Nearly 3 out of 4 smartphones sold between July and September were Android devices, according to a new report.
Gartner Inc, a research firm, reported that Google's Android-based smartphones accounted for 72.4 percent of all smartphones sales in the third quarter, according to the Los Angeles Times. The number is up from 52.6 percent last year.
The reason? Samsung's products seemed to be the biggest piece of that puzzle. People wanted Samsung phones and most of their phones run on Android.
Apple sold more than 23.5 million phones, which also meant a gain of 17.3 percent from last year. However, its market share slipped to 13.9 percent from 15 percent as Android made super gains. Gartner hypothesizes that users around the world may be waiting for the iPhone 5 to arrive in their countries. Windows Phone 8 had a similar projection, with Gartner suggesting that users wanted to wait for new Windows Phone 8 devices.
Gartner also said that smartphone users may not upgrade this holiday season.
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"Consumers are either cautious with their spending or finding new gadgets like tablets as more attractive presents," the firm said.
Smartphone sales grew nearly 47-percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, and now make up about 40% of all mobile devices. However, feature phones, or phones that aren't smartphones, have declined --slipping 21 percent from last year.
It's not surprising that Android is gaining momentum in the smartphone market because it has the most diverse range of phones available.
Apple's iOS only has one phone, the iPhone, while Android runs on the Samsung Galaxy S3, the LG Lumia or the Motorola Photon, just to name only three. Users can select a phone that works at several different price points, something very appealing to those in developing nations. For iPhone users, the selection is limited to only one model.
