Smartphones in Australia

For the past few years or so, you’ll have noticed the growing emergence of smartphones in the Australia mobile market.  The guy next to you on the train or the bus is probably using a smartphone.

Maybe you’re reading this on a smartphone right now.  It’s becoming a lot less often that you’ll come across someone making a call on a phone that isn't classified as “smart”, lacks a colored screen and has, god forbid, actual buttons.

We take a look at the smartphone market in Australia covering the essentials: the iPhone, Android competitors and especially Samsung, the fate of the Blackberry and the arrival of Windows 8 smartphones.

The Introduction of the iPhone

In 2007, Australia saw the first iPhone enter the market.  The first of its kind, this smartphone was considered “revolutionary”. It didn't take long for the iPhone to dominate the Australian market.

Bit by bit Apple introduced newer and “better” models with slight updates and new features added. A new model was released almost every year including the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S.  Most recently, Apple released the iPhone 5 which consists of a new port and a longer screen than its predecessors.

Of course, the introduction of the original iPhone and its descendants hasn’t been without problems. When the iPhone 4 was first brought to Australia it couldn’t be used due to its incompatibility with Australian phone networks, in particular the mobile broadband. Now Apple faces the threat of Android and declining sales figures.

The Rise of Android

It didn’t take long for Android smartphones to enter the market posing as competition for the iPhone empire.

The first ever smartphone operating on Android was the HTC Dream released in 2008. Subsequently, a number of other companies began releasing Android phones including LG, Samsung and Motorola.  Bit by bit, Android smartphones began to overtake the market.

High contenders include the HTC models, Motorola Droid and, of course, the Samsung Android smartphones.  Samsung with its range of high and low end Android smartphones, and particularly the Galaxy S range, has taken over from Apple as the number one seller of smartphones.

IDC reported that Android made up 75% of smartphones shipped in the third quarter of 2012, worldwide.  Today, some argue that Android smartphones are more innovative than Apple.

The Demise of BlackBerry

For years, the BlackBerry has been the smartphone of choice for many corporates and business executives.  But the rise of the iPhone and Android touchscreen smartphones, posed a serious threat to BlackBerry sales figures. To make matters worse, BlackBerry refused to embrace change and it has taken them until 2013 to present a smartphone with an entirely touch-only screen.

Perhaps the full keypad was what they considered to be their trademark.  Perhaps it’s what they considered that their customers, mainly business executives, wanted.  But the figures show that more and more people were choosing touchscreens over the classic BlackBerry.

[Image Source: smh.com.au]

Will BlackBerry’s latest model the Z10, with its 4.2 inch touchscreen and brand new operating system; BlackBerry 10, be enough to save BlackBerry?

The Arrival of Windows 8

The most recent arrival on the smartphone scene is the Windows 8 smartphones. Will these phones be the ones to finally give Microsoft a strong footing in the Australian smartphone market? The Windows 8 operating system can be found on various handsets including Nokia’s Lumia series.

The Lumia is available in the 920 and the slightly smaller 820. Both come in a choice of four different colors: black, white, red and yellow.  HTC also offers two smartphones running on the Windows 8 operating system, namely the 8X and the 8S.  These phones are similar in appearance to the Nokia Lumias and are also available in bright colors.


Samsung was first to release a Windows 8 smartphone with the Ativ S.

Windows 8 smartphones feature a “Live Tiles” display, rather than a series of icons as Android and iPhone users and used to.  The tiles are customizable. You can resize (from a choice of 3 different sizes) and recolor (from a choice of 20 colors) your tiles. They also display updates (such as a new message or missed call) rather than remaining static.

Microsoft also offers its own apps, available through the Windows Phone Store.  According to Microsoft there are more than 120,000 apps in the Windows Phone Store with more added every day.

Where do they all sit?

According to a study conducted at the end of last year, the standing of smartphone sales in Australia was this:
Android sales: 67.1%

iPhone sales: 23.2%

Windows sales: 4.9%

Blackberry (RIM) sales: 0.6%

Increasing competition and the availability of so many varied handsets raises the questions: what does the future hold for the Australian smartphone market? Will Android continue rising? Will Apple and Blackberry continue falling? Do Windows 8 smartphones pose a serious threat?

  Guest Post

About the Guest Post:

This article thanks to Vivid Wireless - an Australian leader in 4G services.