An extensive survey has detailed what the Android market looks like with stunning clarity. OpenSignal (OS) looked at some 682,000 devices currently in use — the same sample size as its 2012 survey — revealing the split between manufacturers, their devices, Android versions, and screen sizes.
There can be few charts that better demonstrate how Samsung has come to completely dominate the Android smartphone market: saturation. According to OS's data, Samsung now has a 47.5 percent share of the market, distributed across more than one hundred different models. Of course, flagship devices like the Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S III, and Galaxy Note II are among the best sellers, but there are also some other, less high-end handsets that feature prominently as well. The Galaxy Y, a super low-cost handset from 2011, is still the third-most used Android phone in the world. The only non-Samsung device in the top 10 is the LG Nexus 4, while the Asus-made Nexus 7 just squeezes in the top 15, and the first Sony device is placed at 21. HTC's only entrant in the top 30 is the One, its well-received flagship.
This mix of old and new hardware in the device chart, as well as lax update policies from manufacturers, leads us to an inevitable point: Android fragmentation. It's been the butt of many an Apple keynote joke, and is frequently cited as a major problem for Google, but is it getting better or worse? According to OS, it's worse now than ever before. The company used Google's data for the visualization above, which groups Android by the API set that each version uses. With the release of Android 4.3, we're now up to level 18 of the Android API, but OS's charts don't reflect the recent change. The most prevalent version of Android remains Gingerbread, released in 2011, and stuck on API level 10. Next is Android 4.1 Jellybean, followed by 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The white line in the middle of OS's chart shows the marketshare of the leading API level (in this case level 10) is lower than ever, but, in the long run, the rise of a more modern API level will undoubtably be a good thing for Android.
Our final chart shows the massive variation in Android screen sizes. Android is designed to work across a huge array of product types, from smartphones, tablets, and all-in-ones to devices you wouldn't expect, like fridges and ovens. Google has put a lot of effort into designing tools that allow developers to scale their apps across multiple devices, and, after seeing the massive variation in screen sizes, it's clear for everyone to see why. OS has several more visualizations — and the above chart in interactive form — available on its website.