Digital devices claim the bulk of media time for internet users in India, but adoption of several devices is reaching a plateau, at least in the short term.
Many internet users in India were mobile-first, and mobile phones are now central to media experience in the country. Fully 96.0% of internet users ages 16 to 64 owned a smartphone in H1 2020—a figure unchanged since H1 2019. In addition, one in 10 respondents had a feature phone. Time spent with mobile devices averaged 3 hours, 37 minutes (3:37) per day, 1 minute more than in 2019.
Last year, 72.7% of respondents owned a desktop or laptop, according to GlobalWebIndex. By H1 2020, however, it seems that PC ownership may have already peaked; just 54.2% of internet users owned a PC. Tablet penetration also declined year over year, from 24.5% to 22.3%—though ownership remained higher among older and more affluent respondents, and among females. Time spent with PCs and tablets fell sharply, from 3:37 to 2:52. Social networking accounted for the third-longest period of media engagement daily, at 2:36.