Android dominated the smartphone market in the second quarter, with 80% of the total number of smartphones shipped across the globe being Android-based, according to Strategy Analytics.
The analyst firm,’s report says that all smartphone shipments increased by 47% during the quarter to 230m units from 156.5m shipped in the corresponding period last year.
Strategy Analytics senior analyst Scott Bicheno said that growth was driven by strong demand for Android models across all price-tiers in developed and developing markets, such as America, China and Brazil.
"Android now accounts for an impressive eight in 10 of all smartphones shipped on the planet," Bicheno added.
Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston said that competitive licensing costs, numerous hardware partners and a large apps store continue to be among the main drivers of Android’s success.
But Apple’s smartphone market share dropped to 14%, its lowest level since the second quarter of 2010.
It sold 31.2m units, a decrease compared to the 16.6% share recorded in the same quarter last year.
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Microsoft came third with a 3.9% share, selling about 8.9m units during the quarter, recording a slight increase compared to the same period last year.
Strategy Analytics analyst Linda Sui said that the Microsoft is making steady progress in the smartphone market due to strong support from Nokia.
"However, we believe Microsoft’s WP8 platform still needs to improve in at least two areas before it truly takes off," Sui added.
