If you've been wondering where Android's huge growth has been coming from, well look no further, because we've got the answer: China. The big green machine has more than doubled its share of the smartphone market in China in less than a year, and since we recently found out that China has almost 1 billion mobile users, that means some big numbers from Android. Of course, that 1 billion number is the total number of cell phone users in the country, whereas the recent numbers for Android is specific to smartphones, so we don't know exactly how many Android devices are in the wild in China.
Analysys International, a research firm in Beijing, has said that Android smartphones made up 68% of the Chinese smartphone market at the end of 2011, which is more than double its market share of 33% at the end of Q1 2011. Apple's iPhone has yet to see a very big uptake in China, but the company only just began offering the device through a second carrier in China in February. iOS holds just under 6% of the Chinese market, which is actually a drop from a high of 7% in Q2 2011. Android has been taking share from everyone as Symbian, BlackBerry and all other mobile platforms saw a decline in 2011.
One thing that is unclear about these numbers is how many of the Android devices are Google Android devices. China is one region where non-Google Android (NGA) devices are said to take up a pretty large part of the market, especially with Chinese search giant Baidu using Android as a base for devices. When Google releases numbers regarding Android adoption, it only counts Google Android devices and not forks or NGAs in its totals.
Michael Heller is known for his clear and informative articles on mobile technology. He explores important topics such as the rollouts of 5G networks and the advancements in mobile payments, offering readers insights into the evolving tech landscape.
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