Android Developers: Normal Size Devices Still Most Popular
The latest set of Android data from Google for developers reveals that although large-screen smartphones have gained popularity, consumers are still using relatively normal-sized Android smartphones.
The figures, based off Google Play visits for a seven-day period ending May 4, show that approximately 83 percent of devices running Android fell under the "normal" screen size. Google does not give specific measurements, although it explains in a developers page that normal roughly translates to screens between 3.5 inches and 4.5 inches.
Among the normal sized Android devices, around 39.5 percentage points were high density screens, 19.8 percentage points came from extra-high density screens, 16.2 percentage points from extra-extra-high density screens, 7.6 percentage points from medium density screens. A display's density is calculated by the amount of pixels per given area. In this case, Google uses dots per inch (dpi).
Large screen devices, defined by Google as anything between 4 inches and 7 inches, however, lagged far behind. Google recorded a 4.8 percent market share for large medium density screens, a 2.2 percent market share for large television density screens, a 0.6 percent market share for large high density screens, and a 0.6 percent market share for large extra-high density screens.
It's important to note that the numbers reflect both smartphones and tablets. Despite the large gap between number of normal and large size devices, recent trends show consumers gravitating towards bigger smartphones. Handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6 push the envelope, giving buyers a "phablet" option that is more conducive to consuming media and other apps that have become staples.
Developers will also be keen to know that Android Lollipop, the latest version of Android, is catching on fast. Google found 9.7 percent of devices visiting the Google Play store during a seven-day period ending May 4 were running Android 5.0 or higher, representing an 80 percent jump from the previous month. The leap is most likely due to the influx of new handsets in the market that come with Lollipop installed right out of the box as well as a number of updates that manufacturers have started making available.
Google releases information concerning Android versions and device sizes and densities in order to help guide developers in choosing how to present their apps across multiple platforms.
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