Android Device Performance Lags Behind iOS, With Samsung S6, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Lenovo K3 Note at Head of Failing Class

Q1 2016  "State of Mobile Device Performance & Health" Report Uncovers Glaring Disparity in Android Failure Rate (44 Percent) and iOS Failure Rate (25 Percent)

ATLANTA and LONDON, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Android devices are no match for their iOS counterparts when it comes to device performance, according to the Q1 2016 State of Mobile Device Performance and Health report released today by Blancco Technology Group. Based on diagnostics tests run on millions of iOS and Android devices via the SmartChk platform, the report reveals a glaring disparity in failure rates for Android devices (44 percent) and iOS devices (25 percent) during the first quarter of 2016. What's more – out of the 44 percent of Android devices that failed, the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Lenovo K3 Note models had the highest failure rates.

These findings come off the heels of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's latest smartphone market share report, which shows that Android commanded the lion's share of the mobile operating system (OS) market share for the three-month period ending February 29, 2016. In particular, Android saw considerable sales growth in various parts of the world, including the United States, Europe, China, Japan and Australia – leaving iOS, Windows and other operating systems in its dust.

"Android devices seem to be a contradiction in terms," said Pat Clawson, CEO, Blancco Technology Group. "On the one hand, Android is the number one operating system in terms of global market share. But despite this advantage, Android device performance still lags behind iOS and tends to be plagued by high rates of crashing apps and app cache. With the launch of new smartphone models this year – such as Samsung S7, LG G5 and the rumored iPhone 7 – it will be interesting to see how Android device performance stacks up against iOS in the coming months."

Key highlights from the Q1 2016 trend report include:

• Out of the 25 percent of iOS devices that failed, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s models had the highest failure rates – at 25 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
• While dual SIM emerged as a common source of performance issues in Europe and Asia, it was not prevalent in North America.
• Crashing apps were detected on 74 percent of Android devices, while open/cached apps were found on 44 percent of Android devices.
• A significant portion of the top 10 Android crashing apps in Q1 2016 were security-related, including Lookout, 360 Security, CM Security and AVG AntiVirus.
• Device failure rates were significantly higher in Asia (55 percent) than in North America (27 percent) and Europe (35 percent).
• 'No Trouble Found' returns were highest in North America (73 percent), whereas they were far lower in Asia (45 percent) and Europe (65 percent).

Clawson concluded, "Our data's value goes far beyond providing a glimpse into device performance issues and trends. By using our analytics dashboard and business intelligence, mobile network operators and OEMs can actually see real improvements to their business, such as a more efficient post-sales customer experience, increased foot traffic, upsell opportunities, fewer NTF returns and reduced customer churn. For enterprise businesses, our data can help get C-level buy in to implement diagnostics tools as a way to cut down on unnecessary IT/support desk workloads, manpower and costs."

About Blancco Technology Group

Blancco Technology Group is a leading, global provider of mobile device diagnostics and secure data erasure solutions. We help our clients' customers test, diagnose, repair and repurpose IT devices with the most proven and certified software. Our clientele consists of equipment manufacturers, mobile network operators, retailers, financial institutions, healthcare providers and government organizations worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, United States, with a distributed workforce and customer base across the globe.

Blancco, a division of Blancco Technology Group, is the global de facto standard in certified data erasure. We provide thousands of organizations with an absolute line of defense against costly security breaches, as well as verification of regulatory compliance through a 100% tamper-proof audit trail.

SmartChk, a division of Blancco Technology Group, is a global innovator in mobile asset diagnostics and business intelligence. We partner with our customers to improve their customers' experience by providing seamless solutions to test, diagnose and repair mobile assets. SmartChk provides world-class support, pre and post implementation, allowing our customers to derive measurable business results.

Media Contacts:

SHIFT Communications for Blancco Technology Group (US)
David Heffernan, Account Manager
T: (617) 779-1839
E: blancco@shiftcomm.com

SAY Communications for Blancco Technology Group (Europe)
Robert Hickling, Senior Account Manager
T: 44 (0) 20 8971 6427
E: blancco@saycomms.co.uk

Blancco Technology Group
Ragini Bhalla, Senior Director of Global Communications
T: (678) 829-8465
E: ragini.bhalla@blanccotechgroup.com