More Than Half Of All Smartphones In China Are Running Android
Android rules the worldwide smartphone market when it comes to market share, and its dominance in China could have a lot to do with that. At the end of the first quarter of 2013, Google’s platform claimed a whopping 51.4% share of all smartphones owned in China.
That’s according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, which shows that Android’s share has grown 2.8% since the fourth quarter of 2012. And I’m sure you already know which smartphone manufacturer is driving Android adoption.
That’s right — it’s Samsung. The Korean company is the fastest-growing smartphone maker, with 15.2% of the market share. In comparison, local brands including ZTE, Lenovo, and Xiamomi hold a 20% share combined.
”Local manufacturer brands have been able to drive strong growth through bundling their handsets with carriers tariff offers, seeking out new sales channels & combining innovative product design with value to capture many first time Smartphone buyers,” said Craig Yu, Consumer Insight Director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
iOS remained “resilient” during the first quarter,” Kantar reports, with a 19.9% market share, while the dying Symbian platform — which is powering older Nokia smartphones — saw its market share decline 2% to 23%. It is believed that iOS will overtake Symbian to secure second place over the next two quarters.
Smartphones continue to become increasingly popular in China, with smartphone ownership up 1.2% to 42% last quarter. Much of that growth came from feature phone users who were upgrading to newer devices.
“Feature phones are losing their price advantage as Android smartphones are rapidly becoming more affordable and delivering better value,” Yu said. “We expect to see accelerated smartphone adoption in China in the coming months.”
