We have also bumped up our user share figure for iPhones—46.9% in 2021, versus 45.9%. Apple’s small share gain comes at the expense of Android’s share, which we have lowered slightly from 54.0% to 52.9%. Despite Apple chipping away at competitors, Android will remain the more popular operating system (OS) for the entire forecast period.
“In what was a dismal year for the global economy, Apple surpassed expectations and saw remarkable revenue growth, driven by strong sales of its new iPhone 12,” said eMarketer senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Oscar Orozco. “Driven by pent-up demand, interest in 5G-enabled devices, and carrier promotions too good to pass up, consumers have purchased the new device in droves. We expect this momentum to continue into 2021.”
In the UK, Android continues to gain share over competitors. This year, 28.9 million people in the UK will use an Android smartphone, representing 59.4% of total UK smartphone users (48.7million). Currently, the iPhone is the second most popular device, representing 40.4% of users (19.7million). We increased our Android figures slightly and decreased Apple’s share compared with our Q1 2020 forecast.