Recent statistics from the United Kingdom throws up an interesting (and not so surprising) fact.
The number of persons accessing the Internet using smartphones (33%) has overtaken the number of persons using laptops (30%) to access the Internet.
Not only that, but the time spent on smartphones has also increased. Most people in the UK spend about two hours daily on their smartphones. Many figures like this make it clear that there is a distinct shift toward mobile devices and smartphones. Mobiles are the constant companions to two thirds of the adult population in United Kingdom.
All these facts for the UK are most likely true for the rest of the world.
Mobiles have changed the way we communicate and do business.
With mobile usage being so common, it is important that websites are accessible and display attractively on smaller screens. So, it is not an option any longer for WordPress themes to not be compatible with mobiles. Instead, they have to be responsive and size down perfectly to all devices. And developers have been quick to see the trend and design themes that are responsive.
There are over 5000 responsive themes on ThemeForest alone. I have picked 15 themes that are popular for a quick look.
Hero
Hero is a simple to use and highly functional theme. It has been widely tested on multiple devices and works perfectly on mobiles.
The touch enabled gallery system, PhotoSwipe is included in the theme. Visitors can touch and swipe their mobile device screen to see the images in your gallery effortlessly. The fully responsive design makes sure that every element , including forms, fields, menus and embedded content, can all size down perfectly to small screen devices.
Vibrant
A light and minimalistic theme, Vibrant also includes PhotoSwipe in its theme features.
It has a liquid design and standout menu features that make navigation on mobile devices easy. Vibrant can serve as a mobile home for your business. It can also double as a mobile only theme for your existing WordPress website.
Aura
Aura is fully retina ready. FontAwesome icons, 370 image icons and Retina ready icons can all be used to display content neatly.
Mobile friendly features include mobile and desktop detection, mobile redirect plugin, left and right swipe menu as well as many touch optimized features. Reading blogs is a pleasant experience because the post format is well supported.
Touch
You can use Touch to set up a secondary WordPress installation for mobile only users, or you can make a totally new WordPress installation for your website.
A uniquely designed contact form that can be validated is a standout feature of this theme. It is as totally mobile friendly as it is fully responsive and retina ready.
Metro
The Admin options panel of Metro Theme and the mobile shortcode editor will help you to customize the theme for mobiles. You can create mobile tiles and assemble them in different fashions for a unique look.The mobile layout can be viewed both in landscape and portrait view perfectly on all mobile devices.
Mobilize
Mobilize is the WordPress version of ThemeForest's top selling HTML mobile template. It is built with jQuery. The homepage sports a touch optimized responsive slider with 24 transitions. So you can really use the homepage to pack in a lot, and make it easily accessible from handheld devices.
Responsive WordPress Theme
Responsive WordPress Theme is a free responsive theme from CyberChimps that works amazingly well on desktops, mobiles and tablets.
It has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. The custom header easily allows upload of logos and the theme integrates well with social networks. The theme is a good fit for mobiles.
My Mobile Page V3 WordPress Theme
Fluid Navigation, flexible images and videos, and responsive gallery and slideshow are the features that make My Mobile a favorite WordPress theme for small screens. You can have a different WordPress theme for your desktop and install My Mobile Theme in your mobile. Then, using a mobile switcher plugin, you can display the desktop theme to desktop users and My Mobile theme to mobile users.
Bauhaus
Bauhaus sports a flat, modern look. It is flexible and can be modified easily to keep in line with your brand image.
It is lightweight and comes packed with a clean interface that makes it easy for the visitor to navigate the site intuitively.
Mobile Store
Mobile Store comes from WPtouch Pro and is designed specifically for mobiles, and in particular for WooCommerce. This is the theme to pick if you want to sell anything online. One page checkout, multi touch product page, off-canvas menu and cart support make this theme a pleasant shopping experience for visitors.
Nimble
With Nimble, visitors will no longer have to zoom and scroll while browsing your website on a mobile. Simple and professional, Nimble is perfectly responsive and mobile friendly.
Corporate
Corporate is a WordPress business theme that is fully responsive and supports all devices. The off canvas mobile menu helps in effective utilization of screen space. It is a good fit for corporations, freelancers and agencies that are looking to grow their businesses.
Aegaeus
Aegaeus is a business WordPress theme from Mojo Themes. It is fresh and modern and fits any device. It comes with unlimited colors and you can make an attractive website with this theme.
Envision
ThemeFuse has used the Responsive Web Design Approach to design Envision. This means that your visitors do not have to scroll too much on your website and there is not much resizing involved. All content elements – text, images, icons and graphics – will be crisp on all screen sizes.
Mobit
Mobit is fully customizable and you can change almost everything you see. You can use unlimited color. The theme has been tested on Android, iOS and Windows Mobile 8. Retina support and fully responsive features make this a mobile friendly theme.
Mobile Friendly Updates
Google ranks websites with an algorithm that partially includes how mobile friendly your site is. Sites that have usable mobile pages will naturally rank higher. This means it is a necessity that mobile users can view your website comfortably. Any of the themes above can help you with this.