82% of Teens Surveyed Now Own an iPhone, 84% Plan to Purchase

The iPhone continues to be the most popular smartphone by far among teens, according to new data gathered by investment firm Piper Jaffray for its most recent semiannual teen survey in the United States.

82 percent of teens surveyed own an iPhone, up from 78 percent in the fall of 2017, while 84 percent of teens expect their next phone to be an iPhone, up from 82 percent in fall 2017. Teen ownership and interest in iPhone has grown steadily over the past several years, as demonstrated in the chart below.

piperjaffrayiphoneownership
The Apple Watch is also becoming more popular among teens and saw its highest teen survey share yet in the spring of 2018. 12 percent of upper income teens said Apple Watch was their preferred watch brand, up from just seven percent in the fall of 2017. Among all watch brands, Apple Watch was the second most popular after Rolex.

applewatchownership
20 percent of teens said they plan to buy an Apple Watch in the next six months, up from 17 percent in the year-ago survey. Strong growth in Apple Watch interest in the current quarter suggests Apple's Series 3 and Series 1 models are popular among teens.

piperjaffrayapplewatchintention
Interest in both Apple Watch and iPhone could see improvement in the coming fall 2018 survey, as major changes are rumored for both devices.

The Apple Watch Series 4 could bring the first design changes for the wrist-worn device, while rumors suggest Apple will be introducing three iPhones in 2018, including a 5.8-inch iPhone X followup, a larger 6.5-inch OLED device that can be thought of as an "iPhone X Plus" and a 6.1-inch LCD device that's expected to carry a lower price tag.

All three iPhones are rumored to include an iPhone X-style design with an edge-to-edge display that does away with Touch ID in favor of Face ID.

For the spring 2018 teen survey, Piper Jaffray surveyed a total of 6,000 teens with an average age of 16.4 and an average household income of $66,296. 45 percent of teens surveyed were female, while 55 percent were male.

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
fcc vision pro leak

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
macbook pro prime day 2025

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

iPad Mini 8 Rumors: Everything We Know So Far

Monday September 29, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is likely to arrive next year, so here's what to expect. The current iPad mini came out in 2024, with the main upgrade over the previous version being the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence support. The previous generation introduced a complete redesign and the A15 Bionic chip. In August, Apple mistakenly shared code that revealed key information about ...

Top Rated Comments

555gallardo Avatar
98 months ago
Why would anyone in the world compare students' interest in $300 Apple Watch versus $50000 Patek Philipe?
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reden Avatar
98 months ago
Those green bubbles, and can’t be part of a group message is what makes everyone without an iPhone feel like an outsider. It’s brilliant and Apple doesn’t have to spend a dime to advertise that.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WhoDaKat Avatar
98 months ago

If this says 12% of teenagers had a Apple Watch in 2018, does that mean 41% of teenagers have a Rolex? Something doesn't smell right.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
'Arry Avatar
98 months ago
82% of surveyed teens have a totally hot girlfriend. She lives in Canada. You wouldn’t know her.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
98 months ago

If this says 12% of teenagers had a Apple Watch in 2018, does that mean 41% of teenagers have a Rolex? Something doesn't smell right.
I clarified this in the post. This is specific to "upper income" teens and it looks like it's actually brand preference rather than actual ownership. It was poor wording on my part in the original, and I am pretty sure 41 percent of teens don't have a Rolex. Sorry for any misunderstanding here -- hope that clears it up.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Greenmeenie Avatar
98 months ago
Apple should launch their own version of facebook. One that doesnt data mine or run ads. With such a large and growing user base, it seems like a no brainer to me. Tim Cook spoke Friday about how their customers aren’t their product and how he wouldn’t be in a situation like Zuckerberg finds himself in, so why not launch your own social media app and capatilize on FaceBooks troubles?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)