One In Ten Smartphones Sold In Europe Is A Windows Phone

Windows Phone is continuing to expand its market share in Europe, with one in ten smartphones sold in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain running the platform, according to the latest research from Kantar WorldPanel ComTech.

Microsoft’s mobile operating system has made significant gains in Europe over the last few months, with increased adoption attributed almost entirely to the popularity of Nokia Lumia handsets.

Windows Phone is even more popular than iOS in Italy, although Android remains the dominant platform in Europe, accounting for 71.9 percent of all sales in Europe, a year-on-year increase of 4.2 percent.

Windows Phone market share

Microsoft is due to complete a £4.6 billion takeover of Nokia’s devices and services business as it seeks to assume more control over its hardware and will hope the move will continue its recent success on the continent, as well as its popularity in emerging markets like Latin America.

Android accounts for 58.4 percent of the UK market, with Windows Phone commanding 11.4 percent, while BlackBerry’s share has dwindled to just 3.1 percent. Apple saw its share slide by one percent to 27 percent, although this is expected to pick up as consumers snap up the iPhone 5S and 5C during the Christmas shopping season.

“August is traditionally a quiet month for Apple as consumers wait for the release of new models, and strong sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C at the end of September did not manage to make up for the lull,” explains Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “The full impact of the new iPhones will be seen at Christmas when iOS is expected to bounce back strongly in Britain, the US and Australia.”

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