Samsung Beats Apple in Latest US Customer Satisfaction Rankings

Samsung has done it again. The latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index shows that Samsung has reclaimed the top spot in US smartphone satisfaction. In other words, it has narrowly beaten Apple, continuing its strong run in recent years.

Overall customer satisfaction in the smartphone segment has improved slightly, climbing 1% after last year’s noticeable dip. Much of that is due to brands finally managing to add meaningful features without compromising core essentials like battery life and reliability, which had been a pain point before.

Apple remains close, but Samsung’s consistency makes the difference

Samsung leads the rankings with a score of 81, just one point ahead of Apple at 80. Google and Motorola sit further behind at 77. While the gap is small, Samsung’s consistency across key areas continues to give it an edge.

A big part of that story is how users are responding to AI. For the first time, ACSI measured satisfaction with AI features, and the results are telling. These tools scored 85, making them one of the highest-rated aspects of the smartphone experience, which suggests they’re becoming genuinely useful in everyday use.

Samsung also dominates the flagship category, scoring 84 compared to Apple’s 82 and Google’s 80. Foldables are a different story. Samsung still leads there with a score of 80, but the category as a whole lags behind traditional phones, mainly due to lingering durability and reliability concerns.

Smartwatches paint a more balanced picture. Samsung and Apple are now tied at 80, even though Samsung saw a slight dip. At the same time, overall satisfaction in the category held steady, helped by improvements in usability, connectivity, and smoother software experiences.