• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 15, 2011

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 35% of American adults own smartphones. The survey found that 83% of U.S. adults have a cell phone of some kind, and that 42% of them own a smartphone. That translates into 35% of all adults.

The definition of a smartphone owner, for this report, includes anyone who falls into either of the following two categories:

•  One-third of cell owners say that their phone is a smartphone
• Two-in-five cell owners say that their phone operates on a smartphone platform (these include iPhones and Blackberry devices, as well as phones running the Android, Windows or Palm operating systems)

Several groups have higher than average levels of smartphone adoption, including:

• The financially well-off and well-educated: 59% of adults living in a household earning income of $75,000 or more are smartphone owners; 48% of those with a college degree own smartphones
• Those younger than age 45: 58% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 now own a smartphone as do 49% of those ages 18-24 and 44% of those ages 35-44. Even among those with a household income of $30,000 or less, smartphone ownership rates for those ages 18-29 are equal to the national average
• African-Americans and Latinos. 44% of blacks and Latinos are smartphone users
•  Urban and suburban residents are roughly twice as likely to own a smartphone as those living in rural areas, and employment status is also strongly correlated with smartphone ownership

87% of smartphone owners access the Internet or email on their handheld, including 68% who do so on a typical day. When asked what device they normally use to access the internet, 25% of smartphone owners say that they mostly go online using their phone, rather than with a computer. While many of these individuals have other sources of online access at home, roughly one third of these "cell mostly" Internet users lack a high-speed home broadband connection.

Smartphone Summary (Users 18 And Over)
Smartphone Condition	% Smartphone Owners	% All Cell Owners	% All Adults
Own a smartphone	100%	42%	35%
Use Internet of email on smartphone	87	36	30
Use smartphone to go online (typical day)	68	28	23
Go online mostly using smartphone	25	10	8
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011

Smartphone owners under the age of 30, non-white smartphone users and smartphone owners with relatively low income and education levels are particularly likely to say that they mostly go online using their phones.

Phones operating on the Android platform are currently the most prevalent type of smartphone, followed by iPhones and Blackberry devices.

Platform Differences (% of Segment Responses)
Platform	Among All Cell Phone Owners	Among Smartphone Owners
Android	15%	35%
iPhone	10	24
Blackberry	10	24
Palm	2	6
Windows	2	4
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011

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.

For the full report for an in-depth look at the demographics of smartphone owners and how they use their devices get more information from PEWresearch here.