Roger Fingas
Android phones continued to see the most devices failures in the first quarter of 2016, although the gap with iPhones shrunk hugely quarter-to-quarter, according to a research study published on Wednesday.
Based on diagnostics tests run on "millions" of Android and iPhone units, the Q1 failure rates for those platforms were 44 percent and 25 percent respectively, Blancco Technology Group said. The tests were run using Blancco's SmartChk platform.
The data compares against figures of 85 percent and 15 percent from the fourth quarter of 2015. It's not clear why the ratio would shift so dramatically.
Blancco noted that of the Android devices that failed, the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S5, and Lenovo K3 Note had the highest failure rates. On the iPhone side, the most problematic devices were the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 5s. The 6 in fact represented a quarter of all iPhone failures, versus 17 percent for the 5s.
Across iOS and Android, failure rates were much higher in Asia at 55 percent, compared with 27 percent in North America and 35 percent in Europe. By extension, that meant that "no trouble found" returns were at their peak in North America with 73 percent, followed by Europe at 65 percent, and Asia at 45.
Globally the most common phone problems included the camera, touch functions, battery charging, the microphone, and dual-SIM technology, in that order. In North America the biggest problems were performance, battery charging, touch functions, mobile data, and the microphone.
Charles Martin
Amber Neely
Sponsored Content
AppleInsider Staff
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
8 Comments
Seems weird the iPhone 6 is the highest, yet the 6 Plus is the lowest. Isn't this pretty much the same phone with a bigger screen (and battery)? Maybe the iPhone 6 is higher because they've sold significantly more iPhone 6 models than any other phone, or is their obsession for thinness coming back to bite them? I hope the next iPhone isn't really any thinner. It will get to a point where its actually difficult to hold.
I have no clue what this is saying.
This company has no idea how many Iphones fail only Apple has that data. I think this company has some sort of tools that runs diags on the phone and they are somehow trying to extrapolate the data. I think they are saying of all the people who use their app 25% were iphone users and they found some sort of problem. Saying Iphone got better or worse is all relative. Maybe more people down loaded the app for iphone verses last year so yes the number would be higher. I am not sure why someone would even bother with this app, just take it to apple and they will tell you your phone is broke.
I hate companies like this who try and make some sort of comparison and lacks all the information.
So crashing apps is an indication of device failure? Seems this article is just stating that there are better programmers on iOS than Android. Yet somehow, those apps used on iPhone 6 are worse than iPhone 6S? Maybe they had more time to get their app right on 6S and those using a 6 has not updated their apps...