Strategy Analytics: Android Captures 79 Percent Share of Global Smartphone Shipments in 2013

BOSTON, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 41 percent annually to reach a record 990 million units in 2013. Android captured 79 percent share of all smartphones shipped worldwide and extended its lead over Apple, Microsoft and other rivals.

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Ken Hyers, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments grew 34 percent annually from 217.0 million units in Q4 2012 to 290.2 million in Q4 2013. Global smartphone shipments for the full year were just shy of the 1 billion level, but they nonetheless reached a record 990.0 million units in 2013, increasing from 700.1 million in 2012. Global smartphone shipment growth decreased slightly from 43 percent in 2012 to 41% in 2013, due to high penetration in some major markets like the United States."

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Android shipped a record 781.2 million smartphones worldwide for 79 percent marketshare in 2013. Android shipped four times more smartphones than Apple and Microsoft combined. There is little doubt that 2013 was the year of Android. However, Android's annual growth rate slowed to 62 percent in 2013, its lowest level in the platform's history. We expect Android's growth to slow further in 2014 due to market saturation, and rivals like Microsoft or Firefox will be ready to pounce on any signs of a major slowdown for Android this year."

Linda Sui, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "Apple iOS grew a sluggish 13 percent annually and shipped 153.4 million smartphones worldwide for 15 percent marketshare during 2013. Despite record volumes, 2013 is arguably a year that Apple will want to forget as growth slowed sharply and its new 5c model performed less strongly than expected. Microsoft is now firmly established as the smartphone industry's third major ecosystem, shipping 35.7 million units worldwide to capture 4 percent marketshare in 2013. However, the Windows Phone platform is still struggling to gain traction in the low-tier and premium-tier smartphone categories and they remain serious weaknesses that Microsoft will need to address in 2014."

Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone OS Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2013  [1]

The full report, Android Captures 79 Percent Share of Global Smartphone Shipments in 2013, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/9djv7u8.

About Strategy Analytics:
Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm. The company is headquartered in Boston, USA, with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, India and China. Visit www.strategyanalytics.com for more information.

Americas Contact:
Ken Hyers / +1 617 614 0757 / [email protected]

EMEA Contact:
Neil Mawston / +44 1908 423 628 / [email protected]

Asia Contact:
Linda Sui / +1 617 614 0734 / [email protected]

[1]  Numbers are rounded.

SOURCE Strategy Analytics