I have less apps on my phone, and I use even fewer on a daily basis. My phone is Samsung Galaxy S Plus running Android 2.3.6. I have got a Nexus 5 to which I will switch soon, but I think the apps will remain pretty much the same. The ones I use frequently are:
WhatsApp
ES File Explorer
IMDb
MX Player
Next Browser
Pretty limited as you can see.
I am not a big fan of WhatsApp, but this is what maximum people use, and so forced to use it. Otherwise, I would go for Telegram.
ES File Explorer and MX Player are the best for me in their categories. Although VLC has improved a lot, I must say.
Because of the less amount of RAM on my phone, I have to use a light browser. Next Browser seems good for that. Used to use Boat Browser, which worked great, until the free version started to be ridden with apps.
On the new phone, I will most probably use Firefox.