For years now Android has been leading the way in every market in which it exists. While the iPhone pushed the boundaries of what we knew as a smartphone and what it could do, Google quickly stepped in and innovated over Apple in many ways, and Google’s partner OEMs have continued to do so where Apple has not. Samsung has been the big face of Android for quite some time now, like it or not, and because of that the success of Android continues to ride on what Samsung does with their phones and how public perception of the South Korean company and its products affects Google’s operating system as a whole. It’s no surprise that Google and Samsung have worked out several deals to get a more pure form of Android on Samsung’s phones, and the Galaxy S5 is the first device from Samsung in a long time that represents changes Google has been trying to make as a whole in Android. For this reason, and many others, the Galaxy S5 is now the leading face of Android as the biggest selling Android phone, and likely to retain that standing throughout the rest of the year.
Looking at the raw numbers worldwide we’re seeing an incredible surge in Android sales. Android leads the pack in the Europe, with Android holding 66.2% of market share in France, 75.5% in the UK, 75.5% in Italy, 80.9% in Germany and a massive 87% in Spain according to Kantar Worldpanel for the months of March, April and May 2014. Moving East China sports 82.7% Android ownership, 63.7% in Australia, and Japan is the only country Kantar studies where iOS leads Android, with 51.7% vs Android’s 47%. South America paints a familiar picture with 87.3% Android ownership in Brazil and 77.3% in Argentina. Moving north we find that 78.4% of Mexican smartphone owners have purchased an Android device, and for the most surprising little piece of this whole puzzle is the clean breakaway Android has finally made from iOS in the US. Android has finally surpassed the 60% mark for the first time ever in the US, bringing its marketshare to 61.9% compared with 32.5% for iOS.
This is a huge deal in the country that both Apple and Google reside in, and where Apple loyalty is highest in the world. Samsung has also surpassed Apple in terms of pure sales in the US too, pulling in 36.8% of all sales while Apple is now at 32.5%. While the iPhone 5S remains the best selling single device with 11% of the marketshare, the Galaxy S5 isn’t far behind with 9%. Only 8% of Galaxy S5 owners were previous iPhone owners though, showing a considerable difference in mindshare in the US versus countries like the UK where 25% of iPhone owners switched over to the Galaxy S5 when upgrading their phones.
What’s going on with all this momentum? To most of us Android enthusiasts it’s no surprise, as people are finally waking up and realizing choice is the greatest decision to make here. With iOS you’re stuck with whatever Apple gives you and you can’t do anything about it. With Android you get the pick of the litter not only between OEMs but features as well. Want a waterproof phone, a bigger phone, one with a stylus or one with a fantastic camera? What if battery life was more important to you or just overall cost? There’s something for everybody in the world of Android, and this is becoming more and more clear by the day.