Nielsen: Ethnic Minorities More Likely Than Whites to Buy Smartphones

Nielsen has some interesting new data breaking down smartphone sales by ethnicity. Its research shows that in the U.S., white consumers are less likely than blacks, Asians or Hispanics to have a smartphone. And that trend appears to be continuing, Nielsen said. According to its research, 42 percent of whites who purchased a mobile phone in the past six months chose a smartphone over a feature phone, compared with 60 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders, 56 percent of Hispanics and 44 percent of African Americans. Among the ethnic groups, Asians and Pacific Islanders were most likely to have an iPhone, while the BlackBerry was particularly popular among African Americans, relative to other ethnic groups.