14 DAY TRIAL // Android remains the world’s number one mobile operating system with 87.7 percent market share, while Apple’s iOS powering iPhones and iPads is far behind with just 12.1 percent.
These are the stats provided by analyst house Gartner after analyzing smartphone sales for the second quarter of 2017, revealing that global sales totaled 366.2 million units, up 6.7 percent over the same quarter a year ago.
Samsung remains the world’s leader with 82.5 million sold units in the Q2 2017, which accounts for a 22.5 percent market share, up slightly from 22.4 percent in 2016. Samsung, however, has recorded a substantial growth in terms of sales from 76.7 million the year before, with Gartner explaining that the company is expected to register growth in 2017.
Apple likely to grow as well
Apple is the runner-up in global sales with 44.3 million units and 12.1 percent market share, which is a small drop from 12.9 percent in Q2 2016. Sales, however, are flat, and analysts believe the company is very likely to post an increase as well this year.
“Apple's sales in emerging markets are expected to grow as older-generation iPhones continue to attract buyers. The new iOS 11, which will include augmented reality, machine learning, an improved Siri and a new display design, will likely fuel strong iPhone sales in the fourth quarter of 2017, and help Apple increase its sales in 2017,” Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner, said.
The more worrying for Samsung and Apple is the growth posted by Chinese rivals Oppo and Vivo, both of which have posted substantial increases in terms of shipments and market share.
Oppo, for instance, has improved sales from 18.1 million to 26 million units the past quarter and market share from 5.3 percent to 7.1 percent. Vivo boosted sales from 14.2 million units to 24.3 million, and now holds a share of 6.6 percent, up from 4.1 percent in the same period the year before.
In terms of markets, China is still leading the pack with 101.5 million sold units during the quarter, but a decline from 114.1 million in 2018. The North American market is only third with 40.4 million units, while Western Europe sis close with 40.4 million units.
