Apple Enjoys UK Smartphone Growth As Brits Rekindle Love For iPhone

Sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have helped Apple record significant growth across Europe’s five biggest markets, including the UK, according to Kantar Worldpanel‘s figures for the second quarter of 2015.

However, the company saw a drop in sales in the US as a raft of releases from major Android competitors such as Samsung and LG ate into its market share.

Growth

Overall, Apple’s iOS has 34.1 percent of the UK market, up from 28.5 percent in June 2014, but this is still down on its 2015 high of 40.1 percent back in January.

Android took top spot with 53.2 percent (down from 60.6 percent last year), with Windows Phone recording 11.3 percent (up from 9.6 percent) and BlackBerry chiming in with 1.2 percent (as opposed to 1.1 percent in June 2014).

Kantar says screen size became an increasingly important factor for European consumers purchasing Android devices, as manufacturers look to compete with large-screen ‘phablet’ devices. iOS fans, however, are generally driven by a wider list of factors, such as phone reliability and durability, as well as the quality of the materials.

Kantar also had some words of warning for new companies looking to enter the smartphone market, following new launches from brands such as Marshall and Commodore recently.

“Entering the smartphone market is relatively easy, but being profitable is not,” said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “Some brands may successfully capture a niche if they are able to deliver enough differentiation. However, brand strength in other technology areas, such as cameras for Kodak, or PCs for Commodore, does not guarantee success in the smartphone business.”

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