( CNN ) -- As of February , more U.S. adults own smartphones than simpler feature phones , according to new research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project . Well , to be more specific : In answering questions from Pew , 45 % of cell phone owners said that their phone is a smartphone . Also , 49 % of cell phone owners said that their phone operates on a smartphone platform common to the U.S. -- which includes BlackBerry . According to Pew : `` Taken together , just over half of cell owners ( 53 % ) said yes to one or both of these questions . '' Here 's how it breaks down , by platform : 20 % of U.S. cell phone owners currently have an Android phone . For iPhone , 19 % . BlackBerry , 6 % ( a 10 % drop since as recently as May 2011 ) . Since May ( the last time Pew gathered these statistics ) , the biggest growth in smartphone ownership was among adults aged 18 to 24 ( up 18 % ) ; the next highest growth was among those aged 45 to 54 ( 16 % ) . Other demographic segments with high growth in smartphone use include whites ( 15 % ) ; those with some college education ( 14 % ) ; and women , rural dwellers and those aged 25-34 ( 13 % each ) . In terms of income , the highest overall growth in smartphone use occurred in the lowest income bracket : 12 % growth among people from households earning $ 30,000 per year or less . Nevertheless , across all age ranges , people from low-income households or who never attended college are still significantly less likely to own a smartphone . The slowest growth in smartphone use was among people aged 65 and over ( up only 2 % ) . Also , smartphone use grew only 5 % among blacks and Hispanics -- two groups that typically have demonstrated the greatest propensity to avidly use all the capabilities of a smartphone . In the bigger picture , according to Pew , 88 % of all U.S. adults now own a cell phone and 46 % of all American adults now use smartphones . Currently , 41 % of U.S. adults use simpler `` feature phones '' -- which often include a Web browser , e-mail , photo and video camera , and the ability to run simple apps . Do most consumers really know whether their phone is a smartphone ? Over a year ago , I did some local mobile market research ( to gauge mobile preferences here in Oakland , California ) . At that time , I was surprised how many people were unsure whether or not they had a smartphone . Many assumed that if their phone had a Web browser , it was a smartphone -- and similarly , many users of simple BlackBerry devices did not consider them to be smartphones . Earlier Pew research indicated similar consumer confusion about smartphones . But by now , more U.S. cell phone owners appear to have this question sorted out . According to Pew : `` As smartphone ownership has become more widespread over the last year , consumers have generally found it easier to answer questions about their phones and whether they own a smartphone or not . To be sure , there is still some confusion around this term as 8 % of cell owners are still not sure if their phone is a smartphone . `` However , this is a significant decrease from the 14 % of cell owners who were not sure if their phone was a smartphone or not in May 2011 . Similarly , the proportion of cell owners who volunteered that they do n't know what type of phone they have fell from 13 % of cell owners in May 2011 to just 4 % of cell owners in February 2012 . '' Of course , different sources of statistics view the smartphone/feature phone market split a bit differently . Data from comScore ( which tracks the U.S. wireless market monthly ) indicate that it wo n't be until later in 2012 that smartphones will start to comprise the majority of U.S. handsets in use . What does this halfway mark in the U.S. mobile market mean ? Maybe not so much , for many people . Certainly , more people will have devices that technically are considered smartphones -- but people with lower incomes and educational attainment will tend to lag on getting smartphones . Also , not all smartphones are created equal . The low-cost Android market ( particularly Android phones that can be obtained for less than $ 200 on no-contract plans ) generally have slower processors , are running older versions of the Android operating system ( which may not support popular apps ) and often are harder to use or more cheaply made . As the Ice Cream Sandwich operating system becomes the norm for higher-end Android devices this year , you can bet that many people with cheap Android phones will still be running Gingerbread , unable to upgrade . Plus , in my experience , Android phones are especially prone to cryptic , hard-to-fix technical problems -- and tech support from carriers and manufacturers is practically worthless . If you 're not comfortable with combing through user forums and trying fairly technical solutions , chances are you 'll just have to give up and get a new phone in a year or less . I 'm serious : the notorious contacts storage bug that plagues many HTC Android phones would have rendered my Droid Incredible completely useless last summer , had I not decided to root my phone and install a different version of Android called CyanogenMod7 . Diagnosing that problem , trying different fixes and , eventually , taking a radical solution entailed a fair amount of research and work . I thrive on that kind of challenge -- but I ca n't imagine most consumers doing likewise . Finally , there 's the learning curve . Smartphones are really hand-held computers that also happen to be able to make phone calls . Even the pricey , slick , user-friendly iPhone has a considerable learning curve , if you 've never had a smartphone before . Most users of any kind of smartphone do not make use of most of what those devices can do . For many consumers , a smartphone will always be overkill . Smartphones may be becoming the norm , but that does n't mean their benefits are evenly distributed . The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran .
Survey says `` just over half of cell owners '' have smartphone or use smartphone platform . Biggest growth in smartphone ownership was among adults aged 18-24 , survey says . It says highest growth in smartphone use occurred in the lowest income bracket . Comment: