14 DAY TRIAL // A recent Kantar World Panel report reveals that Apple’s iOS continues to grow in the US and reached a share of 42% in the three months ending February 2019, up 38.3% compared to the previous year. By comparison, Android dropped to 55.9% share when it comes to smartphone sales.
Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are still the best-selling smartphones in the US, keeping their top position since the three-month period ending November 2016. Apple did say earlier this year that the iPhone 7 set an all-time sales record, contributing to 64% of its Q1 2017 revenue.
Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones were believed to help increase sales of Android-running devices in the US, but the two phones are now standing at below 25% of smartphone sales, partly because of supply constraints that made it somewhat difficult for consumers to get their hands on Google’s smartphones.
Still, Kantar reveals that 23% of US consumers who intend to purchase a new smartphone over the next six months would consider Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL, which means that sales could increase until their successors are announced.
iOS market share reached its lowest level in China
The numbers also show that iOS saw a decline in other major markets, like China, where its market share dropped 8.9% over one year, while Android increased 9.3%. Apple recorded the lowest share in China in the past three years, reaching a market share of just 13.2%, compared to Android’s 86.4% share.
Android’s share also increased in major markets in Europe, reaching 75.2% of smartphone sales, compared to iOS’ growth to 21.8% of sales. The report mentions that interesting shifts in the market could be recorded in the remainder of Q1 and the second quarter of this year, considering that Samsung has just announced its Galaxy S8 flagship and Apple released a red variant of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, together with an upgrade to iPhone SE.