U.S. iPhone buyers significantly shifted purchase preference to the larger 7 Plus in 2016, boosting the 5.5-in. smartphone’s share of all Apple handsets, a research analyst said Thursday.

“The U.S. market finally likes these bigger phones,” said Mike Levin, of Chicago-based Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

Levin cited CIRP’s latest survey, which polled 500 U.S. consumers who had purchased between October and December, to prove his point. Of those who bought a new iPhone in the fourth quarter, 32% selected the iPhone 7 Plus, one of two models introduced in September. Another 40% chose the smaller, less expensive iPhone 7.

The iPhone 7 Plus share of the total approached double that of the then-new iPhone 6S Plus the year before: Just 19% of all fourth-quarter iPhones in 2015 were the bigger-screen model.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here