Recognition: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Ever wondered what your guy is wonderful about Android Authority Readers are how and what technology do they like to use? I know I definitely have it! Well, today you can learn a little more from each other. We went through some anonymous usage statistics to get a complete picture of where you are from and what devices you use the most.
This is the third time we look at this data. We shared a similar review in 2019 and 2017. So pat yourself on the back if you’ve been around long enough to contribute to all three posts (we hope to see you in 2023!). All anonymous data in this article is based on our visitor statistics from March to April 2021.
Also read: Which phones do that? Android Authority Team work as a daily driver? (Edition 2021)
Before we get into the fun things to do, let’s start with where you are all from. You are likely reading this from either the US or India, which make up 35% and 15% of our readership, respectively. Almost 8% of you are from the UK, 4% from Canada and 3% from the Philippines to round out our top five countries. You great people from Australia, Malaysia, Germany, Pakistan and Singapore make up the rest of our top 10.
But which phones do you use? Which browser? Which versions of Android? Let’s find out!
Your favorite brand is …
Looking at broad brand trends, the Big Tech Two – Apple and Samsung – are the most popular reader tips Android Authority, with Samsung the overall leader with a whopping 33.6% piece of the cake. Both have actually become increasingly popular in recent years, especially Apple devices which now make up 20% of our audience, compared to 9.8% in 2017.
Xiaomi has seen huge gains in its global market share this year, which is also reflected in Android AuthorityReadership. Xiaomi is now your third most popular brand. Unfortunately, the share of Google, a former favorite of our readership, is declining – from 8.7% in 2017 to just 4.8% in 2021. Of course, this could simply be because our readership has grown in markets where Google’s phones are less popular instead of Google becoming unpopular.
When it comes to actual phone models, our findings are far too diverse to be graphed. Individual devices barely scratch 1% these days. However, there are some notable devices that make the top 25.
Apple iPhone and iPad products make up the top two spots, accounting for 18.6% and 1.55% of all your devices, respectively. However, Apple doesn’t give us enough data to break them down into specific models. So we don’t know if you’re here to get excited about your chic iPhone 12 or looking for a shiny new Android alternative to your aging iPhone 6.
Samsung Galaxy S, Google Pixel, and Apple products are the most popular Android Authority Reader.
The Google Pixel 5 is behind it as the most popular custom handset. The Google Pixel 4a is not far behind either, and both the Pixel 4 XL and 3 XL also make it into the top 25. There are clearly some Google aficionados out there. As you’d expect, the Samsung Galaxy S series is also popular. The Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, S9 and even the S8 are at the top of the ranking. Interestingly, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro alone achieves a share of 0.56%, making it the only Chinese smartphone in Android Authority‘s top 25.
You are likely using the latest Android operating system
Every time we’ve looked at our reader stats you’ve been ahead of the typical Android update curve, and this year’s edition is no exception. I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you’re all tech buffs and you clearly love having the latest and greatest security patches installed. Kudos, dear reader.
Close to 30% of you are using Android 11, which is great news for security reasons. Another 37.8% are installed on the slightly older Android 10. This isn’t ideal, but it’s pretty normal as some OEMs are very slow to update their phones and eventually end support.
The 13.9% who are still on Android 9 Pie might feel pretty out of date by the time Android 12 hits later in 2021. Everyone else is (hopefully) considering upgrading at some point in the not-too-distant future, if for no other reason than making sure your device stays secure.
Need suggestions: The best Android phones you can buy
Unfortunately, Google is no longer updating its Android sales numbers, not even through Android Studio. However, a quick look back at our numbers suggests that the update situation is improving year on year, even among our tech-savvy readers.
Our numbers suggest that the situation with Android updates is improving every year.
In 2017, only 13.5% of you had the latest version of Android (Nougat). Our 2019 data showed a remarkable improvement: 18.6% are running Android 9.0 Pie, and now it’s up to 29.8% using Android 11. Google’s various initiatives to speed up Android updates seem to be working, at least for you and Girls.
Other fun statistics
Would you like to find out more about your wonderful fellow visitors? OK, here are some other interesting data points we pulled out.
Google Chrome is by far your web browser of choice and not even close by. With a share of 70% of all readers, Firefox and Microsoft Edge are eclipsed. Even Safari has a comparatively low share of 14.5% of our readership.
There’s a similarly strong trend when it comes to the operating systems of your choice. 58.7% of you visit the website on your Android device and another 14.6% on iOS. Mobile is by far your preferred way of surfing Android Authorityalthough a good number of you are still clocking in from your PCs. There is a certain preference for Windows among the PC crowd, which puts a heavy strain on the muscles of Mac, Chromebook, and other Linux users.
Funnily enough, 0.2% of you visited Android Authority from a Tizen device. I really hope it was from your Samsung Smart Fridge. Even stranger, a pretty impressive one out of 5,000 of you is still rocking a BlackBerry. You just don’t do it the way you used to do it, do you?
Now that you know a little more about your wonderful colleague Android Authority Readers, do you fit the mold or are you a statistical anomaly? Let us know where you’re from and what device you’re rocking in the comments below.
