Over half of or 50.4% of US mobile subscribers owned smartphones in March 2012, outnumbering more basic devices, according to the latest data from market research firm Nielsen.
The figures are up from 47.8% in December 2011 and have been driven by consumers picking smartphones more often while purchasing new phones.
Among smartphone owners, Apple is the top manufacturer of smartphone handsets, while Android was the top smartphone OS, being installed on 48.5% of all smartphones, compared to 32% for iOS, according to Nielsen.
RIM Blackberry share was 11.6%, followed by Windows Mobile at 4.1%, Windows Phone at 1.7%, and all others at 2.1%.
The study showed that 50.9% of female mobile subscribers owned a smartphone in March 2012, compared to 50.1% for men.
Smartphones are particularly popular among people aged from 25 to 34, with more than two out of three in this age group having one.
Asian Americans reported the highest smartphone adoption with 67.3% using a smartphone as their primary mobile handset, while Hispanic mobile subscribers occupied second place with 57.3%, almost three in five using smartphones.
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A majority of African-Americans own smartphones with 54.4%, with Whites having the lowest adoption rate at 44.7%.
