Android Surpasses 50% Smartphone Market Share, iPhone, Windows Phone, BlackBerry On the Decline - Gartner

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The Android patent wars may never see an end, but in terms of market share, Android seems to be winning. Market figures indicate that Google’s mobile operating system has surpassed half of smartphone sales in Q3 2011, with all other platforms declining in market share.

Since its launch, Android has been in an upward trajectory in terms of relevance, popularity and market share. Recent figures released by Gartner indicate that Android now comprises majority of all smartphones sold in the third quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, other platforms are seeing a dwindling market share, including the Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s BlackBerry and the Windows Phone 7 platform that runs various brand smartphones.

Android’s 52.5% market share is a big jump from Q3 2010′s market share, which was at 25.3. But, as the entire smartphone market has grown 42% overall, Android’s slice of the pie is even growing bigger and bigger in terms of handsets sold.

Meanwhile, Gartner says Apple is losing market share, even as it has posted an overall growth in iPhone sales, which increased by 4 million. In Q3 2010, Apple had a 16.6% share in smartphone sales, and this declined to 15% in Q3 2011. RIM’s figures are even bleaker, growing 200,000 unit sales nominally, but getting a 4% reduction in market share.

The same can be said with other platforms. Windows Phone was still bundled with “others,” which includes webOS, which likewise fell in terms of market share. However, a few changes might be in order, with Nokia launching its Windows-based Lumia smartphones this week, and with Apple’s popular iPhone 4S just getting launched in October. For now, Android is in the lead, and will continue to do so, as mobile phone manufacturers increasingly start using the Android platform even for basic, low-end mobile devices.