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With 99.6 Percent of the Market, Can Anyone Topple iOS, Android?

Microsoft's mobile OS has only 0.3 percent of the market while BlackBerry's share dropped to zero.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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The smartphone operating system market has been a two-horse race for a while now, with Google's Android leading the pack and Apple's iOS at No. 2. That's perhaps more true than ever, according to data from Gartner, which puts the combined Android-iOS global market share at 99.6 percent.

That's up from an already impressive 98.4 percent a year earlier, Gartner said. But Android is clearly in the lead with 81.7 percent market share followed by iOS with 17.9 percent.

That leaves little room for rivals; Microsoft's mobile OS has only 0.3 percent of the market (down from 1.1 percent a year ago) while BlackBerry's share dropped to zero (from 0.2 percent a year ago). Yes, that's right: BlackBerry's share of the smartphone OS market in the fourth quarter of 2016 was literally 0.0 percent, according to Gartner.

Smartphone OS Q4 16

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Smartphone vendors together sold 432 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, a 7 percent increase from the same period in 2015, the market research firm said. Breaking it down by vendor, Apple was able to jump past Samsung to secure the No. 1 spot.

"The last time Apple was in the leading position was in the fourth quarter of 2014, when its sales were driven by its first ever large-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus," Gartner Research Director Anshul Gupta said in a statement. This time, Apple posted strong iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sales, and "also benefited from the weakened demand for Samsung's smartphones," Gupta added.

Thanks in part to its exploding Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung's smartphone sales declined 8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016.

"This is the second consecutive quarter in which Samsung has delivered falling quarterly smartphone sales," Gupta said. "Samsung's smartphone sales started to drop in the third quarter of 2016, and the decision to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 slowed down sales of its smartphone portfolio in the fourth quarter. The withdrawal of the Galaxy Note 7 left a gap in its large-screen phone range."

For 2016 overall, smartphone vendors sold nearly 1.5 billion handsets, a 5 percent increase compared to 2015.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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