Kantar Worldpanel ComTech’s latest analysis of annual smartphone sales figures shows that the Android dominates the smartphone markets in the US, Europe, and Australia.  Android-powered smartphones accounted for over 50% of smartphone sales in these three continents that are also major markets for the devices.  The study showed a general increase in the sales of handsets running on Google’s OS compared to the last study period and a decline in the units powered by other OS.  Android’s market share ranged from 49.6% in Italy to an overwhelming 84.1% in Spain.

The US market is the only blot in an otherwise sunny report for Google.  Android sales in the US dipped 6.8%, from 57% to the current 50.2%.  Android’s loss was Apple’s gain when it sold 8.7% more iPhone units than in the previous period, pulling up its share to 37.4% and closing in on Android’s dominance. The iPhone 4S release and Sprint’s addition of the iPhone 4 and 4S to its product lineup contributed to Apple’s strong sales in the US.  Research in Motion’s Blackberry has a measly 3% share.

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech’s study of the UK smartphone market shows that smartphone sales in Britain are distributed among Android with a 57.2% share followed by iOS at 25.6%, and Windows Phone 7 at 3.7%.  All three handsets posted increases in sales compared to the July 2011 study, with Android sales growing by 8.5%, iOS increasing by 5.4% and Windows Phone 7 a 2% growth.  Blackberry sales continue to suffer in the UK, recording its biggest fall from 19.3% in 2011 to 10.6% currently.  The popularity and sales of mobile operating systems in such as Symbian and Vanilla Windows Mobile in the UK have become insignificant.

The Android commands a bigger market share in Continental Europe, reaching a whooping 84.1% in Spain where Apple manages to grab only a 3.2% share.  Android sales in Italy accounted for 49.6%.

Apple’s weakness in the Australian market shows in iOS sales dropping to 30.5% from last year’s 36.9%.  Android however is strong in Australia, posting a double-digit growth from 36.4% in the same period in 2011 to 56.9% this year.  Another strong brand is the Windows Phone 7, recording a 2.7% increase from 2.1% to 4.8%.

Analysts attribute the Android’s success to its affordability and multimedia features that enables many consumers to upgrade to a smartphone.