in Q4 2017, 56.8% of iPhone users who changed their phones continued to use iPhones, while the proportion of users who chose other mainstream mobile phone brands and long-tail brands was squeezed to varying degrees.

User loyalty of mainstream mobile phone brands - Huawei

Huawei user loyalty remains stable, same as in Q3

• Jiguang Big Data shows that 35.6% of Huawei users who replaced their phones chose to buy Huawei again in Q4, which is almost the same as 33.1% in Q3. The number of Huawei users who chose to buy iPhone and vivo in Q4 increased compared with Q3.

User loyalty of mainstream mobile phone brands - OPPO

OPPO user loyalty showed a slight decline, and the number of users who chose its sister brand vivo for replacement increased by 1.9% compared with Q3.

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, among OPPO users who changed their phones in Q4, the number of users switching to vivo, iPhone and Huawei increased to varying degrees compared to Q3. Among them, the number of users choosing vivo increased by 1.9%, and the number of users choosing iPhone increased by 2.8%.

User loyalty of mainstream mobile phone brands - vivo

Vivo user loyalty reaches its highest point in five quarters

• According to Jiguang Big Data, vivo's user loyalty in Q4 was 32.3%, reaching the highest point in five quarters, up ten percentage points from Q4 of 2016.

User loyalty of mainstream mobile phone brands - Xiaomi

Xiaomi user loyalty is recovering, and OV's influence on Xiaomi is weakening

• According to Jiguang Big Data, Xiaomi's user loyalty in the second half of 2017 remained above 25%, which was better than the first half of the year. The influence of OV on Xiaomi is also weakening.

4. User portraits of mainstream Android phone brands

User portrait of mainstream Android phone brands - Huawei

Huawei users: 65.6% male, love watching movies, and make friends through sports and bodybuilding

• By observing Jiguang Big Data, we found that Huawei users are mostly male, with the main user group concentrated between 25 and 34 years old. They are interested in movies, sports and travel, and make friends through topics such as sports and bodybuilding.

User portrait of mainstream Android phone brands - OPPO

OPPO users: more female users, nearly 70% of users are under 30 years old

• Among OPPO users, female users account for 52.4%, and 68.3% of users are under 30 years old. They show interest in clothing accessories, food, and live chat. Social activities are strongly correlated with making friends in the same city, pet communities, and the second dimension.

User portrait of mainstream Android phone brands - vivo

Vivo users: Most of them are male, and their age structure is younger than OPPO

• Most vivo users are young male users. 69.7% of them are under 30 years old, and more than half of them are male users.

User portrait of mainstream Android phone brands - Xiaomi

Xiaomi users: Perhaps the most popular mobile phone brand among young men with artistic tastes

• Nearly 70% of Xiaomi users are male. They show a strong interest in books and have some knowledge of movies. They also make friends through topics related to educated youth.

5. Mobile App Installation Status

Overview of high-end, medium-end and low-end mobile phone application installation

On average, 51.2 apps are installed on each high-end computer

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, on average, each high-end, medium-end and low-end mobile phone has 51.2, 43.4 and 30.9 apps installed respectively.

High, medium and low-end mobile phone preference index

There are obvious differences in the preferences of high-end, medium-end and low-end mobile phone users for mobile apps

• According to Jiguang Big Data, high-end phone users have the highest preference for Ctrip Travel, followed by Dianping and Didi Chuxing. Mid-range and low-end phone users prefer Alipay and Best Weather, respectively.

Mainstream Android Phone Preference Index

Kuaishou is favored by OV users

• Among the top 5 apps in the mainstream Android phone installation application preference index, Kuaishou is also on the OV list.

6. Research on Operator Apps

Market share of the three major operators

73.9% of Chinese mobile Internet users are mobile users

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, China Mobile has a clear market share advantage among the three major operators. 73.9% of China Mobile Internet users are mobile users, and the remaining less than 30% of the market share is divided between China Unicom and China Telecom, with market shares of 14.1 and 12% respectively.

Market share of the three major operators among mainstream mobile phone brands

Mobile's market share in OV is higher than the overall market level

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, China Mobile's market share in OV is 77.4% and 78.5% respectively, which is higher than China Mobile's market share of 73.9% in the overall market.
• Among iPhone users, more users chose China Unicom and China Telecom than those of other mainstream mobile phone brands.

Market share trends of the three major operators

In the past five quarters, the market share of the three major operators has not changed significantly, and China Mobile has always maintained its lead.

Penetration rate of mobile phone business hall apps of operators in mainstream Android phone brands

China Unicom's mobile phone business halls have a higher penetration rate in Huawei and Xiaomi than the other two.

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, among the national business hall apps of the three major operators, China Unicom's mobile business hall app has the highest penetration rate in Huawei and Xiaomi, while China Mobile's mobile business hall app has shown an advantage in OV.

Penetration trend of mobile phone business hall apps of operators in mainstream Android phone brands

The national app penetration rates of the three major operators have increased overall over the past year, with China Unicom seeing the most significant increase.

• According to Jiguang Big Data statistics, the penetration rate of China Unicom mobile business halls, which had the highest penetration rate among Huawei users, was 7.8% in December 2017, while the data for the same period in 2016 was 4.6%, lagging behind the China Telecom business hall app at the time. After a year of growth, its penetration rate has exceeded that of the China Telecom business hall app.

Report Description

1. Data Source

Aurora Big Data is derived from the industry data collection of Aurora Cloud Service Platform and the long-term monitoring of various mobile applications by Aurora iAPP Platform, combined with data mining and statistical analysis conducted by large sample algorithms.

2. Data cycle

Overall reporting period: October 2016 - December 2017

Please refer to the notes on each page for specific data indicators

3. Data indicator description

Retention rate: The total number of active mobile phones in the country calculated based on the number of active mobile phones that have reported data at least once monitored by Jiguang Big Data within a specified time period

Sales volume: National mobile phone sales volume estimated based on the increase in the number of mobile phones monitored by Jiguang Big Data within a specified time period

User loyalty: The proportion of users of a certain mobile phone brand who choose the original brand when changing their mobile phones. The higher the proportion, the higher the user loyalty.

4. Legal Notice

The data information provided by Jiguang Big Data is estimated and analyzed based on large sample data sampling, small sample surveys, data model predictions and other research methods. Due to the limitations of the methods themselves, the data information estimated and analyzed by Jiguang Big Data based on the above methods is for reference only. Jiguang Big Data does not make any guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, applicability and non-infringement of the above data information. The legal consequences of any actions taken by any organization or individual based on the above data information have nothing to do with Jiguang Big Data, and any disputes or legal liabilities arising therefrom shall be borne by the actor.

5. Other information in the report

Aurora Data Research Institute will use its big data capabilities to conduct more detailed analysis and interpretation and business insights in various fields. Please stay tuned.

The PDF version will be shared to the 199IT exchange group. 199IT thanks you for your support!