Apple gains ground on Samsung's smartphone market share

Which do you prefer?
Which do you prefer?

If you use a Samsung smartphone, you might soon be in the minority, as Apple is gaining ground on Samsung for global smartphone market share.

Despite launching new S6 models this quarter, Samsung's market share decreased to 21.9% compared with 26.2% during the same period in 2014, according to data from Gartner Research.

Conversely, Apple's market share increased to 14.6% compared with 12.2% last year. Backed by a strong second quarter, during which iPhone sales increased 36% compared with last year, Apple is poised to gain even more ground later this year after it launches the widely-expected iPhone 6S.

Unbroken China

The rest of the list was made up by Chinese vendors, highlighting the importance the region will continue to play in providing our smartphones in the coming years.

Huawei was the bigger winner in the recent findings, with the company's global market share increasing to 7.8%, compared with 6.1% in 2014.

While still in fourth place, Lenovo's market share decreased from 6.6% last year to 5% in 2015 - something it clearly hopes the acquisition of Motorola will help arrest.

We're still buying smartphones as much as ever though, with worldwide sales increasing 13.5% compared with the same quarter last year, with 330 million new devices sold during the four-month period.

This is likely driven by strong growth in emerging markets, where low-cost, dual-sim phones are proving popular in areas like India and parts of Africa.

  • Trying to decide what to get? Check out our list of the best smartphones you can buy right now.