Visualizing Android Fragmentation [Report]

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Posted August 23, 2014 at 4:12pm by iClarified

OpenSignal has released a new report that examines Android fragmentation and provides some useful graphics for visualizing the situation.

Apple has long touted that its developers don't need to deal with the plethora of devices, resolutions, and operating systems that plague Android developers.

The OpenSignal report found that compared to last year, Android fragmentation has risen by around 60%, with 11,868 devices seen last year compared to 18,796 this year. Since 2012, fragmentation has more than quadrupled. Back then there were 'only' 3,997 distinct Android devices.

Device Fragmentation:

Visualizing Android Fragmentation [Report]

Looking at brands, Samsung is clearly the dominant Android brand with 43% of the market. Sony comes in second with just 4.8%.

Brand Fragmentation:

As shown in the chart below, the Android operating system is the most fragmented it has ever been. While 91% of iOS users are on the latest operating system, just 20.9% of Android users are on Kit Kat.

OS Fragmentation:

Finally, Android developers must also contend with screen size fragmentation. OpenSignal says, "no other smartphone platform boasts such a proliferation of different screen sizes." This is contrasted with Apple devices which, across the dozen or so, have just 4 different physical screen sizes.

Screen Size Fragmentation:

For more details you can download the full report from the link below.

Read More [via SAI]

iOS Screen Sizes:

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Russell - August 25, 2014 at 8:47pm

Why should ANY cell phone user be concerned with the brand another cell phone user has? It's childish.

I don't care what other brands are or are not doing as long as my phone, Moto X, is performing as expected and gets OS updates as needed.

If a second tier brand doesn't do as good job supporting their devices it doesn't have any bearing on mine.

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Russell - August 25, 2014 at 8:49pm

Jcagara08 - August 24, 2014 at 9:58am

Hey its the manufacturers fault on why this is happening and us consumers just have to face the hard facts like a 16 month product support, after that, you have to buy yourself another device from that brand manufacturer you are patronizing, hey this is life and you can't change this in its own entirety, if this is a problem (fragmentation) then go create your own phones and promise lifetime updates to pledgers and backers, well see how is it going to be feasible. Work hard, save more, and enjoy life. Quit the bitching!

Spaze - August 23, 2014 at 4:17pm

Variety , options from screen size to price is better for end consumer

Techno - August 23, 2014 at 4:45pm

If you say so, consumers are feeling like they have something to bling on when the device barely works when you really need them. The best part is that most applications don't work on most platform and is considered useless when it's updating it's applications. YEAH ITS DEFINITELY BETTER FOR THE CELLULAR VENDOR

Techno - August 23, 2014 at 4:48pm

So the word, it just has to work doesn't mean much to you?

OnePlus - August 23, 2014 at 9:08pm

iOS user Jimmy butthurt over his lack of options with the Apple smartphone lineup.

taochok - August 23, 2014 at 10:47pm

If I only have money for a low end phone, is better that than nothing... but if I don´t accept that is a low end phone and I install whatsapp, facebook, messenger, skype.... I end with an unusefull phone... the problem is having the choice... If I choose to ruin my low end phone... i can.

Negative - August 25, 2014 at 2:03am

Yes, you have to pick your android device carefully. From my side of things I have bought only Samsung and the Nexus line for Android and the only complaint I have is the UI can seem a little clunky for Samsung(hello custom launcher). Beyond that I prefer the larger screen after a little adjustment period and I enjoy carrying around a device that almost doubles as a computer when I need it to. When I made the switch I thought fragmentation would be an issue but it wasn't.... just stick with the major manufacturers and their flagship lines and it doesn't matter. You have to use common sense... buy a new $150 android phone and yep its probably crap. Odds of the $600-800 phone being crap... not so good.

gamerscul9870 - August 25, 2014 at 3:01am

So you're saying cost is bad and only that?

Ktrimbach - August 25, 2014 at 3:50am

So you don't mind that all us developers either a) ignore the Android until after we have our iPhone version working, since it's so much easier with the 4 screen sizes, etc and b) develop apps that are buggy, don't work right on YOUR particular screen device and c) won't be maintained or updated as well, because there's just too much dam* work to do it? That 's real good for the Android customer. P.S. Why isn't anyone selling Android phones except Samsung who are going to switch to Tizen as soon as they can, stranding all their previous customers.

Jcagara08 - August 23, 2014 at 4:17pm

first! I don't give a fack about fragmentation, let device manufacturers worry about that

Anthony - August 23, 2014 at 4:22pm

Why so Angry? You are on a tech site, thus, inevitably, you were seeking tech news. Redundancy at it's best. This is why you are an Android Fan. #AppleNation

90dc398 - August 23, 2014 at 4:41pm

Gullible and in denial about the fact that most applications don't work on all the android devices.

Jcagara08 - August 24, 2014 at 9:53am

Hey, I was just writing my opinion down, and I am not angry. You guys are! I am a consumer and I can choose whatever phone I want and being an Android guy is not a problem for me as an XDA user since Galaxy S1, Never get tired rooting my phone or flashing it with any other ROM. Device manufacturers are the one to blame for this Fragmentation. I too used to have an iPhone 5S, jailbreaked it and used it to the point where battery just give up before the end of the day, I just go back to that route. Heck I have an iPad Air, yes app Optimization on on the iOS is unparalled. Now a happy Note 3 user. Just being a wise consumer that's it, you guys are childish on your OS allegiance! I would take that as a valid point if you are a Brand PR or a real Android Dev, Otherwise no facks given to ya'll.

davids - August 24, 2014 at 10:24am

Actually its not the users that are the problem, its the tech media. They promote anything that is new. They promote 4.8 is better than 4.7, and promote the fragmentation, a game the manufacturers see as critical to get publicity for their device, to outshine the other manufacturers. Everyone forgets that the tech media like motoring media writers dont have to live with the device, like the average consumer does. They get a new review unit and move on. Journalists have all the good ideas without having to be responsible for all the unintended consequences. This goes for technology as well as political comment.

thevmaxer - August 25, 2014 at 3:23am

You are wrong. The reason you should care about device fragmentation is that you will never have a current version of the Android operating system. And if the device you pick is not one of the big names that sells in huge numbers, your chances of getting an update are even less. Not to mention the fact that most of these manufacturers don't test all the apps that you might have on your phone, and that the software itself is hacked quite often. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following article is from AndroidCentral.com and written by Alex Dobie in 2012: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When a new version of Android is released, it’s put out through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). AOSP is available for anyone to download, tinker and build Android at their leisure, regardless of whether they’re a major smartphone manufacturer, a custom ROM-maker. But when the code is pushed out, it's not necessarily ready for every device out there. Getting a new version of Android up and running on any device with different hardware requires a significant amount of additional work, and even more effort is needed to bring across proprietary code from chip-makers. For example, a Snapdragon S4 device needs Jelly Bean-friendly Qualcomm drivers for the CPU and GPU. The build process the needs to be tailored to the phone’s hardware, and existing customizations need to be worked into the new version of Android without breaking anything. Even on apparently similar hardware, there’ll often be other proprietary components to work into the mix. For example, the (international) HTC One X is a Tegra 3 device, but includes HTC’s ImageSense chip, something not found on the Nexus 7. It also lays out its internal storage differently, with a separate partition for media. Then there’s the cellular radio firmware to consider. Suddenly, you’ve got a lot of work to do to bring a Tegra 3 device up to Jelly Bean. Sony explained the entire coding and porting process in great detail in a blog post late last year. It's worth a read if you want to develop a newfound sympathy for the programmers who have to handle these kinds of updates. The task isn’t limited to code, though. There are often design changes to be considered, especially when updating from Android 2.x to 4.x -- a version change which brought in sweeping UI enhancements throughout. As Sony explained to us at its recent design roundtable in Germany, manufacturers have little warning as to what Google may be working on, so they can’t plan ahead. Admittedly, Google’s trying to change this with its Platform Developer Kit, which gives OEMs early access to certain parts of the framework in new versions of Android. However, the PDK is focused on getting new devices ready for launch, not upgrading old ones. And if the underlying Android design language changes, so too must any customizations that sit on top of it. Updating an Android device isn't easy, and there's much more to it than dropping in the new code from Google and hoping for the best. It’s a hell of a lot of work, and that’s before you even think about getting it all approved and pushed out onto handsets. If radio changes have been made, the new code must be certified by regional authorities, as well bodies like the Bluetooth SIG and Wifi Alliance. That all takes precious time, and in its blog post last year, Sony identified certification as the most time-consuming part of putting out new software.

Jammol - August 25, 2014 at 5:12am

Yes it is fragmented. Let me ask a question. Isn't that why developers exist? To build, tweak, take apart and fix things? Don't get me wrong I freaking love the iphone. But there is nothing wrong android. It is actually a really good system. And the fragmentation is good. It means that you don't have to drop top dollar on a new phone that you only need for a few months on a prepaid plan or whatever the case may be. No, it was not the original intention of fragmentation but it helps. I don't have to go buy a brand new $500 iPhone every time my kid drops it in the toilet. By the way I love my iPhone 5s but I also love being able to remove the back cover on my android phone and swap the battery if I need to or slap a wireless charger on it and a new sdcard so I can have more storage. You have valid points but the reason for them aren't valid. Android isn't going to die anytime soon just like apple isnt. There is no point in anyone fighting over software. It's just that.....SOFTWARE.