According to telecoms buyers’ guide site uSwitch. com, the popularity of the iPhone appears to be dwindling in the UK, with recent statistics revealing that the smartphones of the Taiwan-based HTC have overtaken the Apple handset.

As per the uSwitch data, the top three smartphones in the British market were all HTC handsets - the Android-based HTC Desire, HTC Wildfire, and HTC Desire HD. The iPhone 4, dropping out of even the top five list, was in an ‘unsatisfying’ sixth place.

Talking about the change in the UK smartphone market scene, uSwitch's Ernest Doku told TechEye: “HTC has outsmarted the smartphone market by customising its handsets at a range of price points as seen by the Wildfire acting as an aspirational Desire.”

With the uSwitch statistics further revealing that Android handsets comprised nearly one-half of the top 10 smartphones, Doku said: “Android phones have well and truly pipped Apple to the post.”

In addition to the Android handsets, affordable smartphones like the RIM BlackBerry Curve and Samsung Galaxy S have also edged out the iPhone, to emerge as the clear winners in the smartphone arena.

Going by a TechEye report, the plunge in Apple's fortunes is largely because of the fact that the iPhone no longer considered a ‘status symbol’; and customers are apparently looking for ‘unique’ offerings as well as better deals than the comparatively pricey iPhone.