Android phones are now more popular that iPhones in the UK, according to new research.
Around 28% of smartphone owners own an Android handset, narrowly edging out the 26% iPhone users for the first time, the study for digital banking provider Intelligent Environments found. Around 14% of smartphone users own a Blackberry, it said.
Over four million British people over the age of 18 own an Android handset. The greater variety of handsets available means that Android powered phones have a wider appeal, and are therefore popular with both young professionals and older people.
Over a third of smartphone users, 36%, between the ages of 25-34 use Android devices, while a quarter of retired people with smartphones also have phones on the platform.
Android users are most likely to spend time mapping and planning travel – 34% rate this in the top three “apps” they spend the most time using, compared with BlackBerry and Apple (both 28%).
James Richards, director of mobile at Intelligent Environments, said: “The top three mobile platforms in the UK certainly seem to attract different personalities. It’s fair to say that iPhone and BlackBerry have strong identities but given that Android is on a number of handsets, we are clearly seeing more of a mixed user base.
“Perhaps we will see the telecoms industry of the future tailoring their apps and services further to suit the variety of demands being placed on the mobile.”
Meanwhile, in the US, a report from ComScore revealed that despite the Verizon iPhone outselling every other handset during February, Android devices still occupy the lion’s share of the market, 33%, after the platform grew it’s share by 7% between November and February.
RIM dropped 4.6% to 28.9, while Apple comes in at third place with just over a quarter of the US market.
