AdDuplex, who run an exclusive ad-network on Windows Phone and Windows devices, has cobbled together their monthly stats for April, 2015.
This month, the numbers reveal some interesting trends, including in India, Indonesia, and how well BLU is doing (hint: very well). Additionally, a new Windows 10 phone has been spotted with just a few details to whet your appetite.
Windows 10 Flagship spotted?
Let's get the Windows 10 phone reveal out of the way first. A device with model number RM-1085 with a 5.7-inch 1080P display running Windows 10 exclusively has been spotted on the AdDuplex network. It is not clear if a 1080P display on a 5.7-inch Windows Phone implies a flagship device, but as AdDuplex notes, it is the highest we have seen since the release of the Lumia 930.
Unfortunately, no other details can yet be discerned. Naturally, more will be revealed later this year as Windows 10 for Mobile wraps up development.
For now, we are not expecting Microsoft to divulge details next week at Build.
Windows 10 Technical Preview ramps up
With the wider release of the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones a few weeks ago, it is no surprise to see a jump from 0.1 to 0.7 percent of Windows Phone users trying out the developing operating system.
The change is a rather substantial increase, one that will likely continue as more stable builds with newer features are released over the coming months.
BLU dominates the 'other' Windows Phone manufacturers
While Lumia phones occupy nearly 97 percent of all Windows Phone devices , with HTC and Samsung making up the majority of the rest, how are those other OEMs fairing?
As it turns out, BLU is doing quite well in comparison to its white-label competition like Archos, Cherry, and XOLO.
Indeed, BLU makes up 34.20 percent of the other category for Windows Phone. No doubt this is due to high sales of their Win HD and Win JR lines of phones and their close ties to Microsoft, who sell them direct through their stores.
This trend will likely continue with the release of the Win HD LTE and Win JR LTE, two outstanding devices now hitting the market in the US. Reviews for those devices coming soon.
Lumia 635 continues to grow in the US
The LTE-enabled Lumia 635 grabbed another 3.4 percent of the Windows Phone market share over last month. This figure brings the total number to 26.8 percent for the budget-friendly Lumia 635.
Decreases in users of the Lumia 822, Lumia 920, Lumia 520 and Lumia 520 we also noted as consumers move on to newer phones in 2015.
Meanwhile, the 'other' category has increased by 0.8 percent for a total of 20 percent of Windows Phone market share in the US. No doubt, devices from companies like BLU, mentioned above, are to thank for that change.
Interestingly, there are more Lumia 928s on the market (3.7 percent) than Lumia 1520s (3.3 percent) or Lumia 1020s (also 3.3 percent).
India: Lumia 535 catches up to Lumia 520
Heading to India, it looks like the Lumia 535 (20.5 percent) is nearly on top of the aging Lumia 520 (21.8 percent). The figure reveals that the first Microsoft-branded Lumia has some legs in that market.
The Lumia 730 is also doing quite well with nearly 7 percent, making it one of the higher-end Lumias with mass appeal and affordability.
Argentina and the EU5
AdDuplex notes that Argentina is dominated by cheaper, lower-end Lumias with the Lumia 520, Lumia 630, and Lumia 635 making up more than half of all Windows Phone market share. These stats were the first look back at Argentina since July 2014.
In the big five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Great Britain) we see the Lumia 520, Lumia 530, Lumia 630, and Lumia 635 sharing a total of 53 percent of the Windows Phone market. The rest are evenly divided amongst the Lumia 920, Lumia 930, Lumia 535 and Lumia 925.
Lumia 535 also huge in Indonesia
Looking at Indonesia for the first time since November, and the Lumia 535 has jumped to 21.6 percent of the Windows Phone market there. As AdDuplex remarks, that phone now makes up one out of every five Windows Phones.
Meanwhile, the Lumia 520 has declined by 9 percent, as consumers move on to newer technology.
Conclusions
The spotting of a Windows 10 phone should be too surprising. A 5.7-inch 1080p display also fits in with the current thinking of the Lumia 640 XL and its display. While 6-inch phones are nice to have, bringing the size down to 5.7-inches seems to be the sweet spot for consumers.
Clearly the Lumia 535 is one of Microsoft's strongest devices to date for emerging markets. We see steady growth of the phone in nearly every market it has been introduced, signaling what consumers are looking for in a budget device.
Finally, it is good to see companies like BLU pick up some significant share of the Windows Phone pie. Their phones are exceptionally well priced and featured an eye-catching design that resonate with consumers. We can only imagine that trend to continue as they launch their new LTE line of Windows Phone.
More details of the AdDuplex report will be posted tomorrow on the AdDuplex Blog.
