After reaching an all-time high last year, user satisfaction with cell phones tumbles 4% to a decade-low score of 78 (out of 100), according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Telecommunications, Cell Phone, and Smartwatch Study 2025, as AI features struggle to shift consumer priorities.
“Brands keep racing to add new capabilities, yet customers still judge smartphones by the fundamentals,” says Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “Only when companies strengthen the essentials — battery life, call reliability, and ease of use — does innovation truly deliver lasting satisfaction.”
This isn’t limited to cell phones. Wireless phone service and internet service providers (ISPs) must deliver on reliability and provide an efficient way to reach a helpful contact center (when needed), he says. Smartwatch manufacturer satisfaction is also sensitive to basics like battery life, call quality, and watch design, Morgeson adds.
Hampered by low upgrade rates and steep prices, all cell phone manufacturers suffer satisfaction declines from the year before. However, Apple and Samsung widened their cell phone lead despite some “minor skids.”
They put more distance between themselves and the rest of the pack despite each inching back 1% to an ACSI score of 81. Google and Motorola both decrease 3% and remain tied at 75. The collection of smaller manufacturers stays in last place after tumbling 6% to a score of 68.
The chasm between phones with and those without 5G capabilities widens, according to ACSI. Satisfaction among those with a 5G-enabled phone slides just 2% and remains high with an overall score of 80. Those using a phone with legacy technology are far less satisfied at 68 — a 7% decline year over year. At the manufacturer level, Samsung outperforms Apple by a slim margin in the 5G category.
