With a population of over 325 million, and home to tech-pioneers such as Apple and Google, it might surprise you to learn there are only four main wireless service operators in the USA - and that could soon be cut to three if a proposed mega-merger between T-Mobile and Sprint gets FCC approval.
Here are some statistics about the current device landscape in the US, gleaned from 2018 data from our global network of partner websites using DeviceAtlas for content delivery and optimization purposes.
The most used device in the US is the iPhone 7
When we looked at the most popular smartphones of 2017, the iPhone 6 reigned supreme with 14.2% of the mobile market.
In early 2018, the iPhone 7 overtook the 6 and now sits firmly at the top with a 2.07% lead over second-placed iPhone 8. The 6 is still alive and well, though, with 4.81%.
There's still no sign of the last iPhone releases - XS/Max and XR - breaking in to the top ten. The XS reached 1.17% in Q4 2018.
The US is a big fan of Apple products, and the only competitor in the top ten is the Samsung Galaxy S8, with 2.92% of overall traffic.
| Country | Position | Phone model | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 1 | iPhone 7 | 10.75% |
| USA | 2 | iPhone 8 Plus | 8.68% |
| USA | 3 | iPhone 7 Plus | 8.43% |
| USA | 4 | iPhone X | 7.32% |
| USA | 5 | iPhone 8 | 6.82% |
| USA | 6 | iPhone 6S | 6.23% |
| USA | 7 | iPhone 6 | 4.81% |
| USA | 8 | iPhone SE | 3.66% |
| USA | 9 | iPhone 6S Plus | 3.43% |
| USA | 10 | Samsung Galaxy S8 | 2.92% |
| USA | 11 | Samsung Galaxy S7 | 2.77% |
| USA | 12 | Samsung Galaxy S9 | 1.86% |
When we looked at the smartphone upgrade cycle, we can see steady gains for the iPhone 8 and X across 2018, while the iPhone lost 0.75% share.
The iPhone 6 is slowly fading, but should hang around for another few years providing Apple keep those OS updates coming.
Strong growth in Galaxy S9 usage was offset by a reduction for all three of the other Galaxy devices in this data.
2018 was Apple's year in the USA.
The most popular mobile operating system in the US is iOS
The share of operating systems generally follow the trends of devices and manufacturers, and the US is no different. Despite the huge range of Android-powered smartphones, and their lower cost, Apple's offering is the clear leader once again.
With 63.1% of the market, iOS is firmly installed as the nations favourite mobile OS. Predictably, Android comes second with 36.7%.
Way down the list is KaiOS. With a tiny 0.001% share in the US, the Firefox fork could well make gains in the coming months, if its performance in India (15% share) is any barometer of potential.
Here's how the battle between iOS and Android has played out over the last three years in the US.
The most common screen size in the US is 750x1334
| Screen resolution | Share | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 750x1334 | 29.37% | 27.56% |
| 2. | 1080x1920 | 27.46% | 26.22% |
| 3. | 1440x2560 | 10.98% | 10.68% |
| 4. | 1440x2960 | 9.57% | 8.43% |
| 5. | 720x1280 | 7.45% | 9.96% |
Smartphone hardware in the US
RAM
Like the UK, we're yet to see higher-RAM devices make an impact in the US.
6GB devices enjoyed 2.87% market share in Q4 2018, with 8GB smartphones on 0.03%.
| RAM | Share | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2GB | 38.74% | 38.21% |
| 2. | 3GB | 25.93% | 24.12% |
| 3. | 4GB | 16.36% | 15.34% |
| 4. | 1GB | 11.68% | 13.48% |
| 5. | 1.5GB | 3.51% | 4.06% |
GPU
| GPU Name | Share | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PowerVR GT7600 | 18.27% | 16.73% |
| 2 | PowerVR GT7600 Plus | 13.79% | 12.18% |
| 3 | PowerVR Series 7XT | 11.38% | 8.95% |
| 4 | Adreno 540 | 10.55% | 7.64% |
| 5 | PowerVR GX6450 | 9.48% | 9.05% |
CPU
| CPU Name | Share | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hurricane & Zephyr | 17.60% | 18.15% |
| 2. | Monsoon & Mistral | 16.92% | 14.01% |
| 3. | Twister | 12.75% | 14.37% |
| 4. | Kyro 280 | 14.01% | 6.64% |
| 5. | Cortex-A53 | 8.24% | 12.75% |
For more mobile landscape and device data, visit the DeviceAtlas Data Explorer.