iOS is up in the US, China, Japan, flat in the EU5 and down in Australia, with Android down in the US, China and Japan but up in the other major countries.
The latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reveals that “in the three months ending July 2017, iOS performance was strong in the US, China, and Japan".
Europe:
iOS market share in the EU5 was flat, which Kantar says was “held back by a resurgent Samsung in the UK".
{loadposition alex08}Android gained 2.8% “across EU5 with Sony and Huawei the top performers”, with the EU5 being “the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.”
Kantar reports Sony has begun to make a turnaround in its “European smartphone business, reverting back to its previous strength in the mid-price tier with strong sales in the UK and Germany".
Indeed, we’re told that “Sony’s EU5 sales share in the three months ending July 2017 climbed to 4.8%, up from 3.4% a year earlier".
Dominic Sunnebo, Global Business Unit Director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said: “Sony made a conscious strategy change in 2015 to shift its focus from the middle tier towards the premium market in search of greater profitability.
“However, under-spec’d, wrongly-positioned Sony handsets were poorly received by consumers. The company’s recent move back into the mid range — a segment it is able to serve well — has produced significant success, especially with models like the Sony Xperia XA.”
In addition, Sunnebo notes the renewed focus by Sony and Samsung on their successful entry-level models “put more pressure on Huawei in Europe, as its share fell in Spain and the UK. However, gains in Germany and Italy helped Huawei’s EU5 share grow to 14.6% in the three months ending July, up from 12.4% one year earlier".
Australia
Tamsin Timpson, Kantar’s Strategic Insight Director for APAC, shared the latest Australian data, stating: “The latest data for the three months to July 2017 shows iOS share down by 0.5% to 35%, whilst Android grew by more than 4% to 64.7%.
“Samsung enjoyed enormous share growth in this period, up from 33.5% in 3 m/e July 2016 to 40.9% in the corresponding period of 2017, with its Galaxy S8 device now taking the No.1 spot, ahead of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S8 Plus sitting in fourth place.
“Repeat purchase of the Samsung brand is very high among buyers of the Galaxy S8 models, with 81% previously owning a Samsung smartphone and 'had a previous good experience' being the top factor influencing choice of these two models. Five percent of Galaxy S8 buyers switched from an Apple device, with its attractive design and waterproof feature being top purchase drivers.”
Timpson continued: “Other brands to enjoy share growth year-on-year are OPPO, Huawei and ZTE, with OPPO having more than doubled its share to 3.2%, placing it in 3rd position, behind Apple. To date, the mid-priced and largely prepaid F1S and A57 devices have driven much of OPPO’s success in this country through electrical stores such as JB Hi-Fi with share of the $200-$500 price bracket increasing to 7.6%.
“However, in the $500+ price band, OPPO commands a share of just 2% and, whilst JB Hi-Fi remains a key channel for OPPO, the carriers are taking an increasing share in recent periods, increasing OPPO’s presence in the contract or post-paid market, which may help drive purchasing of its higher end devices such as the R9s and the R11, through wider awareness and distribution of the brand.”
US
In the US, Kantar said “Samsung remained in the top spot during the three months ending in July with a 36.2% share, with Apple close behind at 34.1%.
“The growth rates of the two brands are almost exactly matched at 2.5% for Samsung and 2.6% for Apple. The iPhone 7 was the top-selling handset during the period with 12.6% of sales, while the newer Samsung Galaxy S8 stood at 8.8%.
“Apple’s US growth is very impressive, given that an all-new iPhone is expected to be announced on 12 September, and should become available for purchase later in the month,” Sunnebo concluded, clearly having written the above just before Apple’s launch event, which has now happened, and which you can read more about here.
China
“Apple saw something of a rebound in Urban China in the July data period, with share up 5.1% to 19.3%. The large screen iPhone 7 Plus was the top selling device in Urban China in the month of July, the first time the Plus version has outsold the smaller screen iPhone 7.”
