Android's share of the UK smartphone market soars, while Apple's shrinks

by Katie Theisinger
on Tue 27 Jul 2010 6 Comments

Android increases UK market share

Android is on the up while Apple suffers slippage in the UK smartphone market, according to new figures. It seems that despite Apple's loyal and enthusiastic fanbase, Brits can't get enough of Android handsets.

Sales of handsets running Google's Android OS saw massive growth between the first and second quarters of this year in the UK. According to figures compiled by German market analysts GfK, around one in every eight contract handsets sold between April and June were Android - that's compared to one in 33 for the first quarter of the year.

In terms of actual market share, Android went from a paltry three per cent in the first quarter to a respectable 13.2 per cent in the second quarter; and while a 13 per cent market share isn't enormous - compared with Apple's slice of the pie, for example - the growth is remarkable.  Much of that is being attributed to high-profile new Android-based handsets which have been released during this time period - think HTC Desire, Samsung i5700, Motorola DEXT- combined with the falling prices of Android-based phones.

Meanwhile, RIM also increased its market share in the first half of this year, from two to seven per cent, while Apple saw its slice of the UK smartphone market fall to 64 per cent from 75 per cent during those first two quarters. Unsurprisingly, the same research showed that smartphones now represent the lion's share of the mobile phone market, at 73.5 per cent.

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Comments

  • neutral

    by Simon at 16:57 on 27 Jul 2010Report abuse

    This is an interesting article, even if it is a little misleading. As you're comparing the uptake of an OS (Andriod) with sales of an iPhone. Not the best way to give a fair and impartial review of the UK market. I think you'll find, if you compare like for like sales of each handset Apples market share is on the rise; not on the decline.

  • neutral

    by Mombasa at 17:54 on 27 Jul 2010Report abuse

    Great News!

    I hate Apple with a passion!

  • neutral

    by ady soon at 18:35 on 27 Jul 2010Report abuse

    Android does not support Arabic script despite the large Arabic mobile users . I will go for iPhone

  • neutral

    by Ivan at 02:52 on 28 Jul 2010Report abuse

    Yet, no mention of Symbian, the ruler of the OS market. Nc, nc, nc, guess it's clear who pays for the coverage...

  • neutral

    by MS at 15:39 on 4 Sep 2010Report abuse

    The figures show that Android is outselling iPhone worldwide in terms of numbers of sets sold, and the trend is accelerating. Apple still has the lead in terms of the total number of iPhones out there, because it has been on the market much longer than Android.

  • neutral

    by dave at 13:22 on 1 Dec 2010Report abuse

    Given the SS mentality of the average mac fanboi I could never by an iPhone, regardless of its quality.

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