Windows Phone users are jumping ship, and Microsoft needs to act fast

Microsoft Lumia 640
Microsoft Lumia 640

Microsoft hasn't revealed a new flagship smartphone since it rebranded the Lumia range.

That means the end of last and the beginning of this year has been rather dry in terms of big spec Windows Phone handsets. The company has instead focused on mid-range handsets like the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL.

It looks like that choice may be damaging Windows Phone's market share as between January and April this year the platform has dropped over a million users in the US, declining from a 3.6% market share to just 3%.

Android has dropped quite a bit further but it still owns the lion's share with 52.2% of all smartphones in the country on the OS.

Step it up

The drop in Windows Phone users makes Microsoft's operating system only twice as big as BlackBerry and it's getting scarily close to the failing manufacturer's figures.

It may not all be down to the lack of a flagship smartphone, but it looks like some who were waiting for the Microsoft flagship rumoured at the end of 2014 may have given up and jumped ship over to the iPhone 6.

Especially paired with Microsoft's commitment to put its services onto Apple products it's hard to justify why those who are waiting for that new Microsoft flagship are sticking around.

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James Peckham

James is the Editor-in-Chief at Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.