Samsung Devices Driving Almost 60 Percent Of Android Traffic

Samsung overwhelmingly dominates North American Android traffic, according to new data from Chitika. The findings are based on “tens of millions of U.S. and Canadian Android-based online ad impressions” from February. 

Chitika looked at all Android devices (tablets and smartphones) on its network and found that the Korean company has a 55.5 percent traffic share. Amazon’s Kindle devices are second with an 8.2 share. However Chitika says that Kindle growth has stalled and that Google is the only company outside Samsung that saw Android traffic growth since Q4.

Looking at the breakdown between tablets and smartphones Chitika found that smartphones drive nearly 80 percent of Android traffic in North America. In the tablet market, the iPad is still responsible for nearly 80 percent of all traffic.

It’s no surprise that Samsung is so dominant in the Android universe. It spends billions more than its Android rivals and Apple in marketing its products. The recent Academy Awards telecast is a case in point.

Samsung reportedly spent $20 million during the program for a mix of traditional ads and in-program product placement (“the selfie“). The company’s annual marketing budget approaches $15 billion.

Lenovo is perhaps the company best positioned to challenge Samsung’s Android dominance over the long term. My theory is that Google sold Motorola to Lenovo in part to help accelerate Lenovo’s entry into the smartphone market and provide a counter-weight to Samsung among Android OEMs.