eMarketer: Smartphone users in China are expected to account for 49.1% of the total population in 2018

199IT original compilation

eMarketer estimates that by 2015, more than half of all mobile phone users in China will use smartphones. The rapid development of cheap devices, income growth and mobile networks in China are accelerating the development of China's smartphone market. Between 2014 and 2018, China will have 177 million new smartphone users, increasing the proportion of smartphone users in the population from 36.3% to 49.1%.

China is a mobile powerhouse in terms of digital access, with most Chinese netizens using smartphones or phones with this function as their first choice for accessing the Internet.

Young people, highly educated adults living in cities are the first to use smartphones. This year, about 77% of adults aged 18 to 24 and 74.6% of adults aged 25 to 34 will use smartphones. In China, young adults have the highest smartphone penetration rate, but there is still a lot of room for growth. eMarketer predicts that by 2018, 91.0% of adults aged 18 to 24 and 89% of adults aged 25 to 34 will own smartphones.

Smartphone usage is low among teens and seniors, but these underserved populations will drive future penetration growth. eMarketer predicts that by 2018, three-quarters of teens (12 to 17 years old) and middle-aged adults (35 to 44 years old) will use smartphones, although smartphone ownership will remain a minority among children and adults over 45 years old.

China has a larger male population, which makes the penetration rate of smartphones among Chinese men higher than that of women, and the number of users is larger. eMarketer predicts that there will be 269.6 million male smartphone users in China in 2014, accounting for 50.5% of male mobile phone users. In contrast, there will be about 229.6 million female smartphone users, accounting for 47.7% of female mobile phone users. There will be an 8 percentage point gap between the male and female smartphone ownership rates, but as more women use smartphones, this gap will disappear. By 2018, the gender gap in Chinese smartphone users will almost disappear.

Compiled from: eMarketer Translator: Sun Ying