Surprising top smartphone stats in South Africa

The most used smartphones in South Africa are the BlackBerry 8520 Curve, the BlackBerry 9320 Curve, and the BlackBerry 9300 Curve. This is according to Vodacom’s data about the number of active devices on its network.

The data further revealed that the top 10 most used smartphones on the Vodacom network included four BlackBerry devices, three Samsung phones, two Nokias, and an iPhone.

While there is a great deal of hype around high-end devices like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy range, the more affordable BlackBerry 8520 is the smartphone which many South Africans use.

BlackBerry may be struggling to maintain its market share globally, but it is certainly far from dead. In fact, the BlackBerry 8520 Curve has been the most used smartphone in South Africa since 2011.

The following infographic provides an overview of the most popular smartphones (by usage) on Vodacom’s network.

Top smartphones from 2009 to 2014

While BlackBerry is currently the most used smartphone in South Africa, this was not always the case. In 2009, Nokia was all the rage, with Nokia devices occupying 8 of the top 10 smartphone spots.

The following table provides an overview of the most used devices on the Vodacom network from 2009 to 2014.

Hat tip to Vodacom for their help with this article.

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