More than half of Romanians (53%) were using a smartphone at the end of 2016, up from only 12% at the end of 2012, according to a research commissioned by Google. Worldwide, 70% of Internet users had a smartphone at the end of 2016, double compared to four years ago, the same study shows.

More than 90% of young Romanians aged under 25 are using smartphones, compared to only 24% four years ago. While 73% of respondents use the search engines on the mobile device, 79% go on social media platforms, and over half check their e-mails.

The research also shows that three quarters of young Romanians watch video clips on their smartphones at least once a week, 66% listen to music, 71% check the time, and 65% take pictures.

Almost 40% of all smartphones users in Romania say that they access the Internet from their phones more often than from their computers, and only 17% still prefer the computers to go online.

Slightly over 30% of Romanian respondents use two smart devices and 15% use three devices (smartphone, laptop, and tablet). Only a quarter say they only use just one device.

The Google Consumer Barometer report presents a conclusion of a multiannual study conducted in 40 countries, including Romania. The study documents a five-year research carried out between 2012 and 2016, during which Google and Kantar TNS conducted more than 625,000 interviews with people worldwide.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com