Android Device Statistics for Mobile App Testing [2023]

Why is Android OS so Popular?

Android stands as the widely used operating system for mobile devices. Being user-friendly, it is accessible to everyone irrespective of their technical skills or prior experience and offers a diverse range of features across various devices that comes at no cost. Android also provides access to Google Play Store, an official marketplace for Android applications.

When looking at the global market, iOS is behind Android in covering the wider market share, and this is mainly due to the expensive iPhones. In many countries, people opt for Android phones, which come in various price brackets, catering to different budgets. Another factor that sets Android apart from iOS is the vast number of apps available on the Google Play Store compared to the Apple App Store.

Furthermore, Android boasts better compatibility with other devices like wearables and peripheral devices when compared to iOS. This gives users more options to seamlessly integrate their devices.

In the further sections of this article on Android device statistics, we will break down the Android device statistics based on global market share, Android versions, screen resolutions, and different geographies. Understanding the distribution of these is crucial for app developers and testers to address the challenges of ensuring the functionality and compatibility of Android applications across a fragmented device ecosystem.

We will also list some popular Android devices to test on. This will further help you enhance app quality and user experience by taking into account the different characteristics of Android devices.

Android Devices Based on Global Market Share

When it comes to the global market share of Android vendors, Samsung holds a commanding market share of 26.97%, giving Apple tough competition. Xiaomi, securing 12.21% of the market share, has successfully positioned itself as a strong contender.

Even devices from lesser-known OEMs hold a substantial share at 6.17%, reflecting the wide array of options available to end-users. Oppo, with a 6.13% market share, and Vivo, capturing 4.87%, contributed to the dynamic nature of the mobile industry.

Since Samsung holds a significant market share, it’s important to prioritize testing on Samsung devices. Xiaomi also commands a notable share, so including Xiaomi devices in your testing pool is crucial.

Consider testing on OEMs like Oppo and Vivo, as well as lesser-known OEMs, which collectively hold a substantial market share.

Android Devices Based on OS Versions

When selecting an Android device, it’s important to consider the Android version to ensure app compatibility, security updates, and performance enhancements. Latest Android versions typically offer enhanced security through timely updates and performance improvements, making them a desirable choice.

The above data represents the distribution of different Android versions’ market share in the United States, indicating the percentage of devices running each Android version.

As you can see, Android 12.0 enjoys the highest prevalence at 32.74%, followed by Android 13.0 at 23.8%, Android 10.0 at 15.5%, and Android 11.0 with a 12.99% market share. It’s important to prioritize mobile testing on these Android versions.

In addition, OS versions such as Android 9.0 Pie at 7.84%, Android 8.0 Oreo at 1.67%, and Android 8.0 Oreo at 1.64% may still offer value, so take these into count as well.

Android Devices Based on Screen Resolutions

While performing Android app testing, considering different screen sizes and resolutions should be a part of your mobile app test strategy. This will help ensure all the icons, fonts, images, etc., in your user interface, is consistent across various mobile device resolutions.

If there are UI discrepancies in your Android application between different screen sizes and resolutions, chances are people might lose interest in your application, providing negative feedback.

The above statistics show the popular mobile screen resolutions for Android devices, which are:

• 390×844 – 15.84%
• 414×896 – 10.87%
• 428×926 – 8.1%
• 375×812 – 7.4%
• 375×667– 5.5%

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Popular Android Devices for Mobile App Testing

As per the worldwide statistics by Statista, here is the recommended list of popular Android devices for mobile application testing.

In the next section of this article on Android device statistics, let’s look at the factors to consider when choosing mobile devices for Android testing.

Also Read: Mobile UI Testing Tutorial: A Comprehensive Guide With Best Practices

Factors to Consider for Android Device Testing

When performing Android device testing, you need to consider several important factors to ensure your mobile app delivers a uniform experience across a wide range of devices. Here are key factors to keep in mind:

• Device fragmentation: As the Android market is highly fragmented, it’s crucial to test your apps on different devices, resolutions, hardware specifications, and OS versions. Testers should keep updating their device list periodically to remain in sync with the new devices being launched in the market. For a repeatable way to decide which combinations belong on that list, see how to build an Android app testing device matrix. For this, they can leverage online device farm offered by cloud-based testing platforms like TestMu AI.
• Target audience: Select devices that your target audience uses. A detailed analysis of the app under test will decide if you need to test the entire mobile app or only its few elements. You should prioritize testing all crucial features across major devices and their OS combinations.

Find your website’s user metrics and insights by leveraging various analytics platforms such as Google Analytics. Post that, break those insights or analytics according to the devices, device versions, and geographical locations used by your intended audience.

• Popular OEMs: When users make decisions about their mobile devices, they consider the OEM’s reputation as well. Therefore, stay updated on current trends in popular devices and platforms by leveraging web analytics tools like StatCounter, Statista, and more.

Here is a quick summarization of the above pointers you must consider while selecting your Android devices for testing:

• Global traffic volume of the website or mobile application from devices.
• Market share and device popularity among your target audience.
• Check the device OS and OS version your users use to access the mobile app.
• Identify the range of screen sizes, resolutions, and viewports your users use across different devices.
• Keep track of the launch year of Android devices to gauge their technical capabilities and performance. Also, stay updated with the latest devices released in the market.
• Find out which OEMs ships devices your users commonly use.

Looking at the above Android device statistics, you may now understand why Android OS is an undisputable leader in the mobile market. Therefore, the business must ensure its mobile application functions seamlessly on different Android devices, which can only be achieved by performing comprehensive Android device testing.

However, to test Android applications, setting up in-house Android device labs can be challenging, expensive, and often has scalability issues. An ideal solution here is to move testing to a cloud-based platform like TestMu AI.

Note: Test your Android apps across 53+ geographies. Try TestMu AI Today

Android Device Testing on the Cloud

AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform like LambdaTest offers a comprehensive solution for Android device testing through its real device cloud. You can get access to a wide range of real Android devices running different Android versions, allowing developers and testers to ensure their mobile web and native applications function seamlessly across different devices and operating systems.

Unlike Android emulator online, which may lack accuracy and fail to replicate real-world scenarios, LambdaTest’s mobile device lab offer real-user environments for accurate and reliable testing. By using real devices, developers can identify device-specific issues, test real user interactions, and accurately assess functionality under varying network conditions, and geolocation, and much more.

In addition, you can also perform Android automation testing using frameworks like Appium and Espresso across different real devices and browsers.

Refer to our support documentation to run your first test with Appium.

Subscribe to our TestMu AI YouTube Channel for the latest updates on tutorials around Selenium testing, Playwright testing, Selenium mobile testing and more. Ensure your website’s mobile responsiveness with TestMu AI’s Mobile-Friendly Test, a handy tool to optimize your user experience.

Conclusion

Testing on the right set of devices relies on the target market. It is, therefore, imperative for organizations and enterprises to offer their users a quality mobile experience.

An effective mobile app testing strategy requires businesses to consider the target audience, its device matrix, and the appropriate selection of mobile app testing tools. At the same time, you need to consider the above Android device statistics and maintain a balance between choosing the right combination of device and operating system to reach the maximum number of potential customers. On a side note you can refer to our article on how to check screen resolution on Android if you wish to debug screen resolution issue.

Also, read our short guide on what is a mobile application?