Android smartphones to continue to expand market share in 2017

Competition for market share between Apple's iOS system and Android OS will remain keen in 2017, particularly in the China market, due to new models introduced by Apple and vendors in the Android camp.
 
It is widely expected that there will be an explosive demand for new iPhone devices marking the 10th anniversary of iPhone with a number of updates in specifications, according to industry sources.
 
The production volume of the next iPhone devices for 2017 will reach at least 100 million units, market research firm TrendForce indicated earlier.
 
However, major players in the Android camp are not idly sitting around to let Apple grab market share alone. Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Sony Mobile Communications, Huawei and Oppo have already introduced new Android phones to vie for market share.
 
The first batch of shipments of Samsung's Galaxy S8 smartphones are expected to reach 17 million, a 40% increase as compared to the initial shipments of its predecessor, estimated the sources, noting that first-year shipments of the Galaxy S8 are likely to reach 60 million units.
 
LG, Sony Mobile and a number of China-based vendors are actively expanding their share in emerging markets, particularly in India, South Africa and Southeast Asia, the sources added.
 
In China, local vendors including Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi Technology have emerged as leading players, and Android-based smartphones currently account for an 86.4% share in the China market compared to 13.2% held by the iOS, the sources revealed.
 
Android-based smartphones are expected to account for 90% of the global smartphone OS market in 2017 compared to over 85% in 2016, the sources estimated.

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