They might be so popular as to be almost an extension of people's arms, but most Americans ditch their smartphones and return to the trusty computer when buying online.

That was the finding of a Gallup survey released Tuesday which said that 74 percent of adults in the United States with smartphones usually turn to their computers for making purchases on the Internet.

The situation is similar when browsing products online or comparing prices: 62 percent do so on their computers, while only 21 percent use their smartphones.

Of the six online activities Gallup measured, using social media such as Facebook or Twitter is the only activity Americans say they conduct more by smartphone (44 percent) than computer (24 percent).

The survey was conducted via the Internet in April-May with 15,776 US adults who said they had a smartphone.