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Android Controls 60% of UK Market But iPhone 5s Still Beats Galaxy S5
Samsung is struggling to keep up with Apple in the UK, according to Kantar Worldpanel Comtech
Samsung Galaxy S5 sales are said to be lagging behind Apple’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in the UK. The information comes via Kantar which reports that, while Android is still by far and away the dominant OS in the UK, sales of Samsung’s latest flagship are failing to keep pace with offerings from Apple.
Kantar’s latest stats, which cover buying habits of UK punters, take into account the last three months’ worth of sales, ending May. According to the paper, the Galaxy S5 was the “third best selling smartphone” for the three-month period, with the older iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C taking the first and second spots.
Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar said, “The Samsung Galaxy S5 has had some success in attracting former iPhone owners across Europe. In general, consumers buying the Galaxy S5 were primarily attracted by its large screen size. This is something Apple is likely to address with the rumoured larger screen iPhone 6 launch expected in late September.”
Apple’s iOS platform now accounts for 29.4% of the UK smartphone space, while Android takes the lion’s share with a whopping 60.2%. Windows Phone improved its UK market share too, however, and now accounts for 9.1% of the UK market. Kantar cites handsets like the Nokia Lumia 520 as key factors for Microsoft’s improving presence in the UK smartphone space.
The Nokia Lumia 930 is scheduled to get a release very soon as well; some UK retailers claim the handset will be available from July 1, although Nokia has yet to offer an official comment on this.
And last but not least, BlackBerry, which – according to the stats – has effectively died in the UK. Last year the company controlled around 6% of the market. Fast-forward to 2014 and that figure has dropped to just 1.1%, a mere sliver of what it once was. Can the company turn this around with the launch of its BlackBerry Passport?