According to the latest data from IDC, Android now controls 79.3% of the global smartphone market, up from 69.1% a year ago.

Apple, meanwhile, 13.2% of the market, a drop from 16.6% a year ago.

In terms of unit growth, Apple was up 20% on a year-over-year basis, while Android was up 73.5%.

These numbers are just astounding. Google’s search business isn’t even as dominant as Android. In the U.S., one of its strongest markets, Google search only has ~67% of the market.

Here’s a look at the market share:

Screenshot
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/android-now-controls-a-breath-taking-80-of-the-smartphone-market-2013-8#ixzz2bNuBmumZ

According to data gathered by NPD Group, Android phones are now the second most popular handsets behind Research in Motion’s BlackBerry range. RIM’s devices accounted for 36 per cent of the US smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, says NPD Group, followed by Android-based phones with 28 per cent, and Apple’s iPhone with 21 per cent.

However, experts have pointed out that there are more than 30 phones available in the United State that run Android, the open-source mobile operating system backed by Google and a consortium of partners in the Open Handset Alliance. These include handsets from Motorola, HTC and Samsung.

By contrast, Apple’s current iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, is believed to be coming to the end of its life cycle, with Apple poised to unveil the so-called iPhone 4G at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco next month. Apple said it had sold more than 50 million iPhones worldwide since the device first went on sale in July 2007.

Mobile devices are a key battleground for consumer electronics companies, with many traditional “computer” manufacturers diversifying in to the market. HP recently acquired Palm, while Dell is launching a range of Android-based handsets.

“As in the past, carrier distribution and promotion have played a crucial role in determining smartphone market share,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD.

“Recent previews of BlackBerry 6, the recently announced acquisition of Palm by HP, and the pending release of Windows Phone 7 demonstrates the industry’s willingness to make investments to address consumer demand for smartphones and other mobile devices. Carriers continue to offer attractive pricing for devices, but will need to present other data-plan options to attract more customers in the future.”

Resource:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/7711113/Android-phones-outsell-iPhone.html

10. T-Mobile G2 Touch

The G1 was the first of all the Google Android handsets, and with its slide-out keyboard and bricklike design, it was hard to see that the phone would ever challenge Apple. This second generation model is a lot better, having ditched the keyboard for a straightforward touch screen. There’s a five megapixel camera and eight hours of talk time – but beware: as this is simply a rebadged HTC Hero, buying one on T-Mobile limits your options.

9. LG InTouch Max GW620

The GW620 is very nearly a fantastic Android phone. But there are too many niggles for it to be perfect. On a petty note; what’s the point of a camera timer if the phone’s sides are curved so you can’t stand the phone up on its own? Sony Ericcson is much better at camera phone design. And when it comes to interface design, HTC are much better. Again, it’s got a five megapixel camera and eight hours of talktime. So there’s not much to complain about, but consumers can do better than this for the money.

8. Motorola Milestone

When it was launched in America, as the Droid, the Milestone sold almost as many units in its first two and half months as the iPhone. It did not – quite – live up to the expectations, but this is an impressive phone. It’s got a slide out keyboard, which for once feels genuinely useful without being clunky. And it has also got Motorola’s navigation built-in. Add in the car holder, and this is a pretty compelling handset, and probably one of your best options if you want an inexpensive Android phone with a keyboard.

7. Samsung Galaxy Portal

As a budget handset, the Galaxy Portal is impressive – a three-megapixel camera is a small fly in the ointment, but it produces adequate images. It offers all the usual video-recording, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities and claims up to about seven hours of talk time. The build quality simply isn’t as high as some of HTC’s premium products, but considering that it’s available from free on some very inexpensive tariffs, the Galaxy Portal is impressive.

6. HTC Hero

The Hero was, when it was first launched, heralded as the first breakthrough handset for Android. Forgive this device the ridiculous chin that makes any man carrying it in a suit’s breast pocket appear to be either packing a holster or wearing a truss. This is a slick handset with a decent interface. It’s only unfortunate because it has not yet been upgraded to the version of Android that will allow it to run satnav-style navigation in Google Maps.

5. Xperia X10

Sony Ericsson’s flagship Android handset is a fine phone – with an eight megapixel camera and a 10 hours battery life, the Sony Ericsson interface adds a level of depth to the Google experience that rivals HTC’s Sense skin.

4. HTC Legend

Perhaps the most stylish Android handset on the market at the moment, the HTC Legend is made from a single piece of aluminium. Similar in shape to the HTC Hero, it uses the same kind of manufacturing process used by Apple to make its unibody Mac computers. The Legend has a 3.2in AMOLED screen, which produces pin-sharp images and bright, crisp colours, and combines a touch-screen interface with an optical trackpad for easier menu navigation.

3. Xperia X10 Mini Pro

The startling thing about the X10 Mini Pro is simply how mini it is – this is a phone that is almost too small to be a convincing handset. But with a slide out keyboard, it’s usable even for those with fairly podgy fingers. There’s a five-megapixel camera, a built-in radio – and room for plenty more space in even the smallest handbag.

2. Nexus One

The first phone designed by Google (in association with HTC) was, on its release, a superb handset – its only weakness is that it has now been overtaken by others. It is, however, still a satisfying thing to hold, well-weighted and very small. It’s also one of a few phones that is, in conjunction with, for instance the Amazon MP3 Store, an acceptable replacement for an iPhone. It’s got a perfectly adequate five megapixel camera, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi of course, and it’s fast enough to run a decent number of apps or Google’s navigation at a usable speed.

1. HTC Desire

The HTC Desire is the best Google phone yet made, and one of the first handsets that is not only better on paper than an iPhone but also as good to use. A range of widgets that fix on the devices various homescreens make multitasking really easy, and Google’s mapping software is superb because of the phone’s impressive hardware, too. The only downside is that the battery life has yet to catch up with the processor’s capacity to run software.

Resource:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/7639362/The-10-best-Google-Android-phones.html