Apple iPhone still the most popular handset in Australia, while Android picks up market share in Kantar report

The smartphone market is quite a two horse race these days, with iOS and Android the options for consumers. Analytics company Kantar has released their latest report on the state of play in mobile, specifically for the Australia market which shows Android pulled slightly further ahead of iOS in the last three months of 2021.

The latest report shows that while iOS market share dropped Year over Year – by a mere 0.7% – to an even 46% share of the market. Apple still retains the top four out of five best selling handsets with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro taking first and second place respectively.

Android picked up the defecting user base, with market share climbing from 53.3% in the previous quarter to 54% overall. Samsung was the strongest Android manufacturer accounting for 30.5% of the market with the Galaxy S21 specifically accounting for 6.3% of market share. 

The Kantar report says that Samsung foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip, have been appealing to niche audiences with their more premium pricing, though it has been driving higher than average level of customer acquisition for Samsung. Customers moving to the Samsung foldables have cited the screen size and foldable screen as key features driving purchase.

The third largest vendor in Australia was OPPO according to the report, though their market share remained static at 6.2%. Google was a winner though with their market share moving from 2.4% to 3.2% thanks to the Pixel 6 series which launched late last year.

Nokia and Motorola were also in the top five brands in Australia, also picking up market share moving up to 2.8% and 1.9% respectively.

The ebbs and flows of market share in Australia are as changeable as the most recent phone launches generally swaying the market and with the Galaxy S22 set to launch early next month we’ll see what happens in the next few months.