Mobile device classification deprecated

based on this oxpedia article

Introduction

For Appsuite UI development, it is important to determine whether the code is running on a mobile device or not. Furthermore, a solid distinction between smartphones and tablets is important. Since the development of 7 inch tablets, the device detection is more complicated. Therefore, we use a list of the 125 most used devices to verify our classification procedure.

Detection criteria

A device is classified as a smartphone, if

  • it has the correct size (smallest dimension <= 540),
  • touch input and
  • a mobile OS (iOS or Android)

Device size

In a mobile browser, we have access to the css pixels of the screen in the variables screen.width and screen.height. It turned out, that 99% of smartphones can be distinguished from tablets because one dimension of a smartphone has less than 540 pixels.

We figured out that in the android stock browser these variables contain the actual physical pixels of the device. Therefore, the window.devicePixelRatio is used as divider for the screen dimensions.

Touch and Mobile OS

To ensure, that a browser on a desktop pc which is scaled to a small size is not detected as a smartphone, we check if the device has touch input and is running a mobile operating system like android, ios, blackberry or windows phone. Furthermore, there are some small desktop screens with touch input which can only be detected using its operating system and/or if it uses touch input.

Custom Detection

There are two devices in our list which are not detected correctly. At first, the Kindle Fire HD 7 inch. But Kindle is not supported by the Appsuite. Thus, it can be neglected. The second device is the Motorola Droid Razr HD. This device has a resolution of 1280 * 720 and a css pixel ratio of 1. That is why the size test will fail and we detect this device as a special case.

Device list

The following list shows all devices, we used to verify our classification. In this list the device width and height is in CSS pixels.

Brand Device CSS Pixel Ratio Device Width Device Height Smartphone or other Detection Match Comment
ASUS Nexus 7 (2013 version) 2 960 600 other other true
ASUS Nexus 7 (2012 version) 1.325 966 604 other other true
ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10 1.5 1280 800 other other true
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 1.5 1280 800 other other true
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7" 2 960 600 other other true
Amazon Kindle Fire 1 1024 600 other other true
Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7" 1.5 853 533 other smartphone false Not supported
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" 2 1280 800 other other true
Apple iPhone 6 2 667 375 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPod Touch 4 2 480 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPad Air 2 1024 768 other other true
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Retina display 2 1440 900 other other true
Apple iPhone 4 2 480 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPhone 4S 2 480 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPad 2 1 1024 768 other other true
Apple iPhone 5C 2 568 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPhone 5S 2 568 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPod Touch 5 2 568 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPhone 6 Plus 3 736 414 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPad Mini 2 2 1024 768 other other true
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch Retina display 2 1280 800 other other true
Apple iPhone 3GS 1 480 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPad 4 2 1024 768 other other true
Apple iPad 3 2 1024 768 other other true
Apple iPhone 5 2 568 320 smartphone smartphone true
Apple iPad 1 1 1024 768 other other true
Apple iPad Mini 1 1024 768 other other true
Blackberry BlackBerry Bold 9900 1 640 480 smartphone smartphone true
Blackberry BlackBerry PlayBook 1 1024 600 other other true
Blackberry BlackBerry Z10 2 640 384 smartphone smartphone true
Blackberry BlackBerry Z30 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Google Nexus 7 1325 966 604 other other true
Google Nexus 7 2 2 960 600 other other true
Google Nexus 10 2 1280 800 other other true
Google Nexus 4 2 640 384 smartphone smartphone true
Google Nexus 5 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Google Google Glass 1.5 427 240 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Evo 3D 1.5 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Thunderbolt 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC One X 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
HTC HD2 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Sensation XE 1.5 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Nexus One 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Touch HD 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC One SV 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Evo 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC EVO LTE 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Desire HD 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
HTC J Butterfly 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
HTC Sensation 1.5 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
HTC One 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Kobo Arc 7HD 2 960 600 other other true
LG LG Optimus Black 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus 2X 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus 3D 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus 4X HD 1.7 753 424 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG G3 3 853 480 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Nexus 4 2 640 384 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Nexus 5 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus One 1.5 320 213 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus G 2 640 384 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus G Pro 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Optimus LTE 1.7 753 424 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG Spectrum (VS920) 1.7 753 424 smartphone smartphone true
LG LU1400 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
LG LG G2 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Microsoft Surface 1 1366 768 other other true
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 1.5 1440 960 other other true
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 1.5 1280 720 other other true
Microsoft Surface Pro 1.5 1280 720 other other true
Microsoft Surface 2 1.5 1280 720 other other true
Motorola Xyboard 1 1280 800 other other true
Motorola Moto G 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Droid X 1.5 569 320 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Droid 1.5 569 320 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Moto E 2 480 270 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Droid 4 1 960 540 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Xoom 1 1280 800 other other true
Motorola Droid Razr HD 1 1280 720 smartphone other false Gets extra detection
Motorola Defy 1.5 569 320 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Driod Razor M 2 480 270 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Atrix 4G 1 960 540 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Droid 3 1 960 540 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Atrix 2 1 960 540 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Droid Razr 1 960 540 smartphone smartphone true
Motorola Milestone 1.5 569 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia N810 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia N800 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 900 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 920 2.4 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 925 2.4 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia C7 1 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 1020 2.4 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 7X0 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 8XX 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia N900 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia N97 1 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia X7 1 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia C6 1 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia C5 1 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia Lumia 928 2.4 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Nokia N8 1 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Epic (D700) 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Ace 1 480 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 1.8 711 400 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 640 400 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Note II 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.1 2 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Galaxy S 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy S4 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy S II 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy S III 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy S Plus 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 1 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 1 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 1 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 2 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 2 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Galaxy W 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Nexus 10 2 1280 800 other other true
Samsung Nexus S LCD 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Samsung Nexus S SAMOLED 1.5 533 320 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia Ion 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia P 2 480 270 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia S 2 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia Sola 1 854 480 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia U 1 854 480 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia Z 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Sony Xperia Z1 3 640 360 smartphone smartphone true
Tesco Hudl 1.5 933 600 other other true
Xiaomi Mi2 3 427 240 smartphone smartphone true
Xiaomi Mi3 4 480 270 smartphone smartphone true