Android has overtaken its competitors, winning half of the smartphone market in the UK. But, according to the company Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, now there is a fight between manufacturers of Android-based mobile devices.
Android secured its position by gaining 49.9% of the UK smartphone market, followed by BlackBerry with 22.5% and iOS with 18.9%.
Analysts believe that manufacturers of Android devices, rather than different operating systems, will continue to compete with each other. Key market players, including HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, are striving to become the No. 1 manufacturer of Android devices.
HTC managed to retain its market share in smartphone manufacturers: 44.8% of sales in the third quarter belonged to this company.
However, Samsung is slowly but surely moving forward: its share has grown from 25.2% last year to 37.9% this year, primarily due to sales of the Galaxy S II.
Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson, on the contrary, lost a significant market share: in the third quarter it owned only 8.5% of the market compared to 20.5% a year ago.
Dominique Sannebo, Director of User behavior research at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “There are now a huge number of Android-based devices, and as a result, manufacturers have to act even more actively to stand out from the competition. HTC and Samsung already have market-leading products that satisfy many customers. Sony Ericsson, however, is trying to catch up with them. To do this, the company will have to convince users that their products are competitive.”
The study also showed that in the third quarter, 69.1% of all mobile phones sold in the UK were smartphones: this means that 43.8% of the UK population own smartphones.
Sannebo added: “In the next 6-12 months, current owners of Android smartphones will have to replace their devices with new ones. At the same time, most of them will remain faithful to this platform (62% are ready to buy an Android device again). But users are less attached to the manufacturer’s brand. Still, HTC and Samsung are likely to be able to attract new users from among those who now own simple phones, as well as maintain their smartphone user base.”