iPhone Finally Gains Some Momentum, But Android Still On Top

The iPhone 7 didn't sell as well as Apple had hoped, but the holiday season proved to be a major turning point for the iPhone. However, Google's Android phones continue to remain on top of the market overall, but the iPhone is catching up.

In the latest report published by Kantar World Panel, the market share of the iPhone in the U.S. grew by as much as 6.4 percent during the months of September, October, and November. iOS was able to make some gains in at least seven out of the nine markets being monitored by Kantar.

iPhone sales during Q4 of 2016, following the release of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, accounted for approximately 43 percent of the US market share which is up by six percent compared to how it fared 2015 around the same time of year. The iPhone also saw plenty of growth in the U.K. as well as its market share went up to 48 percent in 2016, a nine percent increase compared to how it did in 2015. It also puts the iPhone right on pace with the Android's 50 percent market share in the U.K. for the months of September, October, and November.

Kantar also reports that Android's grip on the U.S. market is starting to slip, making it the sixth consecutive period of decline. Android accounted for around 55 percent of smartphone sales in the U.S. market, which is a pretty respectable figure. However, it is down from 60 percent during the same period in 2015.

At this point, it is pretty hard to say whether or not Android's sales would have fared better had it not been for the whole Galaxy Note 7 fiasco that basically forced Samsung to recall all of their units. Per CNET, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge had nearly the same amount of sales as iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and iPhone 6S during the holiday period. To be more precise, Samsung had a 29 percent share while Apple had 31 percent.

Android continues to dominate the Chinese market which is an area that Apple has been looking to gain ground on for quite a while now. While Android is still on top of the smartphone market overall, Apple still has plenty of room and time to grow and catch up.