There were over 975 million mobile phone users as of November 2011 according to the MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China). Mobile phones have become an indispensable tool for modern communication.

2011 was the year of smartphones in China. iPhones, iPads, Andriod smartphones and tablets became hot search topics on search engines as well as popular topics in people’s daily life. Looking back on the year, it seems that after just one night, everyone in China started holding a big-screen phone or tablet on the subway, at restaurants, and even while waiting for red lights. You can see them almost everywhere.

I’ve prepared a little data for you on the types of mobile devices being used in China as of the end of 2011. The data is collected from ZOL and based on a metric they call “attention rate”, which is a metric used by ZOL to estimate sales and popularity. It is based on the click rates of Chinese Internet users that have used one or more of ZOL’s 85 websites or 79 other media sites such as Sina, Sohu, QQ, 163 and Taobao.

Top 5 Mobile Brands by Attention Rate in 2011

China Mobile Phone Market Snapshot

Nokia and Samsung took the first and second place, with Samsung slipping up to number 1 in quarter 4. HTC and Motorola took third and fourth place. Sony Ericsson started at fifth place but was then displaced by Apple.

Bigger Screens Became More Popular

China Mobile Phone Market Snapshot

As more and more phones are now touch-screen, big-screen phones have become more and more popular. 3.3 to 4 inches is the most common size and rose in attention rate from 31.4% to 49.8% over the past year. Will mobile phones in China continue to grow in size?

Mobile Phone Price Trends in the Chinese Market

China Mobile Phone Market Snapshot

China Mobile Phone Market Snapshot

Although the overall average price of mobile phones didn’t change much, smartphone prices are clearly on an upward trend.

From all the charts above, we can see that 2011 was a milestone in Chinese mobile phone market history. The industry leader Nokia is facing a greater challenge than ever before. Phone prices, one of the most important factors that affect purchase decisions, continued to rise along with the functionality of smartphones.20

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