I've written a lot in the past few months about responsive website design and responsive website content, but it's been a while since I went through a simple list of the most popular screen sizes that people are using right now.
I realized my lack of reporting after this past Friday's website review where I explained that N. Fox Jewelers probably never tested their website design on a smaller desktop monitor.
I've dug into my large pool of raw data to pull out this list of the top 20 screen resolutions and compared them between May 2014 and May 2013.
These are listed in order of the most popular resolutions of 2014. I've added some commentary where I could:
- 320x568 - The iPhone 5 series
May 2014: 11.56% of all users
May 2013: 4.49% of all users
Change: 162.90% - 1366x768 - Many modern laptops
May 2014: 10.74% of all users
May 2013: 11.34% of all users
Change: -3.40%
Once the most popular laptop screen size, this is now on the decline as others listed below replace them as users buy new laptops. - 768x1024 - Mostly iPads
May 2014: 10.12% of all users
May 2013: 9.88% of all users
Change: 4.42% - 320x480 - iPhone 3 and 4
May 2014: 6.80% of all users
May 2013: 10.94% of all users
Change: -36.68%
There is an obvious decrease in iPhone users in this category as they upgrade to the iPhone 5 series. - 1280x1024 - Desktop monitors
May 2014: 6.41% of all users
May 2013: 6.58% of all users
Change: -0.53%
I have one of these on my desk. Although they are slowly declining, this is still a very popular freestanding desktop screen size for tower computers. - 1920x1080 - Laptop computers
May 2014: 6.19% of all users
May 2013: 5.09% of all users
Change: 23.95%
This is the same size for my own laptop screen. This is a 17.3" widescreen display. - 1024x768 - Mostly desktop computers
May 2014: 5.65% of all users
May 2013: 8.20% of all users
Change: -29.75% - 1280x800 - Laptop computers
May 2014: 5.53% of all users
May 2013: 7.80% of all users
Change: -27.77% - 1600x900 - Mostly a Windows laptop
May 2014: 5.34% of all users
May 2013: 4.80% of all users
Change: 13.48%
This laptop size is on the rise. - 1440x900 - Widescreen monitor used on desktops
May 2014: 4.44% of all users
May 2013: 5.23% of all users
Change: -13.42% - 360x640 - Android smartphone
May 2014: 3.70% of all users
May 2013: 0.15% of all users
Change: 2447%
The percentage change on this one is huge, but that's only because this Android size wasn't widely used last year. - 1680x1050 - Widescreen monitor used on desktops
May 2014: 2.60% of all users
May 2013: 2.93% of all users
Change: -9.32% - 720x1280 - Android tablet
May 2014: 1.87% of all users
May 2013: 2.01% of all users
Change: -5.24%
Popularity of this Android tablet size is decreasing. - 1280x720 - Widescreen Windows display
May 2014: 1.27% of all users
May 2013: 1.42% of all users
Change: -9.07%
This is also the standard HD resolution for video editing, and it's the format you find most YouTube videos in. - 360x592 - Android smartphone
May 2014: 0.95% of all users
May 2013: 0.12% of all users
Change: 730%
Although this one shows a huge percentage increase, it's an obscure Android size that isn't often used. - 1536x864 - Windows Asus laptops
May 2014: 0.88% of all users
May 2013: 0.49% of all users
Change: 83.20%
This is an erroneous resolution reported by windows when using certain Asus laptops. The true resolution is the same as number 6 above... 1920x1080. - 1920x1200 - Desktop monitor usually used for gaming
May 2014: 0.83% of all users
May 2013: 0.92% of all users
Change: -8.02% - 480x800 - Android and Windows phone
May 2014: 0.82% of all users
May 2013: 0.91% of all users
Change: -7.73% - 1360x768 - External flat screens
May 2014: 0.63% of all users
May 2013: 0.55% of all users
Change: 17.02%
Notice this size is only a 6 pixel difference than the number 2 size above. These are mostly found on Windows desktops. - 1093x614 - External flat screen
May 2014: 0.59% of all users
May 2013: 0.44% of all users
Change: 36.28%
So there you have it. These screen resolutions do change all the time, but you should pay attention to what's listed in the top 11. As you can see, you have small and large sizes popular within that set of 11, which means you need to make sure your website satisfies all shapes and sizes of uses, not just the top 11.
Does your website support all shapes and sizes, or is it time for a redesign?
