Mobile telephones have become increasingly relevant to many aspects of modern life , a phenomenon that is evidenced by the development in the rate of households owning a mobile telephone . Currently , approximately 95 percent of households in the United Kingdom ( UK ) own a mobile phone , a figure that has remained constant since 2015 . That sits in stark contrast with 2000 - 2001 , when less than half of all households in the UK reported owning a mobile telephone . Smartphones leading the charge Given their role as the digital swiss army knife of modern tech , it is no surprise that smartphones are behind much of the growth in this space . Smartphone adoption reached 78 percent during the first half of 2018 , up from 29 percent at the beginning of 2011 . Smartphone ownership drops off steeply for users aged 55 or older , with just 55 percent of residents in that age group reporting that they own a smartphone compared with 95 percent of people aged from 16 to 24 and 25 to 34 years of age . Apple on top The smartphone market is evenly divided between iOS and Android , indicating that Apple is the UK 's preferred smartphone manufacturer . In April 2019 , the iPhone XR , iPhone XS Max and the iPhone 8 claimed 24 percent of the market during April 2019 , taking three of the top five positions .
