Which smartphones are Australians searching for the most?
The iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8 lead the pack.
We've just created the finder.com.au finder Smartphone Popularity Index, which tracks which models people search for using our Mobile Plan Finder. The chart below shows the 10 most popular searches during May, and compares those search percentages to what people were looking for back in January. You can see more graphs showing the main trends on the main popularity index page.
| Rank | Model | % searches Jan 2017 | % searches May 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iPhone 7 | 28.3% | 26.4% |
| 2 | iPhone 7 Plus | 15.9% | 12.6% |
| 3 | Samsung Galaxy S8 | - | 10.4% |
| 4 | Samsung Galaxy S8+ | - | 7.0% |
| 5 | Samsung Galaxy S7 | 9.0% | 5.9% |
| 6 | iPhone 6s | 5.0% | 4.9% |
| 7 | iPhone SE | 4.7% | 4.8% |
| 8 | Google Pixel XL | 4.5% | 4.1% |
| 9 | iPhone 6 | 4.8% | 3.9% |
| 10 | HTC 10 | 2.3% | 1.9% |
It's no shock that Apple and Samsung take up the lion's share of the results, and that Samsung has seen a boost since the launch of the Galaxy S8. What is a little surprising is that Apple is searched for more often than Samsung, since sales figures generally show that Android devices (and Samsung in particular) dominate local sales.
One possible explanation for this is that iPhones remain expensive, and thus that it's more important to shop around to try and score the best price. If you are looking to buy an iPhone or a Galaxy outright, one handy place to start is our cheap phones of the week roundup, where we highlight the latest deals on popular models.
Another evident trend: while both Apple and Samsung offer plus-size models (the Galaxy S8+ and iPhone 7 Plus), far more people are looking for the "standard" models. Whether that's because the smaller models are cheaper or we're all wearing very tight jeans I'll leave for you to decide.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears Monday through Friday on finder.com.au.
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