Record 83% of Surveyed U.S. Teens Own an iPhone

iPhone continues to be the most popular smartphone among American teenagers based on a recent survey.

iphone teens

Shutterstock

A record 83 percent of U.S. teens own an ‌iPhone‌ as of spring 2019, according to investment bank Piper Jaffray's semiannual "Taking Stock With Teens" survey of around 8,000 high school students. Respondents were roughly 54 percent male and 46 percent female with an average age of 16.3 years.

Meanwhile, 86 percent of U.S. teens expect their next smartphone to be an ‌iPhone‌, matching an all-time high set in fall 2018. This metric has steadily grown in Apple's favor over the years, rising from 75 percent in spring 2016.

‌iPhone‌ popularity among teens is a good sign for Apple, as many of them could stick with the ‌iPhone‌ as an adult. Teens also become locked into the Apple ecosystem at an early age, becoming accustomed to services like iMessage, Apple Music, and iCloud as well as accessories like the AirPods and Apple Watch.

The survey found that 27 percent of U.S. teens own a smartwatch, while 22 percent of respondents plan to purchase an Apple Watch within the next six months. By comparison, 20 percent of teens said they plan to purchase an Apple Watch in the next six months in the year-ago survey.

Piper Jaffray divided its survey into two distinct income groups: "upper-income" with household incomes approximating $100,000 and "average-income" with household incomes approximating $55,000 based on zip code and census data.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...

Top Rated Comments

now i see it Avatar
82 months ago
That explains this

Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
82 months ago
If You are honest, that doesn’t speak for the American youth.
It’s very sad to see such a lost generation growing on such inferior overpriced tech like an iPhone.

I wish them best and hope they grow up realizing there’s a real world outside way better and brighter.
Why are you spending your time on a site dedicated to rumors about products you hate so much?
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
82 months ago
Hopefully now you will all realise why they are focusing on Animojis, AR and services rather than Pro features.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
outskirtsofinfinity Avatar
82 months ago
Nobody likes getting ugly green text messages... it reflects badly on the sender.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hape Avatar
82 months ago
Not true, just compare the iPhone XR and Galaxy S10e ― pound for pound the S10e has better hardware, yet cost the same amount
And now you have explained to yourself why software, ecosystem, support, update- and privacy-policy matter as a huge surplus value which Android manufacturers will never overcome with spec- and price-dumping ... You feel smarter now, don't you? ;-)
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
82 months ago
Well iPhones are the same price as androids so... it’s obvious teens would pick and iPhone over an android.
I suspect many teens start out with a two- or three-year-old iPhone passed down from their parents.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)