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'Dumb Phones' Still More Popular Than Smartphones

by Terrence O'Brien on August 21, 2009 at 08:24 AM

Smartphones like the iPhone and myTouch 3G get all the attention and hype. But despite what the media coverage would lead you to believe, feature phones (or, more unaffectionately, 'dumb phones') still make up the vast majority of handsets sold in the United States.

According to market research group NPD, dumb phones made up 71-percent of new cell phones sold in the second quarter of 2009, with the LG enV2 and Samsung Rant being the most popular. While the overwhelming number of handsets sold are feature phones, smartphones are gaining in popularity at an incredible rate. Smartphones (the most popular of which are the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Curve) now make up 28-percent of all new phones sold in the country. That's an increase of 47-percent from last year.

The market is clearly moving towards smart devices as consumers are beginning to make mobile e-mail and Internet an integral part of their daily lives. But the iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile all have a long way to go before they become ubiquitous. [From: NPD, via BetaNews]

Tags: dumbphones, sales, smartphone, top

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