Alibaba’s UC mobile browser is No. 1 in India, but Google is closing in as phones get fancier

Chinese-developed mobile web browser UC Browser is struggling to maintain the dominant position it had built up in the emerging markets of India and Indonesia as the availability of more powerful smartphones lessens the appeal of its small footprint.

Little known in western markets, UC Browser, owned by internet giant Alibaba Group Holding, built its leading position by keeping its size small for markets dominated by low-cost and low-power mobile phones that did not have the capacity to run large size apps like Google Chrome.

That helped it rise to third in the global browser market with a share of 8.7 per cent, behind Chrome’s 55 per cent and Safari’s 14.9 per cent, according to research agency StatCounter.

However with low-cost phones, especially ones made by Chinese firms including Xiaomi, now offering much more in the way of power and storage space, users in UC’s top markets have the option to use Chrome or other browsers that offer more functionality.

“When mobile phones are getting upgrades and consumers are becoming more sophisticated, they may consider options like Chrome which is simply designed but works smoothly on any average-priced handset,” said Zhao Ziming, a senior analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Cyzone.

According to StatCounter, UC remained the No 1 mobile and tablet browser in India as of December, with a market share of 43.2 per cent, followed by Chrome with 35.5 per cent. But its share dropped from a year before when it had 56.9 per cent compared to Chrome’s 21.5 per cent.

UC Browser has around 100 million users in India, according to Alibaba, but the availability of more powerful yet still cheap phones from Chinese smartphone makers, who now account for around half the market, is changing the mobile phone landscape in India.