Introduction
Most competitive analyses of the US smartphone market start with shipment data, end with market-share headlines, and leave the strategic questions unanswered. Who owns what device today, and for how long? Which brands are earning genuine loyalty, and which are surviving on promotional subsidy? Where does cross-shopping happen, and which competitor poses the real threat to each brand's installed base? This report answers those questions with primary consumer survey data, not shipment estimates or panel proxies, drawn from 104,408 US respondents tracked across five consecutive quarters from Q4 2024 through Q4 2025.
This is the first report of the US Consumer Device Purchase Journey series, which covers market landscape, competitive position, brand performance, and consumer satisfaction. It is the structural foundation of the series: before understanding why consumers move or how they buy, you need a precise picture of where the market stands. This report paints that picture across four dimensions. Installed base composition and quarterly share trends answer who is winning and losing ground, and at what pace. Price positioning and device tenure distributions answer what those consumers are carrying and when they are most likely to replace it. Brand consideration and exclusive loyalty data, derived from passively detected device identifiers rather than self-report, answer how consumers shop and which brands they cross-shop against. Component NPS (cNPS) data, measuring device-specific satisfaction, answers whether the brands gaining share are earning it on hardware merit or on other grounds.
This report is written for device OEM strategists tracking competitive installed base dynamics and upgrade opportunity, carrier product and marketing teams planning device promotions and upgrade offers, retail channel managers assessing brand mix and shelf allocation decisions, and investors evaluating the durability of brand positions in the US premium and value smartphone segments. It assumes familiarity with the competitive landscape but no prior exposure to Recon Analytics methodology. The data collection approach, passive device detection at survey entry rather than respondent self-report, is explained, where it materially affects how findings should be interpreted.
Table of Contents
- Introduction 1
- 1. Executive Summary 2
- 2. Installed Base Composition 4
- 3. Price Positioning and Segmentation 6
- 4. Device Age and Replacement Timing 8
- 5. Brand Consideration and Cross-Shopping 10
- 6. Brand Loyalty Metrics 13
- 7. Customer Satisfaction (cNPS Perspective) 14
- 8. Conclusion 17