Why do people choose Android smartphones?

Why do people choose an Android handset over the iPhone?

Over on The Guardian, Charles Arthur has data collected by Kantar Worldpane ComTech for the UK, and it makes some very interesting reading.

Note: The table originally contained data for RIM, but since enterprise sales were excluded I've chosen to edit out data for that company.

What's interesting here is where Android trumps iOS. First, ease of use. There's not much between the two operating systems in this category but it's still interesting that Android beats iOS in this category, especially given how hard Apple works to make the iPhone easy to use.

The higher scores in the plan (tariff) costs and network operator categories are interesting. What this suggests to me is that OEMs and carriers are working hard to offer better deals for Android handsets.

OS brand score is a real eye-opener. It's easy think of Apple's iOS as the be-all, end-all mobile OS and that it holds the top spot in consumer's hearts. It doesn't, at least not in the UK. It seems that in the UK the Android brand is a far stronger draw for consumers than iOS is.

Then there's handset price - the results here are a no-brainer.

So there you have it - people choose Android over iOS because it's easier to use, customers prefer the plans and the network operators, they like the OS brand, and the handsets are cheaper.

If you're an Android owner, why did you choose it over iOS or RIM or Symbian or Windows Phone?