We all have that one feature on our mobile phone we could not live without or that one app that saves us from complete boredom. We asked 106 people across the UK what is their favourite smartphone feature and what app they use the most?
Below, we reveal the UK's most valued mobile phone features and most used apps.
Top 10 Most Loved Mobile Phone Features
1. Phone Apps
When apps first came around in 2008 with titles such as Super Monkey Ball, Enigmo and Band, nobody could of foreseen how they would become so important to people’s lives and transform the smartphone industry. In June 2014, mobile device giants Apple announced that 75 billion apps had been downloaded from the Apple App Store (Mashable, 2015) and on average Apple users have 119 apps on each device (The Telegraph, 2015). As the phone is still fundamentally a communication tool it is no surprise that social media related apps such as Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram are the most commonly used. Aside from these apps, our survey showed communication based apps like Whatsapp and mobile banking apps where also very popular in today's app world.
2. The Camera
With the selfie craze now in full flow, a decent camera is becoming a must have feature. In June 2015, CNET, the well known technology news website, claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S6, iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 are the smartphones with the best camera specifications in today's market. For us, the smartphone which really stands out for it's camera functionalities is the new LG G4 which was launched in April 2015, it has an impressive 16 mega pixel camera which can take pictures in an impressive 0.276 seconds and amongst other noteworthy features has a laser autofocus and a three-axis image stabilisation.
3. Email Facility
Whether it's for work or pleasure our survey shows that people like to have the ability to answer emails on the go. In fact, a recent report by Movable Inkstated that 66% of emails were opened on either a smartphone (47.2%) or tablet (18.5%) (Marketing Land, 2015) . There are many different apps available which can help you easily sieve through all those inbox messages such as Hop and Boxer.
4. Internet
Many of us rely on the internet on a daily basis, and now we can take it everywhere it helps us in many different situations such as ordering a cab or finding a location. A recent report by Global Web Index found that browsing on mobile devices now accounts for a third of all internet usage worldwide and websites such as Facebook and Google + are taking up a quarter of our time online. (broadbandchoices, 2015)
5. Screen Size
It seems when it comes to smartphone screens bigger is better. In 2008, Apple launched the iPhone 3G which had a 3.5 inch screen and then 6 years later in 2014 they unveiled the iPhone 6 Plus with the huge 5.5 inch screen and it's not just Apple who have gone large, in June 2013, Sony launched the Sony Xperia Z Ultra featuring a gigantic 6.4 inch screen.
6. Updates
Updating your mobile phone is always a good idea, it usually means your smartphone will run quicker and more efficiently, it will also add new features and fix any bugs, and the best bit is, it's free!
7.Touchscreen
The first initial concept of the touch-screen was published in an article by E.A. Johnson way back in 1967. Many years later in 1992 the first touch-screen smartphone was released by computer giants IBM. However, the first smartphone that really took the world by storm was the iPhone 3G which was released by Apple in 2008.
8. 4G
4G allows people to surf the internet wirelessly at a much quicker speed, in fact, five times faster than the predecessor 3G.
9. SMS
Text messaging has been around for a while now, in fact, the first ever text message was sent in 1992 by Neil Papwell, who texted "Merry Christmas" to a Orbitel 901 mobile phone. But with emoji becoming the fastest growing language in the UK the text message popularity is still growing. According to Ofcom, the average person in the UK now sends 50 text messages every week with 12 – 15 year olds sending a whopping average of 193 texts per week. (Ofcom, 2012)
10. Waterproof Facility
Sony have been the pioneers of the waterproof mobile phone market with their range of Sony Xperia phones. Their headline act being the Sony Xperia Z3, which was launched in September 2014 and can survive going down 5 feet underwater and with it's water tight shutter button, phone users can take photos underwater with its 20.7 mega-pixel camera.
11. Finger Print Recognition
Having to remember our pass-code is a thing of the past, with finger recognition a simply swipe of the finger is all that is needed. The majority of new smartphones now have this function including the latest iPhone & Samsung Galaxy models.
12. GPS Navigation
Many of us rely on Google Maps (or similar apps) to get us from one place to another. Of course, there are many different GPS styled apps such asCoPilot and MapQuest, and in June, 2015 Apple announced they are building their very own street view app to rival Google which could really help iPhone and iPad users get around. (Mashable, 2015)
13. Rolling News Feature
This feature is usually built in to the majority of new smartphones, giving you the latest news straight to your finger tips without having to download any external apps. However, if you're looking for an alternative news option try Flipboard, it has a huge range of magazines covering all areas from sports to animals.
14. Keyboard
BlackBerry made the keyboard smartphone popular around 8 years ago and although their most recent model the BlackBerry Leap doesn't have a keyboard, they did launch a line of phones in 2014 with a keyboard which included the sleek BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9983.
15. Making Calls
A report by Hailo in 2014 uncovered that Brits spend an average of 20 minutes each day speaking on their mobile phones. (Mirror, 2014) So even though it may be in a loosing the battle with texting and social media, it's going to be tough to beat an old fashioned phone call.
Here's a list of the 15 most loved mobile phone apps according to our survey results:
- Snapchat
- Facebook Messenger
- Camera
- Mobile Banking App
- BBC News
- Maps
- YouTube
- Audio Player
- Spotify
- Kindle
* Disclaimer – The survey was carried out by Quick Mobile Fix using Survey Monkey in 2015. This anonymous survey was carried out by 106 people from the UK, between the age range of 18 – 60, with 51% Male respondents and 49% Female respondents.
