Android smartphones dominating sales

Not only has Android knocked Apple off its throne in the tablet industry, but it’s also dominating the world’s smartphone market.

According to the latest statistics from Strategy Analytics, Google’s mobile OS is responsible for 80 percent of handsets sold in the second quarter of 2013.

Of the 230 million smartphones shipped worldwide during Q2 2013, 182.7 million handsets run on Android. This is a significant jump from the 108.7 million Android handsets sold during the same quarter in 2012, which Strategy Analytics attributes to the Android platform’s ability to target various price tiers.

This also means that Android is now responsible for eight out of 10 smartphones shipped across the entire planet.

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Comparatively, iPhone sales have dropped from 17 in Q2 2012 percent to just 14 percent in Q2 2013 — the lowest it’s been since Q2 2010. Although Microsoft is still far behind Apple and Android, it’s still showing much more growth than iOS. During Q2 2013, Microsoft shipped 8.9 million smartphones worldwide accounting for 4 percent of the total market share.

While this may not sound like much, it’s the highest Windows Phone sales have been in three years.

These figures from Strategy Analytics echo statistics released last week that revealed Android was responsible for the majority of tablet sales during Q2 2013. The research firm reported that 34.6 million Android slates had been sold during that time period, which is more than double the 14.6 million iPads sold in the same quarter.

To little surprise, Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics cites Android’s numerous hardware partners and varying price points as a driver behind its success. Apple has been criticized by analysts in the past for its inability to target different price points, but that could all change if the company launches its long-rumored low cost iPhone this fall.