Although smartphones get all the attention, many consumers still continue to purchase less-expensive feature phones. In 2010, feature phones comprised over 75% of the handset market. Consumers purchase feature phones for a variety of reasons including the need for a device that is optimized for a specific application, such as messaging.
“A messaging phone is a feature phone that has been enhanced for messaging services including SMS, MMS, mobile email, and mobile IM. These devices have a QWERTY keyboard and other capabilities at a price that is usually more affordable than a smartphone,” says ABI Research senior analyst Victoria Fodale. “Mobile phones for messaging will encompass an increasing percentage of feature phone shipments, growing to almost a third of the category by 2015.”
