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Apple falls, Android gains in US market share, and the iPhone X is to blame

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Dec 05, 2017, 8:08 AM

The latest phone market share data from research firm Kantar is here, and it shows that Apple's iOS piece of the pie fell quite significantly in the US year-on-year, due to the late launch of the iPhone X.

The one that managed to take advantage of people holding off their iPhone purchase for the X, is Android, whose market share by the end of October has increased from 63% to 66% in the US, compared to August, while iOS went from 35% to 32%. Needless to say, that was the time when Android handsets saw a bunch of promotions aiming to take advantage, but all other major markets saw a similar trend, too.

The share of Android phone sales in the US got boosted by the whopping 8% year-on-year in that period, mainly at the expense of Apple. Given the sales trends of the iPhone X, however, Apple is likely to announce a record holiday quarter, with the most iPhones it has ever sold, so the situation may reverse quickly, and Apple could easily reclaim the ground it lost with the belated launch of the X.

Apple falls, Android gains in US market share, and the iPhone X is to blame

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.