Chicago – LG’s share of U.S. smartphone activations hit 20 percent in the second quarter, up from the year-ago 8 percent, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) found.
Apple’s share of activations fell to 27 percent from the year-ago 39 percent, while Samsung’s share slipped to 34 percent from 36 percent. All other brands saw their collective share gain slightly to 19 percent from 17 percent.
CIRP based its findings on a June 1-6 survey of 500 people who activated a new or used phone in the April-June 2015 period.
The survey also found that Android’s OS share shot up to 70 percent from the year-ago 56 percent, while the iOS share fell to 27 percent from 39 percent.
“The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch helped Apple capture substantial share in the December 2014 quarter,” said CIRP co-founder Josh Lowitz. “Trends then returned to a gradual yet steady increase for Android, up from just over half of all activations a year ago.” He also pointed out that Android enjoyed higher loyalty than iOS, given that more than 90 percent of new Android buyers previously owned an Android phone. The percentage of iOS buyers who previously had an iOS phone was about 80 percent, he said.
Comparing smartphone brands, “Apple enjoys the most loyal customers, with 79 percent of Apple owners who acquired a new phone during the quarter staying with Apple,” said co-founder Mike Levin. “With multiple brands of phones to choose from, Android customers have less brand loyalty. Samsung and LG led with 56 percent and 47 percent loyalty, respectively.”
