AI Features on Smartphones: Hype vs. Reality in Consumer Adoption

The obvious reason why I'm not sold on smartphone AI features yet (and I'm not alone)

Manufacturers are betting on AI to be the future of phones. That might be the case, but is that what consumers want or need? I've had my Pixel 9 Pro for a while now, and I firmly stand by my opinion that it's the best phone Google has released to date. The phone is elegantly designed and powerful, has a great camera, and Android 15 runs smoother than any previous version. Also: What is Gemini? Everything you should know about Google's new AI model If you pay attention to Google's marketing for the Pixel 9 phones and Android 15, however, you'd think AI was not only the heart and soul of the new device, but is practically required to get the most out of the phone. That is so not the case. Since I received my Pixel 9 Pro, I've directly interacted with AI maybe a handful of times. I have Gemini Live installed and haven't used it beyond a test conversation. The camera app includes all sorts of tools to help me take better photos (or improve the photos I've taken), but I'd rather know what I'm doing, so I can take quality photos without the help of the AI shortcut. The most I've done with AI on my Pixel 9 Pro is set alarms and add appointments to calendars. Instead, I've used my phone as a phone, a means to listen to music while on the go, a way to connect with the people in my circles, and to help keep my life organized. You know... the things most people do with their phones. Also: I bought the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and its most impressive feature was not the software If Google and Apple had their way, we'd all be using AI for everything. Things like: I've had several conversations with people I consider phone "power users," and not one of them mentioned AI as a necessary feature. There are, however, upgrades to phones that are far more important. Here's my list: I also asked a handful of non-power users, and their answer (across the board) was... I just want my phone to work. Yes, this is highly unscientific data, and it does not represent the whole phone-using community, but I do think it's a fairly safe bet to say that most people would rather have affordable phones that work as expected, are secure, and have user-friendly UIs more than they'd like AI integration. Also: How to share files between Android and MacOS with AirDroid The thing is, we don't need AI integrated into our devices. What we do need are phones that reliably place calls, help us communicate with others, organize our lives, and entertain us. According to Digital Trends, the secret cost of adding AI to a smartphone is that someone is or will eventually be collecting a fee for using AI. At the moment, it's all so new to the world of smartphones that everything is free. You can use Gemini Advanced at no cost on a new Pixel phone for a year. After that year is up, you'll have to pay for the service. If, after that year is up, you don't remember to unsubscribe, you'll be charged. That's not all. AI requires power... a lot of it. Most AI queries are offloaded to massive data centers that consume exorbitant amounts of energy. Microsoft is working with the once-decommissioned Three Mile Island nuclear reactor to power its AI efforts. What's the cost of that, and who eventually eats it? Also: Everything to know about Apple's AI features coming to iPhones, Macs, and iPads As for Google, with the release of the Pixel 9 phones and Android 15, the company has decided to tackle some smaller AI bits locally. What does that mean? If the trend continues, phones will need exponentially more powerful chips to function because, as I said, AI needs power. Imagine if, all of a sudden, your device has even more integrated AI features that consume your CPU resources such that there's little left for apps. That means phone manufacturers will have to use even more powerful chips, more RAM, and have better heat dissipation. It's all so intertwined and complex, especially since most people just want their phones to work. Also: A smartphone without apps? This AI assistant aims to replace them all I get it. Phone manufacturers felt the need to hop onto the AI train because (right now) AI is sexy, and it sells. Carl Pei (of Nothing) posted a video on X stating that the Nothing Phone 3 will be all in with AI. I was quite disappointed in this because I was planning on finally making the jump from the Pixel phone to a Nothing phone, but that stopped me cold. I don't see AI as the salvation of the phone industry some think it to be. The phone industry doesn't need salvation because, according to Market Data Forecast, the global phone market is expected to reach $493.08 billion by the end of 2024. AI had nothing to do with that enormous market share, as phones sell themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against AI. I believe AI has its place in certain fields, but as a selling point for phones, I believe manufacturers are misguided. We don't need AI in our phones; we need phones that work reliably and securely without having to mortgage our houses to purchase them.

I'm a hardware Android user - but likely won't upgrade to Pixel 10 for the reason that Google thinks

Manufacturers are betting on AI to be the future of phones. That might be the case, but is that what consumers want or need? I've had my Pixel 9 Pro for a while now, and I firmly stand by my opinion that it's the best phone Google has released to date. The phone is elegantly designed and powerful, has a great camera, and Android 15 runs smoother than any previous version. Also: What is Gemini? Everything you should know about Google's new AI model If you pay attention to Google's marketing for the Pixel 9 phones and Android 15, however, you'd think AI was not only the heart and soul of the new device, but is practically required to get the most out of the phone. That is so not the case. Since I received my Pixel 9 Pro, I've directly interacted with AI maybe a handful of times. I have Gemini Live installed and haven't used it beyond a test conversation. The camera app includes all sorts of tools to help me take better photos (or improve the photos I've taken), but I'd rather know what I'm doing, so I can take quality photos without the help of the AI shortcut. The most I've done with AI on my Pixel 9 Pro is set alarms and add appointments to calendars. Instead, I've used my phone as a phone, a means to listen to music while on the go, a way to connect with the people in my circles, and to help keep my life organized. You know... the things most people do with their phones. Also: I bought the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and its most impressive feature was not the software If Google and Apple had their way, we'd all be using AI for everything. Things like: I've had several conversations with people I consider phone "power users," and not one of them mentioned AI as a necessary feature. There are, however, upgrades to phones that are far more important. Here's my list: I also asked a handful of non-power users, and their answer (across the board) was... I just want my phone to work. Yes, this is highly unscientific data, and it does not represent the whole phone-using community, but I do think it's a fairly safe bet to say that most people would rather have affordable phones that work as expected, are secure, and have user-friendly UIs more than they'd like AI integration. Also: How to share files between Android and MacOS with AirDroid The thing is, we don't need AI integrated into our devices. What we do need are phones that reliably place calls, help us communicate with others, organize our lives, and entertain us. According to Digital Trends, the secret cost of adding AI to a smartphone is that someone is or will eventually be collecting a fee for using AI. At the moment, it's all so new to the world of smartphones that everything is free. You can use Gemini Advanced at no cost on a new Pixel phone for a year. After that year is up, you'll have to pay for the service. If, after that year is up, you don't remember to unsubscribe, you'll be charged. That's not all. AI requires power... a lot of it. Most AI queries are offloaded to massive data centers that consume exorbitant amounts of energy. Microsoft is working with the once-decommissioned Three Mile Island nuclear reactor to power its AI efforts. What's the cost of that, and who eventually eats it? Also: Everything to know about Apple's AI features coming to iPhones, Macs, and iPads As for Google, with the release of the Pixel 9 phones and Android 15, the company has decided to tackle some smaller AI bits locally. What does that mean? If the trend continues, phones will need exponentially more powerful chips to function because, as I said, AI needs power. Imagine if, all of a sudden, your device has even more integrated AI features that consume your CPU resources such that there's little left for apps. That means phone manufacturers will have to use even more powerful chips, more RAM, and have better heat dissipation. It's all so intertwined and complex, especially since most people just want their phones to work. Also: A smartphone without apps? This AI assistant aims to replace them all I get it. Phone manufacturers felt the need to hop onto the AI train because (right now) AI is sexy, and it sells. Carl Pei (of Nothing) posted a video on X stating that the Nothing Phone 3 will be all in with AI. I was quite disappointed in this because I was planning on finally making the jump from the Pixel phone to a Nothing phone, but that stopped me cold. I don't see AI as the salvation of the phone industry some think it to be. The phone industry doesn't need salvation because, according to Market Data Forecast, the global phone market is expected to reach $493.08 billion by the end of 2024. AI had nothing to do with that enormous market share, as phones sell themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against AI. I believe AI has its place in certain fields, but as a selling point for phones, I believe manufacturers are misguided. We don't need AI in our phones; we need phones that work reliably and securely without having to mortgage our houses to purchase them.

I'm a hardcore Android user - but likely won't upgrade to Pixel 10 for the reason that Google thinks

Manufacturers are betting on AI to be the future of phones. That might be the case, but is that what consumers want or need? I've had my Pixel 9 Pro for a while now, and I firmly stand by my opinion that it's the best phone Google has released to date. The phone is elegantly designed and powerful, has a great camera, and Android 15 runs smoother than any previous version. Also: What is Gemini? Everything you should know about Google's new AI model If you pay attention to Google's marketing for the Pixel 9 phones and Android 15, however, you'd think AI was not only the heart and soul of the new device, but is practically required to get the most out of the phone. That is so not the case. Since I received my Pixel 9 Pro, I've directly interacted with AI maybe a handful of times. I have Gemini Live installed and haven't used it beyond a test conversation. The camera app includes all sorts of tools to help me take better photos (or improve the photos I've taken), but I'd rather know what I'm doing, so I can take quality photos without the help of the AI shortcut. The most I've done with AI on my Pixel 9 Pro is set alarms and add appointments to calendars. Instead, I've used my phone as a phone, a means to listen to music while on the go, a way to connect with the people in my circles, and to help keep my life organized. You know... the things most people do with their phones. Also: I bought the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and its most impressive feature was not the software If Google and Apple had their way, we'd all be using AI for everything. Things like: I've had several conversations with people I consider phone "power users," and not one of them mentioned AI as a necessary feature. There are, however, upgrades to phones that are far more important. Here's my list: I also asked a handful of non-power users, and their answer (across the board) was... I just want my phone to work. Yes, this is highly unscientific data, and it does not represent the whole phone-using community, but I do think it's a fairly safe bet to say that most people would rather have affordable phones that work as expected, are secure, and have user-friendly UIs more than they'd like AI integration. Also: How to share files between Android and MacOS with AirDroid The thing is, we don't need AI integrated into our devices. What we do need are phones that reliably place calls, help us communicate with others, organize our lives, and entertain us. According to Digital Trends, the secret cost of adding AI to a smartphone is that someone is or will eventually be collecting a fee for using AI. At the moment, it's all so new to the world of smartphones that everything is free. You can use Gemini Advanced at no cost on a new Pixel phone for a year. After that year is up, you'll have to pay for the service. If, after that year is up, you don't remember to unsubscribe, you'll be charged. That's not all. AI requires power... a lot of it. Most AI queries are offloaded to massive data centers that consume exorbitant amounts of energy. Microsoft is working with the once-decommissioned Three Mile Island nuclear reactor to power its AI efforts. What's the cost of that, and who eventually eats it? Also: Everything to know about Apple's AI features coming to iPhones, Macs, and iPads As for Google, with the release of the Pixel 9 phones and Android 15, the company has decided to tackle some smaller AI bits locally. What does that mean? If the trend continues, phones will need exponentially more powerful chips to function because, as I said, AI needs power. Imagine if, all of a sudden, your device has even more integrated AI features that consume your CPU resources such that there's little left for apps. That means phone manufacturers will have to use even more powerful chips, more RAM, and have better heat dissipation. It's all so intertwined and complex, especially since most people just want their phones to work. Also: A smartphone without apps? This AI assistant aims to replace them all I get it. Phone manufacturers felt the need to hop onto the AI train because (right now) AI is sexy, and it sells. Carl Pei (of Nothing) posted a video on X stating that the Nothing Phone 3 will be all in with AI. I was quite disappointed in this because I was planning on finally making the jump from the Pixel phone to a Nothing phone, but that stopped me cold. I don't see AI as the salvation of the phone industry some think it to be. The phone industry doesn't need salvation because, according to Market Data Forecast, the global phone market is expected to reach $493.08 billion by the end of 2024. AI had nothing to do with that enormous market share, as phones sell themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against AI. I believe AI has its place in certain fields, but as a selling point for phones, I believe manufacturers are misguided. We don't need AI in our phones; we need phones that work reliably and securely without having to mortgage our houses to purchase them.

I'm Not Impressed With AI on Phones Yet. What It Will Take to Change My Mind

If phonemakers like Samsung, Google and Apple are to be believed, AI is going to change how we use our mobile devices. The question is: When? This year saw a wave of AI-powered features arrive on our phones, from tools for rewriting messages to translating texts without having to leave your messaging app. Thanks to generative AI, you can erase objects from photos with a couple of quick swipes, or generate polished images based on a simple prompt or rough drawing. While these updates arguably bring additional convenience to your phone, they don't feel as groundbreaking as tech giants would have you believe. The first phase of AI-centric phone features are designed for very specific use cases -- so specific, in fact, that I often forget to use them. The new capabilities that feel the most promising, like Google's Circle to Search and Apple's Visual Intelligence, require users to think about navigating their phones in a different way, which presents its own set of challenges. To be sure, tech companies have made it clear that this is the start of a multiyear evolution of mobile software. Getting it right is critical, because there's a belief that generative AI will define the internet's future and how we access information. Generative AI adoption in the US is said to be moving faster than adoption of the PC and the internet, according to a September economic research paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. By not incorporating generative AI into their devices, tech companies run the risk of being left behind -- like those that missed out on the shift to smartphones in the early 2000s. So far, we've seen hints at where the future of smartphone software will go, with novel ideas emerging such as a phone interface that doesn't rely heavily on apps and AI agents that can act on your behalf. For now, those ideas are just that, but I'm hoping to see steps that push mobile phones in those directions in 2025. Read more: Why Google's New Android VP Says 'People Don't Want to Hear About AI' Generative AI, or AI that creates content or responses based on prompts, captured the world's attention in 2023 largely thanks to ChatGPT. But 2024 was the year phone makers began seriously embracing the tech. Samsung kicked things off in January with the introduction of Galaxy AI, while Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence in June months ahead of its October rollout. Google sporadically announced AI advancements throughout 2024, from Gemini Live and Gemini's ability to understand what's on your phone's screen at Google I/O in May to the new image generation tools on the Pixel 9 family in August. Many of these early features aim to solve problems I'm not sure need to be fixed. For example, I rarely find myself in a situation that calls for rewriting a text message to make it sound more professional or friendly. Most of the people I text are close friends or family members, so I don't usually think too carefully about the phrasing or tone. In the rare instances in which I'm texting a work-related contact, the conversation is usually just a brief reminder about an upcoming meeting or event. Other new AI features are amusing and impressive, but fail to prove their long-term usefulness. Samsung's Portrait Studio, which launched on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, comes to mind. It uses AI to recast photos of people in different art styles, like watercolor or cartoon. When I got my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 back in July, I had so much fun playing with different selfies and images of friends to see how Samsung would reimagine us with a new look. But the novelty quickly wore off. I haven't touched that feature since, even when revisiting the Z Fold 6 three months later. I feel the same way about other image generation apps and features like the Pixel 9's Pixel Studio, which makes it possible to create an image based on a prompt, and Samsung's Sketch-to-image tool for turning rough sketches into detailed images. I will admit, there is a degree of delight that comes from playing around with these creative tools and seeing what they'll do. But months later, these features have yet to find a place in my everyday life. Apple also just launched a preview of its own image creation app called Image Playground as part of the iOS 18.2 developer beta. I haven't spent enough time with it yet to form an impression, but I can't imagine I'd feel very differently. Of course, my experience doesn't reflect everyone's opinion. Some may find great value in these tools, such as those who struggle in social situations and need some extra help figuring out how to frame a text message. Or creatives that need to quickly create images on the fly for a personal project. But that's my exact point; these features feel designed for specific circumstances rather than wholesale changes that push the mobile experience forward. While the vast majority of new AI features feel inconsequential, there are a few that show real potential. Google's Circle to Search, which lets you launch a Google search for almost anything on your phone screen by circling it, is one such example. As is Apple's Visual Intelligence mode for the iPhone 16, and the message and notification summaries in Apple Intelligence. What separates these features from the others mentioned above is that they feel more integrated at the system level rather than being buried in specific apps. But more importantly, they were designed to solve bigger-picture pain points with how we use our phones, even if they don't fully live up to that ambition just yet. Circle to Search and Visual Intelligence are two of the strongest examples of this. They may seem very different on the surface -- Circle to Search leverages what's on your phone's screen, while Visual Intelligence requires you to use the iPhone 16's camera to scan the world around you. But they both aim to get rid of the middle step of having to open an app, launch a Google Search or type a prompt into ChatGPT to retrieve information. They're both an indication that tech giants think there's a better way to get things done on our phones. Apple Intelligence's message and notification summaries also stand out as an example of an AI feature that feels genuinely useful at times without requiring additional user effort. Like Circle to Search and Visual Intelligence, it feels like a sweeping change aimed at a very common problem: managing the influx of information on our mobile devices. But even features like these are far from perfect and still have a long way to go. Apple's summaries are sometimes sufficient enough to give me the gist of a text thread, but more often than not, they're missing crucial context. Visual Intelligence is still in preview as part of the iOS 18.2 developer beta, so I'm still getting a feel for its usefulness. Beyond that, Visual Intelligence and Circle to Search suffer from the same conundrum: After years of being conditioned to tap, swipe and scroll, adopting a new way of doing things on our phones doesn't come naturally. The reason these features are so interesting and promising is the same factor that could be holding them back. Drawing a circle around something onscreen, or launching the iPhone's camera instead of opening Google, just isn't instinctual yet, and who knows if and when it will be. What's become clear in 2024 is that AI still needs to prove its purpose on our smartphones. AI's potential is starting to take shape, especially when you consider more dramatic ideas about how our phones could change, such as Google's Project Astra demo from Google I/O, Qualcomm's concept for apps that can take actions for you and Brain.ai's vision for a phone that can generate its interface as needed. There are already plenty of efforts underway to make phones more intuitive right now, such as Google's Gemini extensions, which let the digital helper work with other apps, and Apple's upgraded Siri that has the ability to understand personal context. It's impossible to say whether we'll ever abandon apps in favor of AI, or rely on virtual agents to accomplish everyday tasks. But that's not what I'm looking for in 2025. For now, I just want features that feel practical, useful and innovative in a bigger way than what we've seen so far.