Samsung Bests Apple Inc. (AAPL) In Europe and US

With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung fighting it out for the top spot in the smartphone market, this is a story we are always keeping an eye on. Of course, the two companies are also locked up in legal battles in courtrooms all over the world. In other words, there is no separating these two companies for the time being.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech recently took a closer look at the fight between Apple and Samsung, paying close attention to what is going on in both Europe and the United States.

Here is what you need to know about the European battle:

“The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months to May 2013, show that almost half of all smartphones sold in Europe are a Samsung. This uplift has helped Android to a 70.4% share across the five major European markets, up from 61.3% a year ago, and far higher than the 17.8% and 6.8% shares for iOS and Windows respectively.”

As you can see, Samsung is top dog in Europe. In fact, the company is so dominant that just about half of all smartphones sold in the region are Samsung. This is good news for the company, as well as its Android operating system.

What about the United States? Is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) competing any better on its home soil?

In the United States, Android continues to be the top OS with a 52 percent market share. That being said, Android’s growth has slowed down quite a bit in the past year. Right now, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS is holding onto 41.9 percent of the market.

Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, added an interesting take on this data:

“Across Europe, Android growth remains strong. However, in the US Apple’s expanded distribution agreement with T-Mobile is helping the iPhone keep Android growth at bay. T-Mobile is the smallest of the big four US carriers but it does have the capacity to give iOS a boost, particularly as 28% of its customers plan to buy an iPhone when they next upgrade.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is doing its part in keeping the growth of Android to a minimum in the United States. The question is: will Cupertino be able to continue to grow its market share as a means of closing the gap even further?

The battle between Samsung and Apple is just beginning.

What are your thoughts on the Samsung vs. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) competition in the smartphone market? Which company do you like the best? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to check out this article if you have the time.