Singapore, Hong Kong consumers top Asia-Pac's smartphone ownership

But some markets are reaching a saturation point.

According to a report by Nielsen, smartphone penetration in Asia Pacific has continued to see exponential
growth in recent years, and in a number of markets is approaching saturation point and surpassing penetration in the US and many European nations, according to a report released today by Nielsen, a leading global provider ofinformation and insightsinto what consumers watch and buy.

The Nielsen report, Decoding the Asian Mobile Consumer, reveals the latest trends in consumers’ smartphone ownership, behaviour and attitudes across nine Asia Pacific countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong, China, India and Singapore.

Asia Pacific smartphone penetration is highest in Hong Kong and Singapore at 87 percent, followed by
Malaysia (80%), Australia (75%) and China (71%).

Penetration in developing Asia Pacific markets, while trailing the more developed markets in the region, is gaining traction; Thailand’s smartphone penetration is at 49 percent followed by Indonesia (23%), India (18%) and the Philippines (15%).

The number of consumers owning multiple mobile handsets is also increasing across the region, particularly in Malaysia where close to half (47%) own more than one mobile phone, Hong Kong (31%), and Singapore and China (29%). 

Tablet ownership has recorded significant growth in many Asia Pacific markets in the past year, in particular Singapore (up 30 percentage pointsto 47%), Hong Kong (up 27 pointsto 57%) and Malaysia (up 23 points to 42%).