Apple’s market has continued to increase across most markets, except China. According to latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel iOS managed to record the greatest increase in the UK, with 40.4% of smartphone sales, but it also rose in the US.
Apple’s iOS has managed to grow by 5.2% in the US and has recorded 38.9% of all smartphone sales during the first quarter of this year. Android has accounted for 59.2% of smartphone sales, compared to 63.4% last year. Kantar has attributed the drop in sales of Android-running smartphones because of lower sales of Samsung and Moto smartphones.
Although iOS recorded the lowest share in China since 2014 by accounting for 12.4% of smartphone sales in the country which by contrast, Android has managed to grow 87.2% compared to last year. Also, Apple’s best-selling smartphone in China remained the iPhone 7 with 3.8% of the market, which is mostly dominated by local smartphone manufacturers. Huawei continues to lead in the Chinese market, while Samsung fell to the sixth position, recording just 5% of sales.
The situation is a bit different in the EU5, where Android has continued to take the lead with 76.3% of smartphone sales during the first quarter of 2017, and iOS posted a 1.9% increase to 20.7% in the same period of time.
Chinese brands have increased their presence across EU5 countries and now enjoy 22% of smartphone sales. Huawei has become increasingly popular in the UK, where it now accounts for 6.3% of smartphone sales, reaching an all-time high for the Chinese company.
Apple, Samsung and LG have continued to dominate the market in the United States, with 39%, 30% and 12% share, respectively. Despite lower sales during the first quarter of 2017, Samsung is expected to increase its market share across all markets as sales of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have just recently begun. Meanwhile, Apple is looking towards an increase in sales in the coming quarters, after the company announces new iPhones this year.
