Android mobiles to sell faster than iPhone?

Android... not long before we get bored of hearing that word
Android... not long before we get bored of hearing that word

Anticipation over the launch of Android-powered mobile phones is so great that analysts are predicting sales of up to 400,000 by 2009.

That would equate to over 130,000 a month given that most of the year is behind us... and considering the teeny amount of marketing for these phones compared to the iPhone pre-launch, it would certainly be a feat to achieve.

Market research firm Strategy Analysts says that Google and T-Mobile (which is carrying the phone in the US and likely the UK) wants around four per cent of the smartphone market by the end of the year.

We want more!

However, there is talk that HTC and Google are thinking even bigger than that. It's thought that 700,000 handsets are to be shipped worldwide to avoid any shortages.

While 400,000 is an ambitious figure, the Google brand is anticipated to be a big seller. Don't forget, Apple hopes to have sold 10 million first and second gen iPhones by 2009, but with a huge marketing campaign and nearly a year and a quarter headstart.

And if the open-source Android really captures the minds of users and developers as its multi-coloured search engine backer hopes it will, then sales could even outstrip the iPhone next year...

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.