Most Popular Devices in the US
As the world gets more and more digital, the pace of adoption of electronic devices—particularly smart devices—has certainly been quick.
Data from the first quarter of 2020 shows that in the United States, smartphones are currently the most popular devices among consumers, with 94.9 percent of them owning the device. This is a three percentage point year-over-year increase from Q1 2019.
Computers (both desktops and laptops) and tablets are the second- and third-most-popular electronic devices. More than three in four people (76.6 percent) in the US own a computer, and nearly half (49.4 percent) own tablets.
Despite ranking so high, these smart devices have actually seen a slight fall in ownership from the previous year. The proportion of US consumers who own computers fell from 78.5 percent while that of tablets fell from 51.1 percent.
The most popular devices to have increased in ownership from Q1 2019 to Q1 2020 are smart devices. Smartphones aside, consumers now also own more smart devices like smart televisions, smart home devices, smartwatches, and smart wristbands.
Here’s how these popular electronic devices have grown in popularity from Q1 2019 to Q1 2020:
- Smart TV: 43.1 percent to 46.2 percent
- Smart home device: 17.1 percent to 18.9 percent
- Smartwatch: 12.8 percent to 15.2 percent
- Smart wristbands: 9.9 percent to 10.8 percent
Game consoles, TV streaming sticks, VR headsets, and feature phones also rank among the most popular devices in the US. The change in ownership for these popular electronic devices, however, have been insignificant.
Here’s how they’ve performed between Q1 2019 and Q1 2020:
- Game console: 38.7 percent to 38.8 percent
- TV streaming stick: 34.7 percent to 34.9 percent
- VR headset: 5.2 percent to 4.9 percent
- Feature phones: 4.9 percent to 4.2 percent
Most Popular Tech Gadgets During COVID-19
2020’s coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns across the globe have driven consumers to spend more time at home and with their digital gadgets.
Usage of nearly every single one of the popular electronic devices has grown, with the largest increase seen in smartphones and feature phones.
In fact, according to a survey, 45 percent of US internet users say they’ve been spending more time using their smart devices since the pandemic started.