Android’s share of the smartphone market dipped in the quarter, NPD said, to 50 percent in the first quarter from 53 percent in last year’s fourth quarter. Apple’s iOS rose nine percentage points, accounting for 28 percent of smartphone units sold, while BlackBerry lost five points of market share, falling to 14 percent.

A report by research firm Nielsen earlier this week found thirty-one percent of consumers surveyed plan to buy an Android-based smartphone in the next year, while 30 percent were going with Apple’s iPhone instead.