Analyst firm Ovum says its research predicts that Android will then have a market share of 38.7 per cent in the region.

In its latest forecast, Ovum said Asia Pacific smartphone shipments will double by 2016 to 200 million, representing 30.7 per cent of global shipments, which are expected to reach 653 million units.

Smartphones are expected to account for 32 per cent of the market for mobile phones for the Asia Pacific market alone, representing a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 per cent between 2010 and 2016.

"Android will drive the growth and will emerge as the dominant platform, dramatically outperforming Apple with a massive 20 per cent lead on market share," Ovum said in a statement.

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