In a recent biannual survey conducted by Piper Sandler, it was revealed that the iPhone remains the most favored smartphone among U.S. teenagers, with 85% of respondents owning an iPhone and 86% expressing their intent to make it their next smartphone purchase.
This marks a slight decrease from the October 2023 survey, which showed 87% of teens owned an iPhone and 88% planned to buy one. Despite the slight dip, these figures are near the survey’s all-time highs, underscoring the strong appeal of the iPhone within the teenage demographic, especially in a market where the competition for premium smartphones is fierce.
The survey’s findings come at a time when Apple’s dominance in the teen market is under scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) in its antitrust lawsuit against the company. The DoJ argues that Apple’s stronghold over the U.S. smartphone market leads to “social stigma, exclusion, and blame” for those who don’t use an iPhone, highlighting the issue of “green bubble” chats between iPhone and Android users as a significant factor.
This social pressure, according to the DoJ, is particularly influential among teenagers, contributing to Apple’s significant market share among younger audiences, which in turn, could potentially give Apple excessive control over the smartphone ecosystem.
The Apple Watch also continues to enjoy popularity among teens, with 34% of those surveyed using an Apple Watch, a figure that remains unchanged from the previous fall. However, there is a notable increase in the proportion of teens planning to purchase an Apple Watch in the next six months, rising to 13% from the previous survey. Considering that only 39.4% of teens own a smartwatch, the preference for the Apple Watch over other brands is apparent, with the Apple Watch being the most popular choice ahead of brands like Rolex and Casio.
However, when it comes to music and video streaming services, Apple doesn’t seem to hold the same sway over the teenage demographic. Spotify emerges as the preferred music streaming service for nearly two-thirds of the surveyed teens, while only just over 30% use Apple Music. Similarly, Apple TV+ struggles to attract a teenage audience, with less than 5% of respondents watching it daily, starkly contrasting with the 30% who watch Netflix and close to 30% who watch YouTube on a daily basis.
For digital payments, Apple Pay leads as the most used platform among teens in the last month, being used by 44%. However, for peer-to-peer money transfers, apps like Cash App and Venmo are more popular among this demographic.
This survey by Piper Sandler involved 6,020 teens across 47 U.S. states for its spring 2024 report, offering a glimpse into the preferences and habits of today’s young consumers in the U.S.
