Smartphone makers consistently seem to pursue larger screens in smaller devices and new data from AppOptix seems to show that isn’t just for aesthetic reasons at all but also seems to have a significant impact on usage. In fact, larger screens seem to encourage more use, at least in the U.S. Those handsets at 4.5 inches and under see an average of 95 daily app sessions, at 185 minutes of total use, and 347MB of data used. By comparison, devices with screens falling between 4.5 and 5.5 inches see 128 sessions, 236 minutes, and 709MB. However, that’s nothing compared to screens at 5.5 inches or above, for which those numbers increase to 141 sessions, 261 minutes, and 840MB. The overall average is currently at four hours, 743 MB of data, and 131 app sessions per day. However, those numbers don’t necessarily tell the whole story.
Smartphone size is not the only indicator concerned when discussing which individuals are more likely to use their phones more. Gender demographics, from among the 4,000 Android users whose data was used here, shows that men use their phones a bit less than women on average. For men, the amount of time spent on their smartphone averages out to 237 minutes per day, while women use their devices for an average of 252 minutes per day. There’s also a split in terms of age demographics, perhaps unsurprisingly. Users under the age of 26 average around 264 minutes per day, followed by users aged 36 to 45 with 246 minutes per day. For those who fall into the 26 to 36 demographic, average usage is listed at 241 minutes per day, as compared to older users in the ages 45 and older bracket with just 218 minutes. Income also plays a role in consumer behavior. Usage increases slightly as incomes go up until use falls off again at the $75,000 and up mark.
Those numbers will almost certainly increase over the course of 2018, according to AppOptix, which expects an average increase by 15 minutes, four app sessions, and 157MB of data usage per day. Increases will vary depending on a phone’s display size and, as might be expected, larger screens will see much more than the average increase. Users mostly spend their time in social applications – around 37 minutes per day – followed by communications apps, games, and web browsing. Of course, it’s impossible to tell at this point whether it’s screen sizes that are driving up the use of technology or the use of the technology that’s driving up display sizes.
