iPhone ownership surges in UK as Android splutters

Sales of iPhones have risen in the UK as consumers turn to Apple over handsets running Google's Android operating system.

Market share of Apple's iOS system rose 6.3 per cent in the three months ending April compared to the previous year, while Android share fell by 4.9 per cent, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. The percentage of sales for Windows Phone and Other operating systems, including BlackBerry OS, fell by 0.5 and 0.9 per cent respectively.

The figures demonstrate how Apple is gradually narrowing the gulf between itself and Samsung, Google, LG and HTC handsets running Android. Android UK market share stands at 54.2 per cent, compared to iOS' 35.8 per cent.

Numerous high-profile Android handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 Edge and the HTC One M9 were released in the UK during this time, while the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have been on sale sinceSeptember last year.

“Samsung’s new flagship products became available in April, and while sell-in numbers were already positively impacted in the first quarter, being available in stores for less than a month was not enough to make a significant difference in the sell-through volume,” said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar.