The latest tracking stats for Windows Phone have been released by advertising network AdDuplex, which monitors usage across its network to create a detailed monthly breakdown of Microsoft"s mobile ecosystem. The reports capture a snapshot of worldwide usage across one 24-hour period - in this case, September 21.
One of the most notable findings is that Windows 10 Mobile has grown considerably compared with last month, when it was running on 3.3% of active Windows handsets. That"s gone up by 1.4 percentage points in the last few weeks to 4.7% - an increase of over 40% month-on-month - which is remarkable, considering the OS remains in development and is only available as a preview.
But once again, Microsoft"s share of the Windows Phone pie has increased, albeit only very slightly - by 0.08 percentage points - despite many of its hardware partners having launched their own handsets in recent months.
However, one company that does appear to be doing (relatively) well is BLU Products, whose sales of Windows Phone devices are now large enough to be separately detailed, rather than lumped in with all the "other" brands. But at just 0.21% of the Windows Phone market, it still has rather a long way to catch up with Microsoft"s Lumia range, on 96.89%.
A consistent strand running through this month"s stats is the strong performance of one of Microsoft"s newest handsets, the Lumia 640. The device is one of the strongest all-rounders we"ve seen at the more affordable end of the market - and priced from just $79 off-contract in the United States, it"s quite a bargain.
In August, the 640 had managed to grab 8.8% of the Windows Phone platform in the US; by this week, that had increased to 11.2% - impressive, considering it"s only been on sale there for four months. However, the Lumia 635 continues to dominate, with nearly three times the number of devices.
Over in the United Kingdom, the Lumia 640 is now one of the top ten most widely-used Windows Phones on 4.4%, but there too, the 635 leads the way on 14.6%, followed closely by the much older Lumia 520.
Significantly, the Lumia 435 - one of the most UK"s most affordable Windows Phones ever - only went on sale there in February, but has already jumped to 5% platform share, quickly leapfrogging the previous entry-level device, the Lumia 530. This seems to indicate that Microsoft"s latest low-end handsets have been very well received in the UK. Notably, the rise of the 435 and 640 there pushed the Lumia 920 and 1020 out of the top ten.
Meanwhile, in India, things have stayed fairly consistent compared with last month; the only significant difference is that the Lumia 540 has now overtaken the 625 as the fifth most widely-used Windows handset, but the 535 holds onto its lead, with 20.3% platform share.
AdDuplex also reports that it"s monitored Microsoft"s new Lumia flagships accessing its network in other parts of the world too; these devices will be unveiled as the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL on October 6, alongside the Surface Pro 4 and Microsoft Band 2.