Phones running on Google's Android software now account for more than 50 percent of world smartphone sales, according to new figures released Tuesday by research firm Gartner. Android's third-quarter market share of 52.5 percent was more than double the figure of a year ago, while the market for smartphones expanded by 42 percent to reach 115.2 million units in the quarter.
Smartphones represented 26 percent of all mobile phones sold, the report said.
Korean Electronics Company Samsung was the leader in smartphone sales, with 24 million units sold. Apple, meanwhile, sold 17.3 million iPhones for a 15-percent market share, down one percent from a year earlier, while Blackberry maker RIM saw its market share drop from 15.4 percent to 11 percent.
Microsoft's Windows phone sold just 1.7 million units, said Gartner. "Android benefited from more mass-market offerings, a weaker competitive environment, and the lack of exciting new products on alternative operating systems," said Gartner analyst Roberta Cozza in the report.
"Demand for smartphones stalled in advanced markets such as Western Europe and the US as many users waited for new flagship devices featuring new versions of the key operating systems," she added. "Slowdowns also occurred in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa."