TECH

Android loses ground in Europe as iPhone adds dominance in North American Market

The analysis of the smartphone market of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that in the last three months, until June 2018, Android lost 0.3% in the five main European markets, although it remains dominant, representing 79.3% of the market. Britain, Italy, Japan and China were the main countries where Google's operating system grew, accelerated by the performance of Huawei, which is singled out as a major factor in this success."Huawei has been making rapid progress in Europe for the last three years, but performance in Britain has been weak. To counter this, the manufacturer took a two-pronged approach, attacking the lower end of the market with its P Smart budget model and the top end with the P20 Pro. The P20 main series had a major impact in Britain, helping to raise Huawei's share of just 2.7% a year ago to 13.7% over the last three months, and a successful partnership with Argos has helped both sides to become major players in the lucrative British market, "says Dominic Sunnebo, global director of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Despite Apple's impressive dominance, Apple's iOS also adds up and follows, and in the US performed best, increasing 5.9% in sales to a market share of 38.7%. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus led Apple's sales, accounting for almost one in five smartphones sold, while the iPhone X was the fourth best-selling device during the period, which mainly affected Samsung's sales and of LG.Apple continues to exert tremendous power in the North American market, with iPhone models representing eight of the ten best-selling models in the last three months. "Apple currently enjoys unprecedented depth across the spectrum of smartphone prices, from the iPhone SE to the iPhone X of $ 1,000, resulting in continued growth and reaching Samsung and LG with strength," says the director of Kantar Worldpanel, noting that while Samsung is well represented in the premium market with its S9 and Note series, and its lower-priced J-series helps to compete against LG.In China, Android gained 80.4% market share, up 2%. However, the iPhone X remains the best-selling smartphone, accounting for 5.3% of all handsets sold. Kantar notes that Apple's top-of-the-range model is the best-selling model in China every month since its launch in November 2017.Major Chinese brands continue to "tighten" their competitors, with Huawei, Xiaomi and BBK Group (Oppo / Vivo) joining Apple to dominate the market with 87% of sales in the last three months, its weight against the 80% registered a year ago.
"The power and marketing budgets of the four big players in China are leaving less room for competitors to catch the attention of consumers - if they want to make an impact, it is imperative that they focus on targeting specific consumer segments, as an approach of dispersion will not work, "says Dominic Sunnebo.



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