Android reclaims top spot in Australian smartphone market

Android has reclaimed top spot in the Australian smartphone market, with Windows Phone-based devices still failing to gain traction.

Telsyte estimates 3.7 million smartphones were sold in Australia during the first half of 2015, a 6% decrease on sales a year ago.

The emerging technology analyst firm says 450,000 new smartphone users were added during the same period.

Telsyste is predicting 4.5 millon smartphones will be sold in the second half of this year.

The Telsyte Australian Smartphone and Wearable Devices Market Study 2015-2019 shows 17.2 million Australians – 72% of the population – now own a smartphone, with the devices clearly the favoured device for communications and portable computing.

Alvin Lee, Telsyte senior analyst, says the smartphone market is entering a stage of maturity with growth starting to be driven by demographic factors such as net migration and births.

The study shows sales of Android-based smartphones pulled ahead of the iPhone in the first half of this year to take 54% share versus the iPhone's 41%. Windows Phone-based devices showed 'relatively slow performance' due to the lack of new handsets and Microsoft's transition away from the Nokia brand, claiming just 5% share.

The report shows Sony is now the third largest smartphone vendor in Australia, behind Apple and Samsung, after ousting HTC from that spot in the first half of 2015.

Telsyte says pricing and brand are still the most important factors cited by consumers when it comes to choosing a smartphone, however, an increasing level of importance is being placed on 'lifestyle' factors such as durability and resistance to elements, the research company says.