LG, Motorola, Android and Windows Phone gain market share as Apple falls in many major markets

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.