Samsung overtakes Apple for best smartphone customer satisfaction

Samsung edged out Apple for the top spot in customer satisfaction for cell phones, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2026 Telecom, Cell Phone and Smartwatch Study, released this week.

Samsung scores 81 in the ACSI mobile phone rankings while Apple scores 80, breaking last year’s tie between the two companies for satisfaction leadership. The mobile industry’s overall score rose 1% to 79 this year, recovering from a sharp 4% decline in 2025 that pushed it to its lowest level in a decade.

ACSI says satisfaction improves most when new features translate into everyday value without introducing new issues, citing battery life trade-offs as an example. AI integration, measured for the first time by ACSI, achieves an overall score of 85, indicating that customers are not only aware of AI features, but find them useful, while battery life improvement increased by 5% to 81.

For the mobile industry, the highest-scoring customer experience metrics are the core functions of making phone calls and sending text messages, scoring 86 in both cases. AI feature performance starts at 85, almost matching these most important interactions, suggesting that AI is moving from novelty to practical utility for many customers.

Among new flagship owners, Samsung’s latest Galaxy S series tops with 84, followed by new iPhone owners with 82, with Google’s flagship models scoring 80. Satisfaction with flagship models gets an overall score of 82, far outpacing older phones at 76 and foldables at 72.

In the foldable segment, Samsung holds a clear lead with an ACSI score of 80, 8 points ahead of Google at 72 and 10 points ahead of Motorola at 70. ACSI notes that foldable owners are three times more likely to complain than non-foldable owners, and says competitive dynamics in the segment could change as Apple’s entry into the foldable market is planned for later this year. Apple is widely expected to launch a foldable iPhone this fall alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, featuring a 7.8-inch interior display and a 5.5-inch cover display, priced around $2,000.

In the smartwatch category, Apple remains steady at 80, while Samsung drops 4% to tie for first place at the top of the rankings. Smartwatch customer experience features are universally rated higher this year at an industry level, with the biggest gains including ease of navigation through menus and settings, up 7% to 80, and connectivity of apps and accessories, up 5% to 83.

The ACSI study is based on 26,963 completed surveys, with customers contacted by email between April 2025 and March 2026.