Which mobile platform has the largest global market share in the world? If you said Android, you’d be right. According to the latest data from Counterpoint Research, Android continues to dominate the global smartphone market with a staggering 74% market share in Q4 2024 compared to iOS, which only has a 22% market share.
Huawei beats out Apple in China
However, what’s interesting is that in China, Huawei’s HarmonyOS actually surpassed Apple’s iOS. In Q4 2024, iOS had a market share of 17% in China, but HarmonyOS edged past it with a 19% market share. The numbers reflect the rapid growth that Huawei’s HarmonyOS has had in the last couple of years.
In Q1 2023, HarmonyOS had an 8% market share, but in about 2 years, it doubled its market share in China. iOS, on the other hand, has been going up and down, dropping to as low as 14% in Q3 2023. Android has also been seeing a steady decline in China. It had a 72% market share in Q1 2023, but in Q4 2024, it dropped to 64%.
We won’t say that Android is in any danger of being taken over by HarmonyOS anytime soon in China. However, HarmonyOS does have the added benefit of being a homegrown platform, plus Chinese customers are particularly patriotic, too. Not to mention, Google’s services are banned in China. So, for the most part, it’s not that hard for Chinese users to move away from Android compared to the rest of the world.
Will HarmonyOS become dominant?
Speaking about the rest of the world, HarmonyOS commands only about 4% of the global market share compared to iOS and Android. Although its share has increased over the years, it’s still only a fraction of Android and iOS. That said, different markets do have different types of users who prefer one platform over the other.
While Android continues to dominate worldwide, iOS leads the US market with a 65% share. Android’s market share dropped in the US, going from 48% in Q3 2024 to 35% in the next quarter. It will be interesting to see if Huawei’s HarmonyOS eventually becomes a dominant player globally. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an alternative to iOS and Android one day?
2025-03-15 15:07:55