Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Nielsen: Android expands smartphone OS lead in Q3, Apple still top vendor

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:34PM EST
BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Google’s lead among smartphone platforms grew wider in the United States last quarter as Research In Motion and Microsoft each lost share to Android. Just-released data from Nielsen for the third quarter shows that Google’s share of the smartphone market in the U.S. grew to 43%, up from 39% in the second quarter. Apple’s iOS stayed flat at 28% while RIM’s BlackBerry OS slid from 20% last quarter to 18% in the third quarter and Microsoft’s mobile platforms combined to make up 7% of the market, down from 9% last quarter. Nokia’s Symbian OS and HP’s webOS now fall into the “Other” category. Read on for more.

Among smartphone vendors, Apple again finds itself atop the list in the U.S. with 28% of the market in terms of installed base. Nielsen did not provide additional data regarding vendor share for the third quarter. Earlier estimates from market research firm Canalys found that HTC took the top spot among smartphone vendors in the U.S. by shipment volume last quarter.

Nielsen also notes that smartphone penetration in growing steadily across various age groups in the U.S. Consumers ages 25-34 are still the most likely to own a smartphone, with penetration having ballooned from 41% in the third quarter last year to 62% last quarter. Smartphone penetration in the 18-24 demographic is now at 54%, and 53% of consumers ages 35-44 own a smartphone.

A total of 43% of cell phone users in the U.S. owned smartphones in the third quarter according to Nielsen.

Read

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.