Why 1 in 2 smartphones in the U.K. run Android

When visiting the U.K. and looking to see what phones the locals use, odds are that every other one has Google Android device in hand.

Research from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech by way of the Mobile Business Briefing indicates that Android phones command a 49.9 percent market share in the U.K., up from 29 percent a year ago. Much of the Android share comes at the expense of a competitor you might expect to be hurting too badly: Apple’s iPhone. The data shows that Apple’s market share in the U.K. has fallen to 18.5 percent, which is down from 33 percent last year. That reduction has allowed Research In Motion to capture the no. 2 spot with 22.5 percent of sales. Other notable figures outside the top three include Nokia devices (6 percent) and Microsoft handsets with a scant 1.4 percent of sales.