Android now world’s most popular mobile browser

Android is winning — hang on a moment Apple fans, take a deep breath and let me finish before you start pounding your keyboards in anger — the mobile browser wars.

According to the latest figures from StatCounter, Android’s native browser has officially taken over from Opera’s as the most used on the planet.

Android’s market infiltration has grown two percent in the last couple of months to just under 23%. Opera meanwhile has declined from a high of just over 24% in December 2011.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Mobile Browser Market Share

Opera is even seeing a decline in feature phone-heavy markets where it has traditionally been dominant.

In Africa for instance, it still holds the vast majority of market share, but has declined from 73 to 68% in the last month.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Mobile Browser Market Share

Intriguingly, this loss has been mirrored by something of a rebound for beleaguered Finnish giant Nokia. Its browser now accounts for just over 18% of the continent’s mobile web browsing experience.

In Asia meanwhile, Opera has sunk from holding just over 40% of the mobile web market in December 2011 to just under 37% at present. Android has grown by around three percent to claim just under 14% in the same period.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Mobile Browser Market Share