Figures released by Open Signal, based on over 680,000 downloads of their Android application, show that fragmentation of the Linux-based OS has been growing even more pronounced. The app was downloaded by 11,868 distinct devices - compared to just under 4,000 the previous year. The image above - an interactive version of which is available here - shows the distribution of those devices.

Although there are dominant trends - Samsung devices were responsible for 47.5% of downloads - the sheer amount of Android phones and tablets has led to huge varieties in the screen sizes, price, operating systems and quality. This is compared to the handful of variables for iOS devices (for example, there are currently only four different iOS phone / tablet screen sizes).

This fragmentation can cause problems for both developers and users. The latter face the risk of their chosen device - especially less popular ones - not being able to run all applications or even operating systems as well as others. For developers, it remains a challenge testing and optimising applications for the huge variety of apps that could potentially require it.

However, as Open Signal argue, the fragmentation is also the major positive of Android over its main competitor - the choice available to customers and developers encouraging the growth of “an ecosystem that is becoming more globally, and socio-economically, inclusive”. As the report concludes, the continued rumours that Apple are going to release lower-cost phones suggests that Android “is not only doing something right, but doing something to be imitated”.

You can read the full results here.