LG, Motorola, Google Android and Windows Phone all gained market share in major smartphone markets, while Apple lost ground, according to new Kantar WorldPanel figures.
The figures show Android represents 58.5% of the Australian smartphone market in the quarter to February, within the margin of error of the 58.8% share it claimed for the same quarter last year.
Interestingly, BlackBerry gained some ground in the Australian market, albeit off a low base, growing from 0.4% a year earlier.
Windows Phone also grew in Australia, increasing from 3.5% to 5%. Meanwhile, Apple saw its Australian market share drop from 34.8% to 33.9%.
Globally, Android reported market share gains in Germany (71.9% to 75.7%), France (61.9% to 67.7%), Italy (58.5% to 67.6%), the US (51.1% to 55%), China (71% to 80.3%) and Japan (43.7% to 44.8%). The only declines were in Britain (58.3% to 54%) and Span (92% to 88%).
Meanwhile, Windows Phone gained market share in Germany (5.4% to 7.5%), Britain (6.7%), France (6.3% to 8.3%), Italy (11.9% to 16.1%), Spain (4.5% to 6.3%) and the US (4.1% to 5.3%).
In contrast, Apple’s iOS lost ground in Germany (18.8% to 15.3%), France (23.1% to 21.1%), Italy (22.6% to 13.6%), the US (43.6% to 38.7%) and China (24.4% to 17.9%).
In Italy, Windows Phone has now over taken Apple iOS as the second most popular platform after Android.
In terms of handset manufacturers, the report notes that Motorola the low-end Moto G smartphone has given the Lenovo-owned manufacturer a big boost in major markets.
The report notes that in the UK, almost half of Moto G owners are aged between 16 and 24, 83% are male and 40% of owners earn under £20,000
Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech notes low-end devices, including the Moto G, are making a big impact globally.
“Motorola was nowhere in Europe before the Moto G launched in November last year, but the new model has since boosted the manufacturer to 6% of British sales.
“It highlights the speed at which a quality budget phone can disrupt a market. The same pattern can be seen in France with Wiko, which has 8.3% share, and Xiaomi in China with 18.5%.”
The report also notes that LG has claimed third spot in the US smartphone manufacturer market with an 8% share, with the LG G2 dominating sales.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
