It has been revealed that 95% of smartphones shipped to Africa in the first quarter of 2015 run on Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems. These operating systems are believed to be responsible for the increase in the number of smartphone shipment to Africa.
Middle East and Africa (MEA) smartphone shipments are set to total 155 million units in 2015 after increasing 66% year on year during the first quarter to reach more than 36 million units, according to the latest figures announced today by global technology consulting firm International Data Corporation (IDC).
The company’s ‘Q1 2015 Mobile Phone Tracker’ shows that smartphones accounted for 63% of the handsets shipped in the Middle East during the quarter and 47% in Africa. This comes at the expense of feature phones, which suffered year-on-year declines of around 20% in both regions and will make up just 27% of the overall MEA handset market by the end of 2019.
Shipments of devices featuring Android and iOS operating systems increased by a combined 67% year on year. In the Middle East, Android currently represents 80% of market’s volume, while iOS accounts for 17%; in Africa, these figures stand at 89% and 7%, respectively. Android is particularly dominant in the low to mid-priced bands, while iOS is mainly found in the $450+ price category.
