iOS' share fell to 36.4% compared to the corresponding period a year ago, with the iPhone XR being the top-selling model, accounting for 8.1% of all smartphone sales for the quarter.

Kantar said the XR appeared to be better at attracting customers from other brands – 87% of current XR owners had already owned an iPhone as their previous device, with the good experience with the brand influencing purchase.

By comparison, the XS and XS Max models commanded a combined share of 7.2%, with virtually all owners upgrading from an older Apple device.

Among the Android brands, Samsung lost some share compared to March 2018, and was down to 32.7%. Kantar said it was too early to provide solid data on the new Galaxy S10 devices individually, although initial data showed many features driving purchase, including attractive design, battery, screen resolution, camera quality and processor speed.

The Galaxy S9 continued to perform well, taking the number 2 spot behind Apple’s XR device. Other Android brands performing well were OPPO, whose share rose to 6.7% to overtake Huawei, on the back of its AX5 and A3s devices at the low- to mid-end, and the R17/R17Pro and Find X models at the higher end.

Huawei enjoyed strong share growth to 5.9%, with the Mate 20 Pro driving share at the premium end; camera quality and battery life were the main features driving purchase. Huawei's share of the $900+ price tier rose to 9.7%, where Google and OPPO have also had some success this quarter.

In the European market, Android accounted for 79.3% of all smartphone sales across the five major markets. This was primarily due to Samsung holding its share steady, and solid gains from Huawei and Xiaomi. iOS saw its share fall by two percentage points to 20.1% in Europe.

However, the American market proved a brighter spot for Apple, as it boosted its US share in the quarter to 45.5%, an increase of 6.5 percentage points on the year.

In urban China, iOS’ share fell by 0.4 percentage points, a reasonably robust performance given the intense competition from local brands Huawei and Xiaomi, Kantar said.

Apple’s 2018 flagship iPhone X was the top-selling model in the quarter, with the iPhone XS Max and the XR just making it into the top 10 best-selling devices.

The price differential between Apple and the wider urban Chinese market also reduced in the latest period, with Apples's average selling price falling by 2% year-on-year to ¥5698, against a market rise of 5%. This has helped cushion Apple from competitive pressure.