Smartphones now account for 50% of all handsets used in the US

As prices of smartphones are dropping and their overall value is increasing for mainstream users, the adoption of advanced mobile phones is increasing steadily. About 50% of cell phones in the U.S. are now smartphones and the devices dominate sales of new handsets in the country. Apple iPhone and Google Android-based phones are the most popular among the end-users. Almost half (49.7%) of U.S. mobile subscribers now own smartphones, as of February 2012. According to Nielsen, this marks an increase of 38% over last year; in February 2011, only 36% of mobile subscribers owned smartphones. This growth is driven by increasing smartphone adoption, as more than two-thirds of those who acquired a new mobile device in the last three months chose a smartphone over a feature phone. Overall, Android continues to lead the smartphone market in the U.S., with 48% of smartphone owners saying they owned an Android OS device. Nearly a third (32.1%) of smartphone users have an Apple iPhone, and Blackberry owners represented another 11.6% of the smartphone market. Among recent acquirers who got their smartphone within the last three months, 48% of those surveyed in February said they chose an Android and 43% bought an iPhone, Nielsen claims.