47% Chinese urbanites have smartphones: Google

BEIJING - About 47 percent of Chinese urban residents have smartphones, according to a report released by Google on Wednesday.

The "Our Mobile Planet: China" report, conducted by Google and market research company IPSOS in the first quarter, surveyed 1,000 urban Internet users between the ages of 18 and 64.

Smartphones have become an indispensable part of people's daily lives, as 69 percent of respondents said they access the Internet every day on their smartphones and 38 percent never leave home without the devices, according to the report.

About 60 percent of smartphone users said they would rather abandon their TV sets instead of their smartphones. In the US, the ratio is 36 percent, the report said.

Smartphones have also become critical shopping tools, with 98 percent of respondents having used their phones to research products and services. Some 69 percent of smartphone users have made purchases on their phones, compared to only 46 percent in the US, according to the report.

The limited size of smartphone screens and safety concerns regarding the use of credit cards are major barriers in expanding mobile business, according to the report.