Most Popular Devices in the US
Knowing what the most popular devices in the United States are allows you to tailor your marketing strategies to consumers there. Whether it’s running in-app ads to reach mobile users or launching a podcast to increase your reach, these statistics on the most used electronics can help to guide your approach.
The most popular electronic devices in the United States
- Smartphone: 97.6%
- Laptop or desktop computer: 68.3%
- Tablet device: 48.4%
- Games console: 41.2%
- TV streaming device: 40.9%
- Smartwatch or smart wristband: 37.2%
- Smart home device: 26.7%
- Virtual reality device: 9.2%
- Feature phone: 3.8%
The latest data shows that in the US, smartphones are currently the most popular devices among consumers, with 97.6% of them owning the device. It marks a fractional 1.2% increase from the previous year.
The high ownership of smartphones in the US is in line with the number of cellular mobile connections. At 396 million, this number actually represents 116.2% of the US population. In other words, there are more mobile lines than people in the US.
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Smartphones are also consumers’ favorite device to access the internet—more than nine in 10 (96.6%) people say they use their smartphones to go online.
Computers (both desktops and laptops) and tablets are the second- and third-most-popular electronic devices. Just over two in three people (68.3%) in the US own a laptop and/or desktop, and nearly half (48.4%) own tablets. Laptops and desktops are also one of the most popular devices used to go online, with 72.8% of the US population choosing to access the internet on their computers.
This is followed by games consoles and TV streaming devices, owned by 41.2% and 40.9% of the population, respectively. Smartwatches or smart wristbands are also rather popular—they are owned by 37.2% of US consumers. Smart home devices rank next—these popular tech gadgets are used by more than one-quarter (26.7%) of all internet users.
Virtual reality devices and feature phones round out the list of the most used electronics in the US—owned by 9.2% and 3.8% of the population, respectively.
Most popular devices in the US: annual changes
The most popular tech gadgets to have increased in ownership over the past year are smart watches and smart wristbands. Ownership increased 12.4% year over year. This is followed by:
- Virtual reality devices: +10.8%
- Smart home devices: +9.9%
- Games consoles: +5.9%
- TV streaming devices: +4.1%
- Tablet devices: +3.6%
- Smartphones: +1.2%
- Laptop or desktop computers: +1%
The only annual decrease in ownership was experienced by feature phones, with the number of people in the US owning these devices decreasing by 2.6%.