Smartphones Outsold Feature-Phones In 2012, Mobile Web Traffic Experienced Record Gains

As Nokia’s market share continues to dwindle, so does the dominance of cheap feature-phones. A new study conducted by Nielsen has found that 2012 marks the year in which smartphone owners outnumber non-smartphone owners. According to the study, 56 percent of cell phone users now take advantage of a low, medium, or high-end smartphones. In 2011, only 49 percent of users were smartphone carrying members of the wireless world.

The sudden increase in smartphone sales has also led to an increasing number of users who take advantage of mobile interaction online. Nielsen notes that Google.com saw 172.6 million unique visitors per month through browsers and mobile apps. The study also found that YouTube is still the most trafficked mobile video website with 132 million unique visitors per month.

YouTube clearly dominated the video sector as second-place video follower Yahoo had one third the number of monthly views. Following in second place for overall traffic was Facebook with 153 million unique monthly visitors including 71 million people arriving through Android or iOS devices.

In terms of sales, Android once again ruled the market with a 52 percent overall global share, while iOS devices managed to capture 35 percent of the market. BlackBerry continued to struggle but maintained a seven percent market share, while Windows Phone pulled down a two percent share. All other mobile systems combined to share 5 percent of the overall mobile market.

Sales increases for smartphones seemed to most greatly benefit Facebook which witnessed a 544 percent year-over-year increase in users for its iOS platform. In the meantime Twitter for Android increased by 122 percent. Also picking up fans for iOS devices was Instagram which nearly tripled its user base.

Here’s a quick look at the top mobile web brands, all of which were helped along by increasing smartphone sales: