Android is the most popular mobile operating system (OS) in Africa having overtaken Nokia’s Series 40 at the beginning of 2014, according to StatCounter.
Android usage increased from 16 per cent in October last year to 28 per cent last month, while Nokia’s Series 40 declined from 35 per cent to 27 per cent in the four months.
Apple’s iOS saw substantial growth, but it only controls four per cent of the African market.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) reported last year Android accounted for 81 per cent of all smartphone shipments worldwide in the third quarter of 2013.
Windows Phone usage increased by 156 per cent at the same time.
“Both platforms have a selection of devices available at prices low enough to be affordable to the mass market, and it is the mass market that is driving the entire market forward,” said Ramon Llamos, research manager at IDC’s Mobile Phone Lab.
HumanIPO reported last month Android is expected to ship over one billion devices in 2014.
“There is no doubt that there is a volume versus value equation, with Android users also purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users. Android holds the largest number of installed-base devices, with 1.9 billion in use in 2014, compared with 682 million iOS/Mac OS installed-base devices,” said Annette Zimmerman, principal analyst at information technology research firm Gartner.
