Recent research from Gartner shows that the Android operating system dominated the global mobile phone market over the past year. Android, developed by Google and used by manufacturers such as Motorola, HTC and Samsung, became the most widely installed OS worldwide, appearing on 43.4% of all new smartphones sold in the first two quarters of 2011.
During that period, 107.7 million smartphones were shipped in the UK, of which 46.8 million were Android devices—dramatically up from Android’s 17.2% market share the previous year. This rapid growth marks a major shift in the smartphone landscape.
Nokia’s Symbian, which had been the market leader, now accounts for 22.0% of the market. Apple’s iOS has been closing the gap thanks to strong iPhone sales, reaching an 18.2% share as shipments increased from 8.7 million to 19.6 million units over the quarter.
A Gartner analyst noted that Google and Apple have emerged as the clear winners in the smartphone ecosystem. The combined share of iOS and Android nearly doubled to roughly 62% in the second quarter of 2011, up from just over 31% during the same period in 2010.
Handset trends have shifted alongside operating system gains. Global mobile phone shipments rose 16.5% in the second quarter of 2011, reaching 428.7 million units. Nokia remains the top-selling brand with 97.9 million units sold so far this year, although its market share has fallen from 30.3% a year earlier. Samsung remains a strong contender with a 16.3% share, followed by LG at 5.7%.
Apple’s iPhone shipments reached 19.6 million units, representing 4.6% of total handset sales and nearly doubling year-on-year. Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner, observed that smartphone sales continued to grow at the expense of feature phones. In mature markets, consumers increasingly favor entry-level and midrange Android smartphones over traditional feature phones, influenced in part by promotions from carriers and manufacturers.
Overall, the data reflect a rapidly evolving mobile market where platform consolidation around Android and iOS is accelerating, and consumer preferences increasingly favor smartphones across multiple price segments.