China boasts the highest number of smartphone users in the world, and Chinese mobile internet interests are beginning to expand outside of the mainland to a more international audience.
Look at the data for the top 5 mobile browsers globally, and you will see a Chinese name at #2: UC Browser:
With a 20 percent global market share (as of February 2016), UC Browser is leading Chinese mobile browser market being number one and it has also risen rapidly in a number of emerging markets, particularly India and Indonesia, where it is far in the lead.
UC Browser’s achievements in Asia
UC Browser has become the most used mobile browser in Asia. Winning China, India, and Indonesia gives you the whole of Asia. In fact, these numbers translate to UC Browser climbing to the second most used mobile browser globally.
African and Asian mobile users have something in common. Having become a mobile-first population, users look to their smartphones as their primary – sometimes only – internet-enabled device. This means more functionality needs to be built into phones and apps, something which UC Browser knows all too well. The app works more like a content aggregator rather than just a simple browser, and allows people to get more out of their browsing experience in fewer clicks.
Can UC Browser catch up with Opera in Africa?
Opera has a huge lead in Africa, primarily due to the Opera Mini browser which African users love. However the official launch of UC Browser in Africa recently has put a question mark to Opera’s leading situation.
With its cater to local services, the biggest reason UC Browser survives and stands out from the competition is that it provides something the local users really need, such as fast browsing speed and extremely strong download performance on mobile. It aims to let users have all-in-one experience on UC Browser without installing other apps.
“The past few years have seen fast-lane growth in smartphone shipments in Kenya. Riding on the smartphone shift, UC Browser crafted a flurry of handy features, such as its Smart Downloader, Video Player and Gesture Support, to fully exploit the versatility of the smartphone, making mobile browsing easier and smarter for its users”, says the Director of International Business Department of UC Web.
With its mission to make browsing experience better and faster and more localized strategies in Africa, will UC Browser end Opera’s rules in Africa?
Additional information about UC Web and UC Browser can be found at www.ucweb.com.