Americans now more than ever are leaving behind simple cellphones and opting for smarter ones. In fact, one-third of American adults — or 35 percent — own a smartphone, according to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.Dominating the smartphone ownership are financially well-off college graduates under the age of 45. Nonwhites are especially likely to be smartphone owners, the report said.
About 87 percent of smartphone owners access the Internet or email on their handheld, including two-thirds (68 percent) who do so on a typical day. When asked what device they normally use to access the Internet, 25 percent of smartphone owners say that they mostly go online using their phone, rather than a computer.
While many of these individuals have other sources of online access at home, about one-third of these “cell mostly” Internet users lack a high-speed home broadband connection.
Urban and suburban residents are about twice as likely to own a smartphone as those in rural areas, and employment status is also strongly correlated with smartphone ownership.
The report also noted that phones operating on the Android platform are currently the most prevalent type of smartphone, with 35 percent of smartphone owners owning an Android phone, followed by iPhones (24 percent) and BlackBerry devices (also 24 percent).
Demographically, Android phones are especially common among young adults and African-Americans, while iPhones and BlackBerry devices are most prevalent among college graduates and the financially well-off, the report said.
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