NPD: Android maintains US lead, Google buy could revive Motorola

Surprise surprise, Android is still the leading US smartphone platform, with a 52 percent second quarter share, according to the research firm NPD Group.

That’s to be expected, since not much has happened to displace Android’s lead in the last quarter. NPD also notes that Motorola’s market share has fallen in the quarter — down to 9 percent from 12 percent last year — but Google’s recent Motorola purchase could bring some new life to the phone manufacturer.

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Motorola’s overall Android sales halved since last year — from 44 percent to 22 percent this quarter — in the face of Android competition from Samsung and LG. “Much as it did in the feature phone market in the RAZR era, Motorola is experiencing increased competition from Samsung and LG in the smartphone market,” NPD executive director of industry analysis Ross Rubin said in a statement today. “Closer ties to the heart of Android can help inspire new paths to differentiation.”

Motorola could also reclaim some ground in the prepaid smartphone field, according to NPD. Just 8 percent of prepaid phones were smartphones last year, but this year that figure jumped to 22 percent, buoyed by popular prepaid Android phones from the likes of Boost and Virgin Mobile. Rubin notes that prepaid phones were once a big segment for Motorola, and the company could become a significant player there again thanks to its close ties to Google.

As for the rest of the mobile market, Apple’s iOS also rose slightly in the quarter to 29 percent, while BlackBerry fell to 11 percent. WebOS, Windows Phone 7 , and Windows Mobile each held less than 5 percent of the market.

Image via Next Media Animation