The latest smartphone OS data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that for the three months ending August 2016, market share for both Android and iOS grew in EU5 (Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), representing 78.1% and 17.3% of smartphone sales, respectively. In the US, iOS increased 2.5 percentage points to 30.9%, but declined in Urban China, falling to 13.5% of smartphone sales. Android dropped 1.7 percentage points in the US.

Dominic Sunnebo, Business Unit Director for Kantar Europe noted that "In Great Britain, both Android and iOS continued to enjoy year-on-year gains, with the iPhone SE remaining the top smartphone sold in the region in the three months ending August 2016."

On the flip side, "In Germany, eight out of every ten smartphones sold were Android-based. Samsung remains the top brand at 46%.

Tamsin Timpson, Strategic Insight Director at Kantar Asia stated for the report that "In Urban China, iOS accounted for 13.5% of smartphone sales in the three months ending August 2016, the lowest share for iOS since before the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in July 2014."

However, Lauren Guenveur, Mobile Analyst Kantar stated for the report that "We believe that Apple's share in Urban China will bounce back, as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus become widely available. Our September 2016 data is expected to show that initial iPhone 7 sales plus a boost from the lower-priced iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will begin to reverse iOS share decline that began in February."

That being said, Kantar believes that Huawei is continuously breaking its own record for the highest share in China – currently 30% of smartphone sales. Huawei's continuing strength means that there is no guarantee that Apple will ever return to the number one position in that market."

This is likely why Apple is dramatically stepping up their R&D in China so that they could better tap into meaningful apps that could drive more iPhone sales in China against local brands that are gaining popularity.

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