Android Saw Twice As Many Buyers As iPhone Over The Past 3 Months

Head down into the bunkers and lock the door, friends — there be flamewars a comin’.

Nielsen released a new mobile research report this morning, with at least one big landmark stat within: over the past 3 months, Android has pulled in twice as many new smartphone buyers as the iPhone.

The new-buyers breakdown, over the past 3 months:

• 56% of those buying a new smartphone bought an Android device
• 28% bought an iPhone
• 9% bought BlackBerry
• 6% bought “Other” (which contains Windows Phone, amongst others)

Of course, these stats really should have a little asterisk tucked somewhere inside. The iPhone is onephone (or two, counting the 3GS), by one manufacturer. Android is, at this point, hundreds of models, across dozens of manufacturers. That’s not said to knock Android in any way — but it’s worth noting that when the pie is split so many ways across so many manufacturers and models within, the iPhone is probably making exponentially more money for Apple than Android phones are for anyone.

Also worth noting, but immeasurable: how many would-be iPhone buyers held off with the knowledge that a new iPhone was not only on the way, but was actually behind its normal release schedule? It’ll be interesting to see these numbers for the next three months.