The most popular Android smartphones - 2018

Here we have the most popular Android smartphones from across the globe, based on Q1 2018 data from our network of partner sites.

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• The most popular Android phones of 2017

The most popular Android smartphones in the world

Argentina

Good news for Samsung in Argentina, where the top four spots are claimed. Knocking the iPhone 6 off its perch in Q1 was the Samsung Galaxy J7 Metal Duos, with 4.41% of total traffic in our data.

As we've mentioned in previous reports, the landscape in Argentina is a lot more diverse then other countries. In 2017, the top ten featured five Samsung, three Motorola and two Apple devices. Now, we see only one Motorola, with Galaxy J1 Ace and J2 Prime closely behind the J7.

Australia

The most popular Android smartphones in Australia are Samsung Galaxy devices, with no other Android manufacturer making the top 20 in Q1 - it's an Apple/Samsung market.

The Galaxy S7 has a 1% lead over the S8, which grew in usage by almost 4% from 2017. Meanwhile, the S5 lost 2% over the same period.

Brazil

The Samsung Galaxy J5 made some headway into Apple's dominance in Brazil, climbing from 2.2% in 2017 to 5.46% in Q1 2018 - making the second most popular device overall, ahead of the iPhone 6 and 6S.

The Motorola Moto G is making steady progress, increasing its share by 0.65%. The LG K10 also saw a slight increase, from 1.3% in 2017 to 1.67%.

Canada

The Samsung Galaxy S8 saw some gains in Canada, growing from a 1% share in 2017 to 3.37% in Q1. Meanwhile, the S7 remained steady, but dropped from 3rd to 5th in the overall list of most popular smartphones in Canada.

The LG G5, with 1.42% traffic share, is the only manufacturer outside the big two to register in our data.

Colombia

There were some slight losses in traffic share for the Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 in Colombia, while the Motorola Moto G just over 1%.

Huawei's P8 Lite also lost a little traction, losing 0.5% of its share. It was 4th overall in 2017, but is now the 13th most popular smartphone in Colombia.

Egypt

In Egypt, the Samsung Galaxy S7 gained some share, increasing to 3.71% from 3.3% in 2017. The next most used Samsung device is the Galaxy Grand Prime Value Edition, despite losing 1% share over the same period.

It's all Samsung and Apple in Egypt, with the only other manufacturer in 2017's data - the Sony Xperia Z2 - not featuring in the latest round of analysis.

France

The Samsung Galaxy A5 is France's most used Android device, and gained almost 1.2% share compared to 2017. Small gains too for the S7, while the S8 pops into the reckoning with 2.57% having not featured in our data last year.

The Huawei P8 Lite sits on 1.3% share, up from 0.9%. However, it's still well down in 19th in the overall list of France's most popular smartphones.

Germany

Germany's most popular Android device - and the most popular device overall - is the Samsung Galaxy S7. It gained a mere 0.74% since 2017, but that was enough to knock the iPhone 6 off top spot.

The Galaxy S6 lost some ground, but the A5, S8 and A3 all grew in popularity.

India

We've already discussed the feature phone revival in India, and how the iPhone has lost its lead in the country. Android devices have held up quite well in the face of the landscape changes.

The Samsung Galaxy J2 saw gains since 2017, gaining 1.5% of overall web traffic during Q1. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 almost doubled it's share, while the Galaxy J7 Prime also grew in popularity.

Ireland

In Ireland, the Samsung Galaxy S7 replaced the S6 as the most popular Android device in Q1 2018.

The Galaxy S8 - with 1.92% share of overall web traffic - would appear to be the preferred upgrade option for previous S6 users.

Italy

In a refreshing change from the norm, Italy's most popular Android device isn't a Samsung. The Huawei P8 Lite accounted for 4.14% of web traffic in Q1, up from 3.2% in 2017. It retains its position as the 4th most used smartphone in Italy.

The Huawei P9 Lite (2.87%) and P10 Lite (1.52%) punctuate what is an otherwise Samsung/Apple top 20.

Japan

There's not much Android love in Japan, where the Sony Xperia Z5 is the most used non-Apple device, with less than 1% traffic share.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is the next most popular Android device, with branded S7s and Xperias making up the numbers, all with well under 1% share.

It's iPhone country.

Malaysia

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime reigns supreme in Android terms, and is the most popular smartphone in Malaysia too, with a healthy 6.6% lead over the Oppo A37 in second.

Overall, Q1 2018 was a good quarter for Samsung in Malaysia, gaining a lot of share compared to their performance in 2017, eating into Apple's previous lead.

Nigeria

Nigeria's most used Android phone is the Samsung Galaxy J7, with the S7 Edge close behind.

The dual-sim Gionee Marathon M5/Mini devices are the only non-Samsung in our data for Q1 2018. Our previous study showed that the BlackBerry Z10 was still popular in Nigeria, enjoying 1.9% of web traffic share for 2017. It's nowhere to be seen this time around, though.

Poland

Poland has favoured Android-powered devices in the last few years, and the Huawei P8 Lite sits atop the pile for Q1 2018, increasing its share by 0.8% since 2017.

In fact, the overall smartphone landscape in Poland sees only two non-Android devices in the top 10 - the iPhone 7 and 6S.

Russia

Russia is yet another iPhone-loving nation, but the Samsung A5 and A3 feature strongly on the Android side of the fence. Switching positions from 2017, they now account for 3.06% and 2.41 of web traffic respectively.

Xiaomi are also making inroads into the country, with the Redmi Note 4 and 4X position just outside the overall top ten, both already claiming a higher share of traffic than the only Xiaomi device in 2017's data, the Redmi Note 3.

South Africa

South Africa's favourite Android phone is the Samsung Galaxy S7, although it didn't grow in usage since our 2017 study.

Last year, the S6 was the most popular, so we should expect the S8 to perhaps be top of the list later in 2018. It increased its 2017 share of 1.1% to 3.63% in Q1 2018.

Spain

The most popular Android phone in Spain during 2017 was the Huawei P8 Lite, and it's retained its lead for Q1 with 4.31 % traffic share, up slightly from 4.1%.

There were increases in usage also for the Samsung Galaxy J5, A5 and J7. Oddly, the Huawei P9 Lite lost some share, dropping to 1.69% from 1.8% in 2017.

Sweden

In Sweden, the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and S8 lead the way.

While the S7 and S8 gained share slightly on 2017's numbers, the S7 Edge lost 0.58%. We also say goodbye to the Huawei Honor 8, which no longer appears in our data.

United Kingdom

One of the more predictable landscapes in our study, the UK's top 20 most popular smartphones are Apple and Samsung devices. This was the case in 2017, as it is now.

The most popular Android device in Q1 2018 was the Samsung Galaxy S7, followed (very) closely by the S8 and S7 Edge.

The S6 is still hanging in there with just under 3% of overall web traffic share, but it seems the S8 could eat into its share even further in the coming months having more than trebled its share from 2017.

United States

Only one non-iOS device makes it into the top ten on the overall list of most popular smartphones in the US. With 3.13% of traffic share for Q1, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is only slightly ahead the S8 Edge.

Want even more data?

Visit our Data Explorer to view stats for every device in your country or region.

Main Image By Rob Bulmahn, via Flickr.