Android will grab a 90-percent share of the global smartphone market by the end of this year, a recent report by DigiTimes suggests. Handsets running Google’s operating system have accounted for approximately 85 percent of the global market in 2016, the same source claims, noting that the ubiquitous mobile OS still isn’t showing signs of slowing down as it continues increasing its already massive lead over other mobile platforms.
While industry watchers predict that Apple will have a strong year due to the tenth anniversary of the iPhone that will likely drive up the demand for iOS-powered devices, Android original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are reportedly ready to challenge Apple’s position on the market, with Samsung, LG, and Huawei having already released high-end devices that can compete with products made by the San Diego-based tech giant. While it remains to be seen whether the LG G6, Huawei P10, and the Huawei P10 Plus will do well on the market, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus are expected to become massive commercial hits that will outsell every other competitor in the Android ecosystem. Samsung already manufactured approximately 17 million units of its latest flagship lineup, which is a 40-percent increase compared to the initial batch of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge, industry sources told DigiTimes, adding that the South Korean consumer electronics maker will likely manage to ship over 60 million models of its flagship duo by the end of the year.
Apart from the aforementioned tech giants, Chinese Android OEMs like Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo are also expected to continue their aggressive expansion efforts and increase their performance in 2017, especially in developing markets like India. While the western markets have been showing signs of saturation for years now, India is a unique case of a massive emerging market that’s still growing in an impressive manner. According to recent estimates, Indian consumers will purchase approximately 130 million new handsets over the course of this year, which is a market share that all major OEMs in the world deem worth fighting for. While it remains to be seen whether Android as a whole manages to increase its market lead by the end of the year, the smartphone industry in general is expected to become even more competitive in the coming months.