State of the Android mobile web

BANGALORE, INDIA: India is home to the largest number of Opera Mini users in the world. The number of Indians using mobile devices to get online is growing at a steady pace. The availability of affordable smartphones is an important factor fueling this growth.

For this special State of the Android Mobile Web report from Opera Software, we did a deep dive into the devices being used by Indian users. We were able to analyze the browsing behavior of Opera Mini users from smartphones, especially Android devices.

During the last year, Opera Mini users on smartphones in India increased by 136.6 percent, constituting 19 percent of the total number of Opera Mini users. Opera Mini users on Android increased by 62 percent, constituting 12 percent of the total number of Opera Mini users.

Highlights

Facebook leading the pack

The top three categories of domains based on data usage are social networking, search and cricket. Some 21.7 percent of all data used by Opera Mini's Android users is for Facebook, followed by Google at 5.8 percent and ESPNcricinfo at 1.7 percent. With 67 percent of Opera Mini's Android users in India using the browser to access Facebook from their mobile devices, the majority number of webpages viewed are also from Facebook.

Discover information via Opera

Almost 50 percent of the top hundred domains visited by Opera Mini's Android users are related to news and information, search, price comparison and e-commerce. The Opera Mini browser has proven extremely handy when users are looking for information.

Samsung rules all the way

Samsung tops the list of Android devices used to access the web via Opera Mini. In all, nine out of the top-10 Android handsets are from Samsung. A further breakdown of the top-100 Android devices of Indian Opera Mini users confirms Samsung's leading position, with a 31 percent market share, followed by Sony at 23 percent and Micromax at 15 percent.

They love 'em cheap

Each of the top-10 Android devices cost less than Rs. 10,000, with the exception of the Samsung Galaxy S2, which ranks last. A mobile device packed with a smart operating system and multiple features, all while fitting within an average users' budget, is proving to be a good deal for users.

The mobile youth

The typical profile of an Opera Mini Android user in India is as follows: Male, between 18 to 24 years of age, lives in an urban area, attends college or works as a full-time employee and surfs the web from his mobile device for at least one hour every day.

Browse more, save more

In addition to being the most preferred browser on basic phones, Opera Mini is also being used by millions of smartphone users in India. The data consumed by Opera Mini users on smartphones is significantly higher than the data consumed by Opera Mini users on basic phones.

Among Opera Mini users, the number of webpages viewed by an Android user is 29.5 percent higher than the monthly page views by an average user. Opera Mini compresses webpages by up to 90 percent before sending them to the device, as a result webpages open faster and users save on data costs. Data compressed for an Android user is 127 percent higher than the data compressed for an average user. Higher usage and compression rates clearly indicate that Opera Mini users on Android browse more and save more money than an average Opera Mini user.

List of top 20 devices and domains

Top 20 Android devices

1. Samsung Galaxy Y (GT-S5360)

2. Samsung Galaxy Y Duos (GT-S6102)

3. Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830i

4. Samsung Galaxy Y Duos Lite (GT-S5302)

5. Samsung Galaxy Pop GT-S5570

6. Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos (GT-S6802)

7. Samsung Galaxy Ace (GT-S5830)

8. HTC Explorer A310e

9. Samsung Galaxy Fit GT-S5670

10. Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100)

11. Samsung Galaxy Pocket (GT-S5300)

12. Samsung Galaxy S Duos (GT-S7562)

13. Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000

14. Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus (GT-S7500)

15. Samsung Galaxy Tab (GT-P3100)

16. Micromax Ninja A87

17. Idea Blade

18. Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman (WT19i)

19. Samsung Galaxy S III (GT-i9300)

20. Micromax Ninja A57

Top 20 domains

1. google.com

2. facebook.com

3. youtube.com

4. wikipedia.org

5. yahoo.com

6. cricbuzz.com

7. indiatimes.com

8. ask.com

9. vuclip.com

10. in.com

11. quikr.com

12. rediff.com

13. espncricinfo.com

14. istream.com

15. answers.com

16. flipkart.com

17. ndtv.com

18. peperonity.com

19. gsmarena.com

20. mobile9.com

Opera Mini growth in India

India has the largest number of Opera Mini users worldwide. The number of Opera Mini users in India increased by 28.7 percent in 2013. Opera Mini users on smartphones increased by 136.6 percent, constituting 19 percent of the total number of Opera Mini users. Opera Mini users on Android increased by 62 percent, constituting 12 percent of the total number of Opera Mini users.