Windows Phone Usage Stats for October 2015

There aren’t too many changes in Windows Phone usage this month, but AdDuplex provides an interesting peek at device mix between, low-, mid-, and high-end handsets.

As you may remember, AdDuplex bills itself as the largest cross-promotion network for Windows phone and Windows 8 apps, empowering developers and publishers to promote their apps for free by helping each other. And each month it provides a tantalizing glimpse at which Windows phone (and Windows) devices people are actually using.

Before proceeding, a bit of news from AdDuplex: They are conducting a survey about mobile app monetization from both consumer and developer standpoints and will share the valuable findings with the wider community. Plus, they’re giving away a Lumia 950 XL to one lucky respondent. So be sure to take the survey.

OK. Here’s what’s new in Windows phone device usage this month.

No major changes in worldwide usage patterns. The top 10 most-frequently-used Windows phone handsets are the same as last month, except that the Lumia 635 has to third place. The Lumia 520 remains the most popular device, somehow, though it has slipped almost 1 percent. Likewise, the Lumia 535 has bumped up almost 1 percent.

Microsoft/Nokia continues to grow. This situation has moved from interesting to ludicrous pretty quickly: Microsoft/Nokia branded phones now constitute 97 percent of all Windows phones in use, up .18 percent.

Windows 10 Mobile preview usage grows. Yes, Windows Phone OS 8.1 is of course the most often used, with 79.3 percent of all phones. But the Windows 10 Mobile preview keeps edging up, this time by 1 percent to 5.7 percent, behind number two Windows Phone 8.0 (9.4 percent). It is now more often used than Windows Phone 7.x.

Model ranges. This is new and bears some scrutiny. As you might expect, the vast majority of Windows phones are low-end models (~72 percent), followed by mid-level devices (~15 percent) and then high-end flagship-type phones (~11 percent). Hopefully, we can move the needle here with the newly-announced Lumia 950 and 950 XL.

No info about new phones this time around, but then we did just find out what was coming, so maybe that isn’t all that surprising.