A survey by an online used electronics seller shows that while artificial intelligence is a boon to the marketing departments at smartphone makers such as Apple and Samsung it doesn’t generate much enthusiasm from users.
The survey was conducted by SellCell In a survey of over 2,000 iPhone users and Samsung users, 73% of iPhone users and 87% Samsung users stated that AI features added little or no value to the smartphone experience.
The low level of acceptance for AI in smartphones is due to confusion. “While companies are saying ‘now with AI’ or ‘AI included,’ they’re not telling users what to do with it,” said HP Newquist, executive director of The Relayer GroupThe firm is located in New York City.
“They are telling users you have access to AI.” He told TechNewsWorld that you can use AI now. “They just say, here it comes. Now you have it. “Quite frankly, this is not a compelling enough reason to use AI.”
“We get AI thrust upon us and I think consumers will be completely unimpressed by that,” said he.
He added, “We are finding the exact same thing here in Corporate America.” “They are being told that you should use generative artificial intelligence. You must use agentic AI. But they are not told how exactly it can benefit. You’re going to get a tepid response if you don’t make it clear at both the corporate and consumer levels.
The AI is not well understood
Mark N. Vena is the president and principal analyst of SmartTech Research Las Vegas. He told TechNewsWorld that Apple users had high expectations regarding data protection, and were sceptical about the features’ ability to offer improvements over what their competitors provide.
He said that limited compatibility with AI features being restricted to newer iPhones models may alienate users who have older devices.
Vena added that Galaxy AI, on the Samsung side, lacks differentiation from Android-based AI offerings. Vena believes this may decrease excitement. “Samsung features may appear incremental, rather than revolutionary.”
“Also, inconsistent experiences across Samsung’s devices with its software and artificial intelligence could lead to less enthusiasm for the ecosystem, in comparison to Apple, which is more tightly integrated,” he added.
Greg Sterling, cofounder of Near MediaA market research firm based in San Francisco has stated that Apple Intelligence’s main problem is that the public does not understand it. TechNewsWorld reported that he believes Apple should do more to inform the public of what features they have and when these will be available.
Tim Bajarin was appointed president of Creative StrategiesThe technology advisory company in San Jose (California) agreed. He told TechNewsWorld that “AI integration is new in smartphones and not well known by the average consumer.” “Apple and Google need to create more tutorials that explain how to use the new AI features.”
Rob Enderle is the president and principal analyst of The Enderle GroupThe firm is a consulting services company in Bend, Ore.
He told TechNewsWorld that a lot more training is needed to ensure users know how to use the software. “I’d expect the survey to show a low score this early because Apple Intelligence was only released a short time ago and people don’t really know how it works yet.”
Exuberance – Long Rollout Dampers
Sterling explained that Apple Intelligence features are released incrementally, so the users haven’t seen the benefits in concrete terms yet. He predicted that the results of this survey will be different in a year or so.
Will Kerwin is an equity analyst at Morningstar Research Services Chicago also pointed to the long-term rollout of Apple Intelligence for consumers’ apathy regarding AI on their iPhones. “We think it will take some time for users to understand how Apple Intelligence can be most helpful to them, and to adapt their personal habits,” he said to TechNewsWorld.
He said: “This all gives us the impression that Apple iPhone sales will be higher in fiscal year 2026, driven by AI than they are now in fiscal year 2025.”
Runar Bjørhovde, an analyst with CanalysThe company added that “the stark reality is most people do not buy phones for AI.” They purchase because of other features.
He told TechNewsWorld that the features AI enabled aren’t that exciting right now.
He added: “It’s not so surprising that AI-based features could disappoint people at the moment, because they’re actually not as sophisticated as their marketing and messaging would have you believe.”
Bjørhovde maintained that many tech firms are having an “existential crisis,” where they’ve lost the huge hype and interest that people have had in them for the last 20 years.
“They must come up with new storylines to try to get people interested,” said he. “AI is gold right now. In a few short years, I think it will bring us some very interesting innovations. For now, however, the marketing bubble is still in place and people are not sure what to believe.
Decrease in loyalty
In the SellCell survey, it was also revealed that one out of six iPhone users (16.8%), would switch to Samsung for better AI features. Samsung users were less likely to consider switching over to Apple in order for it have better AI capabilities.
The percentage of Apple users who are loyal has dropped from 92% to 78.9% since 2021. Samsung’s decline was from 74% to 67.2 % over the same time period.
“In general, excitement about Apple’s upgrade cycle each year has dropped a great deal,” said Ross Rubin. He is the principal analyst for Reticle ResearchNew York City-based consumer technology consulting firm.
He told TechNewsWorld that “these AI features are an effort to inject something exciting and new into the experience.” “But consumers want a minimum of functionality, and they don’t see the platform as an issue any more.”
It is still surprising that so many Apple fans are willing to abandon the platform for AI, he admits. He said that Apple users tend to opt for Apple services more often. Because of App Store investments, it’s not possible to move everything else. This makes the increased willingness to switch platforms surprising.
Apple’s popularity is not waning in the eyes of everyone. Bajarin said that his surveys did not show a decline in brand loyalty. “We expect Apple to have a blockbuster holiday season, with iPhone sales and drawing many ‘switchers’ to the Apple ecosystem.”
Kerwin continued, “We do not think Apple’s loyalty will diminish either.” According to us, iPhone users will likely remain iPhone users and the AI features are a way of keeping them locked into Apple’s ecosystem.
