Kantar: Samsung's Galaxy S6 helps cut into Apple's share of U.S. smartphone market

Thanks in large part to the introduction of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S6 smartphone, Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android platform saw its market share in the U.S. inch up at the expense of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iOS, according to a new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Kantar's May numbers show Android in the lead.

For the three months ending in May, Android grew its market share in the U.S. by 2.8 percent year-over-year to 64.9 percent. Apples' iOS saw its market share dip 2.4 percent to 30.9 percent, while Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) grew its market share modestly to 3.5 percent from 2.9 percent a year ago.

"The first full month of sales of the Galaxy S6 allowed Samsung to regain the market lead in the U.S .and grow its share of Android sales from 52% in the three months ending in April to 55% for the three months ending in May," Kantar analyst Carolina Milanesi said in a statement. "Samsung's share of the US smartphone market grew period-over-period, as the Galaxy S6 became the third best-selling smartphone in the U.S., after the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S5."

Milanesi said Samsung's year-over-year performance also improved, with its U.S. market share now down only 0.5 percentage points compared to 1.6 percentage points in the three months ending in April.

In the U.S., iOS saw its momentum slow, both period-over-period and year-over-year. Samsung wasn't the only OEM cutting into Apple's market share, Kantar found, as LG Electronics nearly doubled its market share in U.S. smartphone market year-over-year in the three months ending in May.

"Other tier-one Android players, such as HTC and Motorola, had a more difficult period, with their share decreasing both year-over-year and period-over-period, raising hopes for competitors--such as Huawei and Sony, who have yet to wow US consumers--that share could be up for grabs," she said.

For more:
- see this Kantar report
- see this ZDNet article

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