Android shipments for the past quarter surpassed 255 million, making up nearly 85 percent of all smartphones shipped in the three-month period. According to a quarterly report out of IDC, Android set a new record for shipments in the quarter, growing 33 percent over Q2 of 2013. The big growth came in the lower-end device market, with 58.6 percent of Android phones shipped in the quarter retailing for less than $200 off-contract.
Android's share of the smartphone market has almost doubled in the last three years, according to IDC's numbers, though the distribution among Android manufacturers has flattened out. Samsung commands just under 30 percent of the market now, compared to 40 percent two years ago — with manufacturers like LG, Huawei and ZTE cutting into their sales.
Though Apple's shipments in Q2 grew by 12 percent year-over-year, its overall market share dropped to 11.7 percent from 13 percent. Windows Phone holds on tight to its third-place position, but IDC reports that Microsoft's platform commands just 2.5 percent of the worldwide smartphone market.
Source: IDC
