According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, one out of every three smartphones sold worldwide this year will use artificial intelligence (AI) to power virtual assistants. The research group says that Google leads in AI-powered smartphones (45.9%) with Apple’s iPhone a close second (41.1%) — for now.
“Google has a narrow lead in total smartphones sold with onboard virtual assistants in 2017,” says Ville Ukonaho, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. “That lead will only grow as Android smartphone sales, with Google Assistant onboard, continue to expand into lower price tiers.”
Virtual assistants have already become common in premium tier smartphones. In 2017 already over 93% of premium tier smartphones (with a wholesale price above $300) sold worldwide have a virtual assistant integrated out-of-the-box. The penetration will expand fast to lower price tiers, mainly with the help of Google Assistant. In 2020 Strategy Analytics estimates that over 80% of the smartphones sold with a wholesale price of over $100 will have a virtual assistant integrated natively.
