What's the alternative, iOS? That's great for people with financial stability in developed nations, but that leaves out swathes of those in developing nations.
I have an Android dev phone that cost £19, no contract, about half-to-a-third the price of a then-equivalent second-hand iPhone. In third world countries even a £19 device is worth stealing, as a friend of my partner experienced.
Vodafone sold it (pay as you go, no contract) with only their brand visible, but I think it’s an Alcatel device under the paint. The model is no longer being made, but their current cheapest model is almost as cheap.
They aren’t cutting edge, but neither are the equivalently priced Androids.