Sony and Samsung Put Pressure on Huawei's Growth in Europe

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Sep 13, 2017) - The latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reveals that in the three months ending July 2017, iOS performance was strong in the USA, China, and Japan. iOS market share in the EU5 was flat, held back by a resurgent Samsung in Great Britain. Android gained 2.8 percentage points across EU5 with Sony and Huawei the top performers. Europe's big five markets include Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

Sony began making a turnaround in its European smartphone business, reverting back to its previous strength in the mid-price tier with strong sales in Great Britain and Germany. Sony's EU5 sales share in the three months ending July 2017 climbed to 4.8%, up from 3.4% a year earlier.

"Sony made a conscious strategy change in 2015 to shift its focus from the middle tier towards the premium market in search of greater profitability," said Dominic Sunnebo, Global Business Unit Director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. "However, under-spec'd, wrongly-positioned Sony handsets were poorly received by consumers. The company's recent move back into the mid range -- a segment it is able to serve well -- has produced significant success, especially with models like the Sony Xperia XA."

The renewed focus by Sony and Samsung on their successful entry-level models put more pressure on Huawei in Europe, as its share fell in Spain and Great Britain. However, gains in Germany and Italy helped Huawei's EU5 share grow to 14.6% in the three months ending July, up from 12.4% one year earlier.

In the USA, Samsung remained in the top spot during the three months ending in July with a 36.2% share, with Apple close behind at 34.1%. The growth rates of the two brands are almost exactly matched at 2.5% for Samsung and 2.6% for Apple. The iPhone 7 was the top-selling handset during the period at 12.6% of sales, while the newer Samsung Galaxy S8 stood at 8.8%.

"Apple's US growth is very impressive, given that an all-new iPhone is expected to be announced on September 12, and should become available for purchase later in the month," Sunnebo added.

Apple saw something of a rebound in Urban China in the July data period, with share +5.1%pts to 19.3%. The large screen iPhone 7 Plus was the top selling device in Urban China in the month of July, the first time the Plus version has outsold the smaller screen iPhone 7.

Note: The Kantar Worldpanel ComTech dataviz can be embedded into online articles for a visual representation of Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Smartphone OS market share data. Click here to copy the embed code.

Smartphone OS Sales Share (%)
Germany		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change		USA		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change
	Android	80.1	81.5	1.4			Android	65.6	64.1	-1.5
	iOS	15	17	2			iOS	31.5	34.1	2.6
	Windows	4.8	1.2	-3.6			Windows	2.4	1.3	-1.1
	Other	0.2	0.4	0.2			Other	0.5	0.5	0
GB		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change		China		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change
	Android	57.3	64	6.7			Android	85.2	80.4	-4.8
	iOS	38	34.6	-3.4			iOS	14.2	19.3	5.1
	Windows	4.3	1	-3.3			Windows	0.2	0	-0.2
	Other	0.4	0.3	-0.1			Other	0.5	0.2	-0.3
France		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change		Australia		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change
	Android	76.1	80.5	4.4			Android	60.3	64.7	4.4
	iOS	18.6	18.5	-0.1			iOS	35.7	35	-0.7
	Windows	4.8	1	-3.8			Windows	3.1	0.4	-2.7
	Other	0.5	0	-0.5			Other	1	0	-1
Italy		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change		Japan		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change
	Android	82.7	83.5	0.8			Android	64.7	61.4	-3.3
	iOS	12.6	13.7	1.1			iOS	34.2	37.9	3.7
	Windows	4.7	2.6	-2.1			Windows	0.6	0.3	-0.3
	Other	0	0.2	0.2			Other	0.5	0.4	-0.1
Spain		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change		EU5		3 m/e Jul '16	3 m/e Jul '17	% pt. Change
	Android	90	91.1	1.1			Android	77.3	80.1	2.8
	iOS	9.2	8.6	-0.6			iOS	18.3	18.4	0.1
	Windows	0.6	0.3	-0.3			Windows	4.2	1.3	-2.9
	Other	0.1	0	-0.1			Other	0.2	0.2	0

About Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's Smartphone OS Market Share Data

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's smartphone OS market share data provides the media and businesses with access to the most up-to-date sales and market share figures for the major smartphone operating systems.

This information is based on research extracted from the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer panel. ComTech is the largest continuous consumer research mobile phone tracking panel of its kind in the world, conducting over one million interviews per year in Europe alone. ComTech tracks mobile phone behavior -- including phone purchases, bills/airtime, source of purchase, and usage. It also delivers additional data to promote an understanding of the drivers of share changes, and consumer insight market dynamics. All consumer data in this release excludes enterprise sales.

About Kantar Worldpanel

Kantar Worldpanel is the global expert in shoppers' behaviour.

Through continuous monitoring, advanced analytics, and tailored solutions, Kantar Worldpanel inspires successful decisions by brand owners, retailers, market analysts, and government organisations globally.

With over 60 years' experience, a team of 3,500, and services covering 60 countries directly or through partners, Kantar Worldpanel turns purchase behaviour into competitive advantage in markets as diverse as FMCG, impulse products, fashion, baby, telecommunications, and entertainment, among many others.

For further information, please visit us at www.kantarworldpanel.com.
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About Kantar

Kantar is one of the world's leading data, insight, and consultancy companies. Working together across the whole spectrum of research and consulting disciplines, its specialist brands, employing 30,000 people, provide inspirational insights and business strategies for clients in 100 countries. Kantar is part of WPP, and its services are used by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.

For further information, please visit us at www.kantar.com
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