Taking over! Google's Android powers 97% smartphones in India

It seems to be Android all the way in India's smartphone market. Google's mobile operating system powers as many as 97% smartphones in the country, according to a report by Strategy Analytics.

According to the report, smartphone shipments grew 19% annually to reach 31 million units in India during the second quarter of 2016. Android was the star performer and maintained first position with a record 97% smartphone OS marketshare in India.

Rajeev Nair, senior analyst, Strategy Analytics, said, " Total smartphone shipments in India grew a healthy 19% annually from 25.8 million units in Q2 2015 to 30.7 million in Q2 2016. India is currently the world's third-largest smartphone market, after China and the US. India is growing quickly due to low smartphone penetration rates, an expanding middle class with more disposable income, and intense competition among major vendors, retailers and operators."

According to Neil Mawston, executive director, Strategy Analytics, "Android shipped 29.8 million smartphones in India in Q2 2016, growing an impressive 28% annually from 23.2 million units in Q2 2015. Android maintained first position across India with a record 97% OS share for the quarter, up from 90% a year ago. Android dominates the India smartphone market and looks unbeatable right now, due to its deep portfolio of hardware partners, extensive distribution channels, and a wide range of low-cost apps like Gmail."

Research company International Data Corporation (IDC) recently released its forecast for the second quarter of 2016. According to the report, vendors shipped a total of 343.3 million smartphones worldwide during the quarter. This was relatively flat, up 0.3% from second quarter of 2015 when vendors shipped 342.4 million units. The market did show greater sequential growth as shipments were up 3.1% from 333.1 million in the first quarter of 2016.

The top five list remained intact from last quarter with Samsung remaining in front while also
gaining share thanks to strong Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge performance. For Apple, the second quarter is seasonally its lowest of the year as consumers hold off on purchases in anticipation of the next big launch in the third quarter. Apple shipped 40.4 million units in 2Q16, which marked the lowest quarterly volume in seven quarters, despite the mid-cycle introduction of the iPhone SE.

In the face of declining shipments, Apple did witness strong sales in both established and emerging markets thanks to the launch of the more affordable iPhone SE.

Also read: Google beats Oracle in $9 billion Android trial