On the eve of the Moto X launch, Google's Android platform is going strong, with a 65 percent lead over all other mobile operating systems, according to new stats from Strategy Analytics.

The report tips a growing global smartphone market, up 47 percent year over year for a total 230 million units shipped in the second quarter.

Android is the greatest benefactor of the uptick, having captured a record 80 percent share of the global smartphone OS market. Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston chalks the success up to competitive licensing costs, numerous hardware partners, and a large app store.

Meanwhile, Apple's iOS reached 14 percent share this quarter  its lowest level since Q2 2010. Microsoft slipped into third place, with 4 percent share  its highest in three years.

"Microsoft is making steady progress in the smartphone market due to strong support from Nokia," Linda Sui, a Strategy Analytics analyst, said in a statement. "However, we believe Microsoft's WP8 platform still needs to improve in at least two areas before it truly takes off."

The first, she said, is a more competitive license fee charged to manufacturers; Redmond must also dramatically accelerate its support for advanced technologies like octo-core chipsets, which lag behind Android, Siu said.

The "others" category, which includes the BlackBerry OS, dropped from 10 percent last year to a low 3 percent, though the analytics firm offered no explanation for the steep decline.

Smartphone shipments around the world reached a whopping 229.6 million units in the second quarter, compared to 156.5 million at the same time last year.

"Growth was driven by strong demand for Android models across all price-tiers in developed and developing markets, such as the U.S., China, and Brazil," Scott Bicheno, senior analyst with Strategy Anlytics, said in a statement.

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