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These are the most popular iOS and Android devices in North America by active use

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Jun 08, 2021, 4:21 PM

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These are the most popular iOS and Android devices in North America by active use

While most market research firms like to focus on quarterly or yearly sales numbers to evaluate the success of smartphone manufacturers and specific models during a given period of time, a company called Cujo AI claims to have performed a much more challenging and interesting task for its latest incredibly detailed report.

After analyzing no less than one billion (with a "B") "connected devices" in North America between January 2020 and April 2021, the California-based network intelligence software firm can provide (purportedly) reliable answers to some of the most burning questions on the minds of so many tech enthusiasts across countries like the US and Canada.

Wondering just how much more popular Apple's iPhones are out in the real world compared to the entirety of all active Android handsets? Dying to know what device currently dominates the highly fragmented Android landscape or which of the massively successful iPads released in the last 11 years leads the family's usage chart nowadays? Are you interested in the ultimate stat highlighting Apple's mind-blowing supremacy over all other smartwatch vendors? Here are the answers you're looking for:

The iPhone 11 and the Galaxy S9 are... not equally popular

You may not expect to see two handsets released roughly 18 months apart mentioned in the same breath in 2021, but in their own particular ways, 2019's non-Pro iPhone 11 and 2018's non-Plus Galaxy S9 are present-day champions of their respective market segments.

The difference is the iPhone 11 holds an impressive 14 percent share of a far bigger pie than the one feebly dominated by Samsung's Galaxy S9 at just 2.7 percent. Believe it or not, there are more than twice as many iOS devices in active use in North America right now compared to Androids, although for what it's worth, the former's towering 69.75 percent figure includes both iPhones and iPads.

Of course, that also means Android's 30.07 percent market share includes both smartphones and tablets, and we all know how far ahead of their rivals iPads are quarter after quarter in terms of shipments.

Interestingly, Amazon's 2019-released Fire 7 slate is North America's third most popular Android device, behind the modest Samsung Galaxy A10e phone and ahead of the Galaxy A20, A10, S8, LG Stylo 6, Galaxy S10+, A11, S9+, S10e, Note 9, A01, and LG Stylo 5.

That's quite an eclectic mix of low-end Galaxy devices, previous-gen Samsung flagships, and perhaps saddest of all, defunct pen-wielding LGs. In case you're wondering, the 5G-enabled Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 FE, Note 20 Ultra, S20 Ultra, Note 20, S21, and S21 Ultra are all ranked outside of Android's top 20 list, suggesting North Americans are not big fans of the best smartphones available in 2021.

Unless said phones happen to run iOS, that is, with the iPhone 11 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max, for instance, sitting in fourth and ninth place respectively as far as the platform's popularity chart is concerned. Still, the iPhone XR and iPhone 7 are right behind the iPhone 11 on the iOS podium, which means many of Apple's fans also love budget-friendly devices.

iPads and Apple Watches are incredibly popular as well

In other news, water is wet and the sky is blue. But if you want to know just how blue the sky looks from Apple's dominant position in the thriving smartwatch industry, the company apparently accounts for more than nine in ten intelligent timepieces currently in circulation in North America.

More specifically, we're talking about a 93.67 percent (!!!) market share, compared to teeny-tiny 3.97, 1.93, 0.29, and 0.07 percent (yikes) slices for Samsung, Fitbit, Garmin, and Fossil respectively. It's safe to say Google will continue to face an uphill battle trying to make Wear OS happen, at least in these very important markets, even after joining forces with both Samsung and Fitbit in addition to Fossil.

Meanwhile, the 2.35 percent share of today's most popular iPad model is actually lower than the 2.52 percent figure of Amazon's Fire 7 (2019), but once again, the iOS and Android pies are not exactly comparable.

2018's sixth-gen 9.7-inch iPad is closely followed by its 10.2-inch sequel ahead of the latest "regular" iPad 10.2, and surprise, surprise, the ancient iPad Air 2. The most popular iPad Pro version is barely ranked 32nd among 56 "iOS devices" in active use, which suggests Apple's fans really don't like spending small fortunes on ultra-high-end tablets.

Obviously, the same is also true for premium Android slate users, who are outnumbered by those owning modest devices like Amazon's Fire HD 10 (2019), Fire HD 8 (2018), Fire HD 8 (2020), and Samsung's Galaxy Tab A 8.0, to name just a few.

There's not a single Galaxy Tab S-series high-ender ranked among the 50 most popular Android devices as of April 2021, but in a way, that makes perfect sense. After all, Cujo AI counted a grand total of 7,027 (seven thousand twenty seven) different Android phones and tablets in "active use" for the purposes of this in-depth report. That takes the fragmentation issue to new heights.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.