Android leads British smartphone market

The iPhone 4S posted record smartphone sales for Apple. Still, the United Kingdom market favors Android-based operating systems over iOS.

According to a study by global analytics firm Kantar, as of January 2012, 36.9 percent of British citizens who own a smartphone are using an Android-based device, and 28.5 percent are using an iOS-based smartphone.

In January 2011, Android phones were owned by only 20.1 percent of the U.K. population, while 29.2 and 26.7 percent of the population, respectively, owned iOS and Symbian-based smartphones.

Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar Worldpanel Comtech's global consumer insight director, noted that although Android is widely sought in the British market, Apple has experienced huge sales based on its iPhone 4S release and new pricing structure.

Also, he noted Windows Phone 7 recent growth due to its ability to adapt to consumers' need for social networking.

"Eighty one per cent of [Windows] handset owners have used social networking on their device in the past month, higher than both iOS and Android. Meanwhile, three quarters have used GPS, indicating that its decision to include Nokia maps for free was a price worth paying to drive user engagement."

Although Apple and Android currently hold the largest smartphone market share, the rise of Windows could mean a third major shareholder is on its way.