PhoneArena readers in the U.S. with an iPhone favor this Big 3 carrier
Those readers who responded to our poll made it clear which wireless firm they favor.
Last month we told you that based on a survey of U.S. iPhone buyers done by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), in September 2025 Verizon was the carrier of choice for 38% of those who had purchased an iPhone over the previous 12 months. AT&T was next at 26% followed by 24% for T-Mobile and 12% for regional or other wireless providers. That was a pretty big change from the previous survey on the same subject conducted by CIRP in 2020.
Our poll showed that most iPhone users in the U.S. prefer Verizon
Back then, AT&T was the carrier of choice for new iPhone buyers, chosen by 39% of those surveyed. Verizon was second (33%) followed by T-Mobile (12%) and 3% for regional/other. In last month's story, we included a poll question of our own: "Apple iPhone users: which carrier are you subscribed to?" The options we gave readers were:
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
- AT&T
- MVNO/Wi-Fi
- I don't have an iPhone
First, we should note that of the 5,606 readers who responded to the poll, 10.47% said that they don't own an iPhone. A leading 37.55% said that as an iPhone owner, they receive wireless service from T-Mobile. This is not a surprise considering that T-Mobile is now the nation's largest carrier. Verizon was next with 26.36% of iPhone owners, followed by 17.37% who signed up with AT&T. 8.24% said that they use an MVNO (typical a pre-paid wireless provider) or Wi-Fi.
What this means is that over 72% of those responding to the poll use one of the Big 3 carriers in the U.S. That compares with the 8.24% that use an MVNO. This favoring of more expensive Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) by iPhone owners could be due to the price of an iPhone. In other words, if you can afford to buy an iPhone, you can afford to pay for more expensive postpaid phone service from one of the Big 3.
T-Mobile didn't do as well in the CIRP survey
It is interesting that the PhoneArena poll doesn't come close to matching the CIRP survey. The latter surveyed those who purchased an iPhone over the previous 12 months. Our poll just required that you own an iPhone to respond to the question by selecting a wireless provider. T-Mobile, which is currently the carrier of choice for iPhone users according to PhoneArena readers, finished last among the MNOs in CIRP's survey with only 24% selecting the Un-carrier. The only thing that I can come up with as a possible reason is that PhoneArena readers give T-Mobile more love than those who don't read us.
I should point out that from the 2020 CIRP survey to the 2025 survey, the percentage f new Phone buyers subscribing with T-Mobile doubled from 12% to 24% which could be indicative of the strength we see in the PhoneArena poll and might forecast stronger numbers for the wireless firm if we rerun the poll next year.
Follow us on Google News
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: