The Most Popular Smart Home Devices 2021
Smart devices have moved beyond luxury items you only see at your rich uncle’s house into everyday items ordinary people can’t live without. The majority of Americans own more than two smart home devices, and the most popular ones are the omnipresent smartphone, followed by smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Nest.
Alexa, play Fancy by Iggy Azalea.
Smart device ownership by category
Personal devices
It’s no surprise that the most popular smart home device, by far, is the one everyone carries in their pockets: the smartphone.
We’re not debating Apple vs. Android here, but no matter where your loyalties lie, odds are you’re reading this on a smartphone right now. (No offense, desktop devotees.)
Interestingly, the next most popular personal devices are Wi-Fi headphones and smart watches. Smart watches, like the Apple Watch, are even more popular than tablets, like the iPad.
Living room
Smart speakers take the cake for most popular smart home devices in your living room. (Or your bathroom, or your hallway, or wherever else you keep Alexa. We’re not here to judge.) Our survey found that 35.6% of Americans have at least one smart speaker.
Next up for most popular is smart televisions. We were a bit surprised fewer people own smart TV’s than smart speakers, but there you have it. We suspect this might change in the next few years and more people replace their old non-smart TVs with an upgraded model.
Office
This one’s a no-brainer: the most popular office smart home device is the good ol’ laptop, followed by the even older good ol’ desktop.
We were interested to find that 17.5% of people own smart printers. Apparently, some people still print things on paper—but smartly.
Kitchen
Smart appliances seem like all the rage these days, but only 4.7% of Americans own a smart fridge—the most popular kitchen smart home device.
In fact, all the numbers are pretty small here. Only 4.2% of people own a smart dishwasher, and 4.2% own a smart oven. Least popular are smart sous vide cookers with only 1.5%.
Bathroom and laundry
More people own smart washing machines than smart fridges. Smart dryers, on the other hand, are no more popular than smart dishwashers. Apparently, people need extra smarts to get their clothes clean, but drying is … simpler?
The third most popular bathroom/laundry smart home device is smart toothbrushes. Gotta keep those pearly whites gleaming.
Health and fitness
The most popular smart devices for health and fitness are smart fitness scales. If we’re being fair, then really the most popular fitness device is smart watches, but beyond Fitbits, people love smart scales the most.
Still, it’s hardly a majority of Americans, considering only 5.2% claim smart scale ownership.
Home security and safety
The most beloved home security smart device is the good ol’ video doorbell. These seem to have really picked up steam over the last few years, and now you need more than two hands to count all the Ring and Google Nest doorbells you can spot around your neighborhood.
The second most popular smart security device is an outdoor security camera. We suspect the same people who want to protect their porches with doorbell cameras want to protect the rest of their property with cameras too.
Outdoors
For outdoor devices, the most popular smart home gadget is smart garage door openers, which are owned by 13.8% of Americans.
We expected smart lighting, like floodlights and pathlights, to be the next most popular, but those are actually fourth on the list. Smart gate locks actually come in second, followed by smart sprinklers.
Other
It was no surprise to us that smart thermostats are quite popular and owned by 10.3% of Americans. Thermostats are one smart device that saves you money after you buy it, with perks from local utility companies and monthly energy savings.
Smart light bulbs and plugs, as well as robot vacuums like Roomba, are also pretty popular. They haven’t reached anywhere close to the majority of Americans yet, but they’re still some of the most popular smart devices on our survey.
Increasing demand for smart devices
Our survey found that the average American owns eight smart devices. And, on average, Americans intend to purchase four new smart devices within the next 12 months. The most popular smart devices right now are personal electronics like phones, computers, and wearables. But single devices like smart video doorbells, smart cameras, and smart light bulbs are real up-and-comers.
Considering 35.6% of Americans own smart speakers, it makes sense that smart devices you can use with those smart speakers are becoming more appealing.
The top-10 smart devices people intend to purchase in the next 12 months include:
- Smartphone
- Smart speaker
- Smart hub with screen/display (such as Amazon Echo Show, Facebook Portal)
- Wi-Fi–enabled headphones/earbuds
- Smart watch (such as Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch)
- Laptop (with voice control feature)
- Video doorbell
- Smart hub (without a speaker or display)
- Smart/wearable fitness tracker (such as a FitBit, Koretrak, Garmin)
- Wi-Fi–enabled digital camera
Conclusion
Currently, 85% of Americans own two or more smart devices, and that number is likely to increase. We expect to see the most popular devices expand from personal electronics into standalone smart home devices like thermostats and light bulbs. But right now, it’s safe to say most people own a smartphone, and a good chunk of them own smart speakers too.
Methodology
Reviews.org surveyed 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older and asked them to indicate which, if any, smart (or Wi-Fi–enabled) devices they currently own. We then analyzed this data and segmented the results by category to determine the most popular smart devices in 2021.