Google system grabs 90.1% of China market

GOOGLE Inc's Android operating system expanded its smartphone market share to more than 90 percent on the Chinese mainland, gaining ground on both Apple's iOS and Nokia's Symbian, a Beijing-based research firm said yesterday.

By the end of the third quarter, Android's market share was 90.1 percent, up from 82.8 percent quarter on quarter while iOS had 4.2 percent and Symbian 2.4 percent, according to Analysys International.

"Low-cost and competitive Android products, many made by Chinese firms, have gained popularity in the domestic market and helped it expand market share," said Li Yanyan, an Analysys researcher.

The average Android phone price was 1,393 yuan (US$221) by the end of third quarter, about one-third of Apple's iPhone average price of 4,523 yuan, according to Analysys.

In the July-September period, Chinese firms including Lenovo Group Ltd, Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi launched quad-core smartphones at prices below 2,000 yuan, less than half the cost of overseas models from Samsung, Apple and HTC.

Surging sales of handsets made by Samsung, the world's biggest phone maker, also boosted Android's market share in China. Since its debut several months ago, Samsung has sold 30 million units of its Galaxy S3 model.

Apple's iPhone market share dropped from 6.0 percent to 4.2 percent in the quarter due to a lack of new models. Nokia's Symbian market share decreased from 6.0 percent to 2.4 percent, according to Analysys International.

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