Bored of Android? 17 per cent of new Windows Phone users ditching droids

Windows Phone continues to sneak up in terms of UK smartphone market share, but new research is suggesting it is Android that's losing the most users to Microsoft's mobile OS.

Data from Kandar Worldpanel ComTech claimed Windows Phone added 700,000 new users in the UK during 2012, which was an increase of 240 per cent over the previous 12 months.

However, the research pointed out that 17 per cent of these new users reportedly switched to handsets like the Nokia Lumia 800 and HTC Windows Phone 8X from those on Google's Android operating system.

That's more than any other platform apart from Symbian (26 per cent), which can be easily explained by Nokia loyalists simply upgrading from their old devices running the condemned operating system.

Android has more to lose

In contrast, 6 per cent of Windows Phone leapt from the sinking BlackBerry ship, while only 2 per cent of newcomers to Microsoft's mobile OS arrived via iOS. The other 47 per cent were buying their first smartphone.

Android sure didn't suffer too much by losing an estimated 119,000 or so users to Windows Phone in 2012, increasing its market share to 56.2 per cent. iOS was finished 2012 on 30.6 per cent, while WP was in third with just over 6 per cent, according to the research.

However, it is interesting that Android apparently lost more users to Windows Phone than iOS despite its overall gains.

Elementary analysis of the results would suggest that iPhone users are more loyal to the platform and less inclined to leave for pastures new, whereas Android users are less attached and ready to switch things up a little if a new platform intrigues.

Of course, there are more people using Android than any other platform, so by proxy there are more people who can conceivably leave for Windows Phone, but the numbers still seem a little out of whack.