Apple and Samsung Users Unimpressed with AI Features, Study Reveals

Apple Intelligence's big moment is here -- and it's greatest challenge

AI is the future according to Big Tech, but getting people on board is an entirely different problem On December 11, after months of incremental rollouts, the ChatGPT-centric suite of AI tools finally debuted in full on iPhones and compatible Apple devices. That means if you have an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 series, you can generate unique emojis, synopsize messages, and have your device write your emails for you. For some people, that might be an exciting new development in the world of AI, but for others, it might be one big shrug. Apple's introduction of generative AI on every new iPhone might be a momentous achievement for Apple, but people using the phones and the new features may be unconvinced. According to a recent poll from SellCell, a site that sells refurbished gadgets and operates a corresponding blog, 73% of iPhone users reported seeing little to no value in AI features on their phones. The survey, which canvased 2,000 smartphone users, also found that 87% of Samsung users report the same indifference to AI features. The survey also gathered insight into which AI features customers are most likely to use. On Apple's end, most respondents used Writing Tools and notification summaries, while Samsung users cite Circle to Search as the most popular feature. If I were to put my thinking cap on and connect the dots, the theme here is that people want AI to make things easier. That's opposed to more creative generative features like Image Playground that can conjure up emoji or turn illustrations into something more photorealistic. On the one hand, new features often take time to gain traction, but on the other, it highlights a major disconnect between the emphasis tech companies are placing on AI features in phones and how eager consumers are to actually use them. That might not make a huge difference for consumers who've gotten by without AI, but for companies like Apple and Samsung who are hinging the future of smartphone software on AI, the stakes are much higher. The thing about software is that it doesn't stay static. There's a chance that even if features are underwhelming now, they could vastly improve with future updates -- maybe even soon. With that said, first impressions are also important, and as it stands, AI might not be making the impression it needs. As miraculous as generative AI has been, it's also been unpredictable. LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini have been prone to "hallucinations," which is AI shorthand for "making stuff up." In a low-stakes context, that can be easily written off, but when it comes to the big leagues (i.e. a feature that lives inside every new iPhone) that variability might be a much bigger problem. Imagine a notification summary minsterpreting an emergency text or an important work email, or a rogue image generation prompt creating something unsavory. Or on a more banal level, what if the features just don't meet Apple's standards? People with iPhones are used to a certain degree of precision and fluidity, and if Apple Intelligence isn't delivering that, it could tilt users' perception of Apple products. When it comes to AI, that perception is already not great. According to a Gallup poll in August this year, Americans still see AI as being a net neutral for society. An overwhelming 56% of respondents said they believe AI will do equal parts harm and good, while 31% say they think it will actually do more harm than good. I have no doubt that Apple (or OpenAI) has the technical prowess to continue to improve AI features, but sometimes the perception matters more than the product. While people may bristle at the idea of AI (in their phones or otherwise), most things -- including Apple products -- have a way of changing. Take the Apple Watch, for example. When Apple's now-successful wearable launched in 2015, it was a device in search of a purpose, and rightfully so, people were skeptical of why they might need one. Why buy another smaller screen when you can already get notifications on your phone? Then health tracking came along -- blood oxygen levels, sleep tracking, atrial fibrillation detection -- and suddenly, a meandering device was a potential lifesaver. It's impossible to say for sure today since Apple Intelligence is still brand new, but there may be a similar playbook for their suite of AI features, even if they're not immediately critical. In the meantime, it'll be up to Apple to put in the real work by making features useful, for starters, but also making sure people know they're useful. And that might be easier said than done. Changing technology is one thing. Changing people's minds? God's speed to Apple's marketing team.

iPhone Owners Extremely Unimpressed With Apple Intelligence AI

Apple Intelligence, the iPhone-maker's feature-packed stab at AI integration into its devices, appears to be a total dud with buyers, according to a new survey conducted by online smartphone marketplace SellCell. In a poll of over 1,000 iPhone owners with models built with AI hardware -- the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max -- only 41.6 percent said they'd bothered to even try the new Apple Intelligence features. And among that minority, an overwhelming 73 percent of them reported that the AI tools were either "not very valuable" or that they "add little to no value" to their smartphone experience. Only 11.1 percent -- of the ones who actually tried the features -- considered them to be "very valuable." For comparison, the negative consensus was even more damning among Samsung Galaxy AI users, with 87 percent responding that they were unimpressed, and just 5.9 percent finding the features to be particularly worthwhile. Regarding the disappointing iPhone response, there's a caveat. As 9to5Mac notes, the survey was conducted just before the launch of iOS 18.2, which added notable features like Image Playground, Genmoji, and ChatGPT integration. Still, if these are meant to be Apple Intelligence's saving graces, that does not speak well to Apple's long-term prospects with the tech. An AI image generator from Apple sounds like it should be a major hit, but so far, Image Playground has an incredibly negative 2.7 star rating on the App Store. Most of the reviews are one star. Genmoji sounds incredibly gimmicky: a generative AI tool that allows you to create custom emojis with text prompts is a fun idea, sure, but one with fleeting novelty. "The Genmoji, thus far, have been a huge disappointment," one 9to5Mac reader sounded off in the comments, adding that the AI-generated emojis have a "definite 'AI look' to them when compared to standard emoji, but worse is that what AI creates doesn't look at all like what I'm telling it to create." And while perhaps the most useful feature of the bunch, ChatGPT integration obviously relies on the unique popularity of someone else's product; if it's a success, it's just Apple tapping into another company's software ecosystem. Both Apple and Samsung's apparent failure to woo customers with their current AI offerings could point to a failure on their part to ship a convincing product. But more fundamentally, it could also indicate the shortcomings of AI technology in general, which has limited applications it can be used for reliably. Even then, faults abound: Apple's AI news notifications recently landed in hot water for incorrectly summarizing a BBC News report by making it sound like that suspected healthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione had shot himself. Perhaps several years deep into a breathless AI hype cycle, the scales are finally beginning to fall from consumers' eyes. Indeed, it's striking that such a big push is being made for a tiny minority of AI evangelists -- 11 percent, in Apple's case -- who are the only ones who appear to be really enthusiastic about this stuff.

Is Apple Intelligence already doomed to irrelevance?

A new study suggests this probably isn't the next 'iPhone moment'. When it comes to AI, Apple has performed quite the U-turn. The company has gone from refusing to even utter the acronym, instead referring to machine learning. That all changed last year, when Apple started positioning its laptops as AI machines. And in this year, Apple unveiled it's own take on AI called, of course, Apple Intelligence. These features have been rolling out slowly this year - but do users actually want them? As we reported this week, a new study by Sellcell has revealed that 73% of iPhone users and 87% of Samsung users surveyed agree that AI features add little or no value to improving their daily lives. And the same report shows that AI features are a deciding factor for less than half of prospective smartphone buyers. This could be bad news for Apple, which has pitched several new products, first and foremost, as "built for Apple Intelligence". "Apple introduces powerful new iPad mini built for Apple Intelligence". "Apple's all-new Mac mini is more mighty, more mini, and built for Apple Intelligence". These are just two recent headlines from the Apple Newsroom that show Apple's insistence on placing the feature front-and-centre, ahead of other traditionally headline-grabbing features such as design or specs. The Apple Intelligence rollout hasn't exactly encouraged excitement. Features have appeared slowly, and many regions are still missing key elements of the tech. And then there's the question of effectiveness, with Apple's AI summaries for notifications such as text messages and news headlines often changing meanings to sometimes hilarious effect. But while Apple has steamed ahead with AI, the question of whether anybody actually wants an AI assistant in their pocket has, it seems, been overlooked. Sure, we've already seen portable AI gadgets such as the Humane Pin and Rabbit R1 fail, but these generally lead to increased speculation that people don't want a separate dedicated AI gadget when they already have a phone. But Sellcell's study suggests the apathy might run deeper. In a world of bloated smartphone software, could it be that all people really want is a better camera and a longer lasting battery? Tech companies are clearly excited about AI, and artists are afraid of it, but if these study results are anything to go by, the it might just be that the average consumer just doesn't care all that much. Which could be a problem for Apple. With the iPhone 16 launch suggesting stagnating innovation, and the Vision Pro, Apple's first new product category in years, hardly setting the world alight, the could do with releasing something revolutionary - or, as the tech world likes to put it, giving us another 'iPhone moment'. With every other sentence of its marketing materials dedicated to Apple Intelligence, the company clearly thinks this could be it. But right now, it looks like the world is shrugging its shoulders.

Apple and Samsung's AI features are apparently all wrong

Apple has finally entered the AI race with the rollout of Apple Intelligence across its range of products, but it still feels far too late in the game now for the tech giant to even attempt to catch up with Samsung's impressive Galaxy AI features. Two of the best camera phones on the market right now, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max all make use of AI - but according to new survey research, it doesn't even matter. A brand new study by a company called Sellcell has found that 73% of iPhone users and 87% of Samsung users surveyed agree that AI features add little or no value to improving their daily lives. According to Sellcell, smartphone users are generally unsatisfied with AI features, although iPhone users showed higher interest in mobile AI than Samsung users, with 47.6% of them agreeing It's a key factor for them in deciding on a new phone. It's surprising to me as an owner of the Samsung S24 Ultra that a higher percentage of Samsung users compared with Apple consumers found AI to be unsatisfying, given that I personally use and benefit from Galaxy AI features in a lot of ways including Note Assist, Circle to Search, and transcribing, but that could boil down to my occupation as a tech journalist more than anything else. Interestingly, the poll also found that 16.8% of iPhone users (1 in 6) would consider switching to Samsung as their smartphone of choice for the promise of better AI features, compared to only 9.7% of Samsung users stating that they would be willing to move to Apple. It seems that even the best iPhones for photography aren't enticing enough for Samsung fans, or perhaps not powerful enough to keep Apple users loyal anymore. When thinking about AI as profitable, I also found it interesting that most of the smartphone users surveyed (86.5% of iPhone AI users and 94.5% of Samsung users) said they would not pay to use AI, and that specifically Apple users (11.6%) are more likely than Samsung users (4%) to pay for a subscription to use AI features. The survey also uncovered that a large reason for smartphone users not using AI was down to not having the latest software installed (57.6%) as well as not finding the features useful (36.7%) and not trusting AI or its accuracy (18.2%). So what's the verdict? Is AI a big deal to consumers or not? With Apple having only just begun rolling out Apple Intelligence, it's still pretty early days for iPhone users to pass judgment on the benefits of AI, but this data implies it's not looking great. As for Samsung owners, we've had the larger part of a year to get acquainted with AI, and I can only speak for myself in saying that I love the Galaxy AI ecosystem and its ability to boost productivity, but I can appreciate how it's not useful for everyone. I have a theory that most smartphone users might not be aware of what their device is really capable of when it comes to AI, and that more education around AI and its benefits might be the key for 2025. SellCell's survey found that 46.7% of iPhone users did not know enough about AI to draw a comparison when asked how Apple Intelligence compares to Galaxy AI. If anything, this survey (which involved over 2,000 smartphone users) highlights that AI hasn't been as influential as it seems, and perhaps smartphone manufacturers need to up their game and do better at making AI more than just a gimmick in the eye of the general public.

Majority of Smartphone Users are Unimpressed With AI Features, Study Finds

Smartphone users are not impressed with the latest artificial intelligence features on their devices with 73 percent of Apple users and 87 percent of Samsung users unsatisfied, according to a new study. SellCell quizzed 2,000 smartphone users in the U.S. and found that both Apple and Samsung users don't think AI features add worth. 64.7 percent of iPhone users think Apple Intelligence is "not very valuable" while 51.9 percent of Samsung Galaxy users said that AI features add "little to no value". The poll covered 1,000 iPhone users who own models built for Apple Intelligence; the newest iPhone 16 series and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Less than half, 41.6 percent, said they haven't even bothered to try the latest AI features. And last week the BBC put a complaint into Apple after its new AI feature generated a false headline stating that Luigi Mangione, the man charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, had shot himself. "I can see the pressure getting to the market first, but I am surprised that Apple put their name on such demonstrably half-baked product," Petros Iosifidis, a professor in media policy at City University in London, tells the BBC. "Yes, potential advantages are there -- but the technology is not there yet and there is a real danger of spreading disinformation." It's an inauspicious start to Apple Intelligence and iOS 18 with the latter already having faced criticism over its newly-designed Photos app. In September when Apple revealed its AI features, the company said the new iPhone 16 had been built "from the ground up" to understand language and images. Apple also introduced an AI-powered Clean Up photo tool for iOS 18. The company's senior vice president of Software Engineering Craig Federighi says there was "very very high" demand for an editing tool that removes "extraneous details" that doesn't "fundamentally change the meaning" of the image.

Survey: Apple Intelligence, Galaxy AI Add 'Little to No Value' for Smartphone Owners

Apple and Samsung customers are not loving the generative AI features on their phones. While we tend to agree that this year's AI craze leaves a lot to be desired, the numbers from a new survey by Sellcell.com are pretty telling. A whopping 73% of iPhone users and 87% of Samsung users say the AI features available to them "add little to no value, highlighting widespread apathy across both brands." The survey polled over 2,000 smartphone users, about 1,000 from each brand that have the latest AI-supported devices, such as the iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S24. It's not that these customers are tech skeptics -- they bought the latest phones -- they're just unimpressed. The iPhone users reported a higher interest in AI features; 47.6% said they're "very" or "somewhat" important in deciding which phone to buy, compared to 23.7% of Samsung users. The first tranche of Apple Intelligence features dropped in October with the iOS 18.1. Sellcell.com quizzed survey respondents after that update, but before last week's iOS 18.2 release added new features like a ChatGPT integration and custom emojis. The survey asked iPhone owners if Apple Intelligence "currently adds significant value" to their smartphone experience. Only 11.1% answered "yes," and 64.7% answered, "Not very valuable." But over half (58.4%) of iPhone users said they haven't tried any of the new features yet. The main reasons are that they have not updated to the latest software (57.6%), do not find them useful (36.7%), or find them inaccurate (18.2%). For those who have used Apple Intelligence, here are the most popular features: Notably, the AI-enhanced Siri is the least popular, with just 3.1% of respondents trying it. Making matters worse, Apple has reportedly pushed back the release of the fully revamped voice assistant from 2025 to 2026. Samsung's generative AI features pre-date Apple's by a few months; they launched on the Galaxy S24 lineup with the OneUI 6.1 update. When asked if Galaxy AI features add "significant value to your Samsung experience," the majority (51.9%) said, "No, they add little to no value." Just 5.9% found them "very valuable." Samsung's adoption rates are slightly better than Apple's, but still more than half (53.1%) of its customers have not tried the latest AI features. Many do not find them useful (44.2%). Other reasons include inaccuracy (35.5%), privacy and security concerns (30.1%), and not updating to the latest software (19.7%). For those who have used Samsung's latest AI features, here are the most popular ones: These brands still have relatively loyal customer bases, for now. Only 16.8% of iPhone users said they would consider switching to a Galaxy phone if the AI features were better. Samsung users are even more locked in, with just 9.7% indicating they would be willing to switch to an Apple device for AI. However, the survey found a drop in brand loyalty for Apple, with 78.9% saying they would still prefer an iPhone or Apple Intelligence over a Samsung device regardless of its performance. That's a drop of 13 percentage points since 2021.

Is AI on smartphones just a gimmick? Most iPhone and Samsung owners think so, according to a new poll

Writing Tools is the most popular Apple Intelligence feature in iOS 18.2 A new survey from the company Sellcell has found that most iPhone and Samsung users don't actually think AI improves their daily lives. The survey asked iPhone users with Apple Intelligence and Samsung users with access to Galaxy AI, whether or not the AI features on their smartphones were actually useful, and most don't seem to think so. According to Sellcell, 73% of iPhone users and 87% of Samsung users say AI features add little to no value, showcasing that AI is yet to show its raison d'être on the best smartphones. The survey also found that 1 in 6 iPhone users would make the jump to Android for AI features if there was an enticing enough AI-fuelled feature worth making the move for. Interestingly, nearly 50% of iPhone users said AI was a major factor when deciding on their next smartphone purchase, that number was 23.7% for Samsung users. The survey in itself doesn't highlight any surprising results, after all, we're still at the very beginning of AI development in consumer products, with Apple only launching Apple Intelligence in September and features still rolling out. According to the 1000+ iPhone users asked, Writing Tools was deemed the most popular AI feature interesting 72% of all those who responded. 'Notification summaries' (54%), 'Priority Messages' (44.5%), 'Clean Up in Photos' (29.1%), and 'Smart Reply in Mail and Messages' (20.9%) rounded out the list. This survey would've been conducted before the launch of iOS 18.2 and the arrival of Genmoji, ChatGPT integration in Siri, and Image Playground which all launched last week. On the Samsung side, users found 'Circle to Search' (82.1%), 'Photo Assist' (55.5%), 'Chat Assist' (28.8%), 'Note Assist' (17.4%), and 'Browsing Assist' (11.6%) as the most interesting AI features. Surveys like this one from Sellcell shine a light on the larger public perception of AI tools in smartphones, that said it's still early days and the best is yet to come. As an iPhone user myself, I'm slowly noticing Apple Intelligence features creep into my workflow more and more, and I expect that's the same for users on Samsung and other Android devices with Galaxy AI and Gemini. AI features on smartphones need a few more years to fully cement themselves into mobile operating systems for us to see if they are indeed a total gimmick or tools that can infinitely improve our lives. I for one, remain hopeful, especially because Genmoji in itself has made my day-to-day much better. Who doesn't want to generate a frog emoji for every conversation topic they have during the day? My life now has more frogs in it, and for that, I need to thank AI.

Apple Intelligence isn't massively valuable, says early survey

Image Playground, which survey respondents wouldn't have used The addition of AI features like Apple Intelligence are not impressive to consumers, a survey of Apple and Samsung smartphone owners claims, but the timing of the survey may have skewed the results. Apple Intelligence is Apple's main feature set in iOS 18, but it's not the only company to include AI features in its devices. Other smartphone producers, including Google and Samsung, offer their own takes on the AI concept, with similar image and prompt-based features. However, while they can be impressive, it seems most consumers don't really care that much about smartphone AI enough to adjust their buying habits. At least, that's according to a survey conducted for SellCell involving Apple and Samsung smartphone owners. One of the big data points from the survey is that consumers are nonplussed by AI on their devices. When asked if AI features currently add "significant value" to their experience, approximately 73% of respondents said they either cared more about other features or that they added "little to no value." Only 11.1% said the AI features were valuable, and 15.9% believed they were "somewhat" but not significantly valuable. By contrast, a mere 5.9% of Samsung users said that Galaxy AI was very valuable, 7.1% said it was somewhat valuable, and 87% said it was not very valuable or offered little to no value. Compared to AI features on Samsung devices, only 15.4% of Apple Intelligence users said Apple's version was better than Galaxy AI, while 5.9% said the opposite was true. The vast majority of respondents either said neither was better (32%) or that they didn't know enough about AI to compare. Going the opposite way, just 7.8% of Samsung owners thought Galaxy AI was better than Apple Intelligence, while 3.8% said Apple Intelligence was better. Again, 13% didn't know enough to compare, while a massive 75.4% said neither was better. These results do at least propose the idea that Apple owners are more defensive of the brand versus users of Samsung. However it also shows that users don't see that much benefit to AI at all right now. Part of this is due to being at a very early stage in the lifecycle of AI, but part of it could simply be the timing of the survey. A big problem with the survey is the period of time when the data was collected. It's a significant enough problem that it has likely swayed the results, had it been delayed for a few weeks for the iOS 18.2 release. The methodology involved more than 2,000 smartphone owners in the United States aged 18 or older. The sample consisted of over 1,000 iPhone users with an AI-supporting iPhone model, including the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 16. For the Samsung contingent, over 1,000 people were used for the survey, using models that also supported AI. A prequalifying question to confirm if they have an AI-supporting iPhone or Samsung model was used to turn away users who wouldn't have used AI on their smartphone before. However, while pretty above board in its methodology, the crucial problem is that it was conducted online between November 28 and December 6, 2024. During this period, only the elements of Apple Intelligence introduced in iOS 18.1 were available to use, including Siri product knowledge, Writing Tools, and the Clean Up tool in Photos. Apple introduced iOS 18.2 on December 11, releasing major features such as Visual Intelligence, Image Playground and Genmoji almost a week after the survey closed. It could easily be argued that, at the very least, the Apple respondents could've seen more value in Apple Intelligence had they been given the time to try it out. However, in that timeframe, only those who took part in the developer beta for iOS 18.2 would've been able to try out the inbound features. When asked what the respondents had used in Apple Intelligence available at that time, 72% had claimed to have tried out Writing Tools. About 54% had used notification summaries, 44.5% had used Priority messages in Mail, and 29.1% had looked at Clean Up in Photos. More people had tried out natural language search in Photos than they had used the improved conversational Siri, at 13.3% versus 3.1%. The lack of Genmoji and Image Playground is very apparent here, since they weren't released. It's likely that, had the survey been taken at a later time when iOS 18.2 had been released, there would be a lot higher uptake of the features. By contrast, on the Samsung side, 82.1% had used Circle to Search, where users draw a circle around an image and then use Google to search for its contents. Photo Assist, AI photo editing and generative editing tools, were used by 55.5% of respondents, while 17.4% used Note Assist transcriptions. When it comes to whether people would switch over from Apple to Android because of Galaxy AI features, only 16.8%% said they would if Galaxy AI was "significantly better." Approximately 78.9% said they wouldn't, as they prefer iPhone or Apple Intelligence. SellCell claims this is a small drop in brand loyalty compared to 92% observed in 2021. However, this is not a like-for-like comparison, as the older result referred to by the report is about general brand awareness, not one based on the existence and features of Apple Intelligence. Going the other way, a smaller 9.7% proportion of Samsung users would go over to Apple if Apple Intelligence was significantly better. 67.2% said that they wouldn't as they prefer Galaxy AI. On the topic of AI importance when buying a new smartphone, 21.1% of Apple users said AI was "a deciding factor" while 26.5% said it was "somewhat important," if not the most important. For Samsung, a smaller 14.9% proportion rated AI as a deciding factor, and 8.8% as being somewhat important. The relatively low level of importance makes sense, as consumers are still keen to get the best cameras and display for their devices. As for whether they would be willing to pay in the future for an AI services subscription, Apple users are more willing, with 11.6 agreeing and 1.9% saying "maybe" to the question. A mere 4% of Samsung users said they would pay, and 1.5% voted "maybe." This certainly isn't encouraging for Siri's ChatGPT integration, since it does take advantage of subscriptions to OpenAI's service if it's available.

These Are the Most Popular AI Features on Apple and Samsung Smartphones That You Probably Aren't Using Yet

Among those that have, a few features stood out as the most popular. Apple released its second AI update, iOS 18.2, last week, but most iPhone users have yet to tap into the AI writing tools, photo editing capabilities, and other new Apple Intelligence features released two months ago with iOS 18.1. That's according to a new survey of over 1,000 Apple iPhone users and 1,000 Samsung Galaxy phone users conducted by tech trade-in site SellCell from November 28 to December 6. The U.S.-based survey was conducted before the December 11 rollout of Apple's iOS 18.2 update, which added more AI features to the mix, including Siri consulting ChatGPT for answers. The survey found that the majority of iPhone owners (58.4%) using an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model have not used Apple Intelligence. A similar percentage of Samsung smartphone owners, about 53.1%, have not utilized their phone's AI features at all. Why are Apple and Samsung phone holders choosing not to use AI? Apple iPhone users said the main reason was that they didn't update to the latest software (57.6%). The top reason that Samsung Galaxy users gave was that they didn't find the AI features useful (44.2%). Inaccuracy was a concern for 18.2% of Apple users and 35.5% of Samsung users. Related: Apple Is Adding ChatGPT to iPhones This Week. Here's How It Works. Of the 41.6% of respondents who have used Apple Intelligence, the AI features most commonly used were writing tools, which proofread, summarize, and rewrite text across apps like Notes and Mail. Other popular AI tools were notification summaries, which combine information from multiple notifications into a single view, and priority messages, which summarize messages and emphasize urgent emails. On the Samsung side, the most popular AI feature used by over 80% of those who tapped into Samsung AI was Circle to Search, which enables users to draw a circle around any image on the screen to search Google for relevant information about that image. Related: Apple Is No Longer the Top Phonemaker in the World as AI Pressure and Competition Intensifies Galaxy AI features like live translate, which translates conversations in real time, and transcribe assist, which generates a transcription and a summary of recordings in the Voice Recorder app, were utilized by less than 4% of Samsung AI users. Regardless of AI features, both Samsung and Apple users were mostly loyal to the brands of phones they chose. The majority of Apple users (78.9%) and the majority of Samsung users (67.2%) stated that they wouldn't switch brands for better AI tools. Over four in five respondents overall also said they wouldn't pay to use AI.

Most iPhone Users Uninterested in Apple Intelligence, Survey Suggests

iPhone users have largely avoided the Apple Intelligence features released prior to iOS 18.2, a new survey suggests. A survey conducted by SellCell, a tech trade-in platform, has revealed that while nearly half of iPhone users -- 47.6% -- consider AI an important factor when purchasing a smartphone, 73% of those who have used Apple's AI offerings feel that the features add little to no value to their experience. This sentiment is not unique to Apple; the study also found that 87% of Samsung users expressed similar dissatisfaction with the AI tools available on Galaxy devices. Apple introduced many of its AI features in October 2024 with the release of iOS 18.1. Among the most used tools were Writing Tools, which help with text editing and summarization, and Notification Summaries, which condense key information from multiple notifications into a single view. These were used by 72% and 54% of respondents, respectively. Other features, such as Priority Messages, Clean Up in Photos, and Smart Reply, saw lower adoption, ranging from 44.5% to 20.9%. Features such as natural language search in Photos and transcription summaries were even less popular, with fewer than 15% of users trying them. One major finding of the study was that despite the general lack of use of the current features, Apple users were more likely than their Samsung counterparts to view AI as a significant deciding factor when purchasing a phone. While nearly half of iPhone users expressed that AI is a very or somewhat important consideration, only 23.7% of Samsung users felt the same. Nonetheless, many Apple users have not updated their devices to iOS 18.1 to access these features, with 57.6% citing this as their primary reason for not using Apple Intelligence. Others mentioned they found the features unhelpful or were concerned about accuracy and privacy. Despite AI advancements, brand loyalty among Apple users has weakened in recent years, with the survey indicating that 16.8% of iPhone owners would consider switching to Samsung if Galaxy AI features proved significantly better. This represents a marked decline in loyalty, with only 78.9% of respondents now identifying as firmly committed to the Apple ecosystem, down from 92% in 2021. Conversely, just 9.7% of Samsung users expressed a willingness to switch to Apple for better AI features, suggesting that Apple faces stiffer competition in retaining its user base. The survey also revealed that a majority of smartphone users are unwilling to pay for AI services. Only 11.6% of Apple users said they would consider subscribing to such features, compared to a mere 4% of Samsung users. It is yet to be seen if the arrival of iOS 18.2, which introduces features like Genmoji and ChatGPT integration, could shift perceptions. The survey was carried out in late 2024 and included over 2,000 participants aged 18 and older in the United States. The pool consisted of iPhone and Samsung Galaxy users whose devices supported AI features.

73% of iPhone Owners Say 'No Thanks' to Apple Intelligence: New Data Echoes CNET's Findings

As Apple rolls out the latest Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone in iOS 18.2, a new survey from the trade journal SellCell indicates 73% of iPhone owners and 87% of Samsung owners claim new AI features "add little to no value" to their phone experiences. The new report echoes a similar CNET survey from late August 2024, which found that battery life and storage capacity are much bigger factor in purchase decisions for people upgrading their smartphones. GenZ was a little more willing to pay for AI than Millennials, GenX or Boomers, and they were also less concerned about privacy risks. Here's everything that the CNET survey found. As smartphone makers like Apple, Google and Samsung place a growing emphasis on AI features in their latest devices, the CNET survey found a quarter of smartphone owners don't find those capabilities particularly useful, and just 18% say AI integrations are their main motivator for upgrading their phone. The biggest drivers for buying a new device, according to CNET respondents, are longer battery life (61%), more storage (46%) and better camera features (38%). These new features rely on generative AI to produce text or images or to enhance digital assistants, AI itself has been embedded in smartphones for years. For instance, your phone's camera uses AI to process images and blur backgrounds in Portrait mode, and Siri and Google Assistant have always been AI-based (albeit using less advanced versions of the tech). Because this new wave of AI introduces ways to more explicitly accomplish tasks on your phone, rather than blending into existing features, it may take some time for people to warm up to it. As tech giants continue to roll out these AI functions, consumers may soon have to pay the price if they want to keep using them. Samsung's website says its Galaxy AI features "will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices." To utilize Gemini's full power across Google's apps, you'll need to subscribe to Gemini Advanced. It's likely Apple could also someday charge for some of its AI-powered iPhone features. Many consumers aren't sold. In CNET's September survey, nearly half of smartphone owners said they're not willing to pay extra money to access AI on their phones. That's not much of a surprise, given how much subscription fatigue is already weighing people down. Another CNET study from April found that US adults spend an average of $91 on subscription services every month. Two-thirds of respondents said at least one of their subscriptions got more expensive within the last year. Adding yet another monthly fee may not be so enticing. Still, there are those who are eager to tap into AI on their phones, with Gen Zers and Millennials being the most enthused: CNET's survey found 20% of respondents from each generation say they're excited about AI capabilities and find them helpful. Additionally, 15% of Gen Zers and 16% of Millennials use AI on their phones for tasks like photo editing, image creation and summarizing or writing text. Also, 20% of Gen Zers and 19% of Millennials regularly use an AI tool like ChatGPT or Google Gemini on their smartphones. Privacy remains a key concern when it comes to AI, with one-third (34%) of smartphone owners in CNET's survey flagging their unease in that department. Tech giants have placed a growing emphasis on privacy considerations during their AI-focused keynotes. At its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, for instance, Apple noted many of its AI models run on-device, which is generally considered more private since information doesn't have to travel over the internet. When a task calls for more computational power, relevant data will be sent to Apple Silicon servers, and that data won't be stored or made accessible to Apple, the company says. With AI being among the last reasons consumers want to upgrade their smartphones, other considerations like longer battery life, more storage and better camera features still dominated CNET's survey. Other motivators include phone display and screen size (32%); keeping the same ecosystem, like iOS or Android (24%); and phone color (10%). With the high cost of devices (many flagship phones will cost you anywhere between $800 and $1,200), consumers may not want to upgrade their devices as frequently. According to our survey, 44% claim they only get a new device when their current phone breaks or needs replacing. Further, 30% hang onto their devices for three years or longer, while 18% upgrade every two years and just 8% get a new phone every year. Luckily for consumers, Apple didn't implement a price hike with the iPhone 16. Still, iPhone users hold onto their devices for longer than other smartphone owners; one-third will wait three years or more for an upgrade. Companies like Google and Samsung have continued to roll out foldable phones, with the latest being the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 6, respectively. Consumers still feel lukewarm about the concept of a foldable handheld device. Just over half (52%) of smartphone owners say they're not interested in buying a foldable phone, while 13% say they'd be interested sometime in the next two years. That gives Apple, which has yet to enter the foldable phone space, the opportunity to tap into that interest. Experts have long speculated that a foldable iPhone could be what it takes to spur wider adoption of foldable smartphones. It may be several years before that happens if it ever does. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 2,484 adults, including 2,387 smartphone owners. Fieldwork was undertaken Aug. 28-30, 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18-plus).

The top mobile AI features that Apple and Samsung owners actually use

And why some users are avoiding the latest AI features on their phones. Do you use any of the AI features on your smartphone, and if so, do you find them valuable? Those are two of the questions covered in a recent survey from phone reseller SellCell. Released on Monday, the results found that people are less than thrilled with the current crop of AI features but do use certain ones. Also: I'm an AI tools expert, and these are the only two I pay for The goal of the survey was to gauge what smartphone users think of the new mobile AI features, whether they'd switch brands for better AI tools, how important AI is when buying a new phone, and whether they'd pay for AI. Conducted online from November 28 to December 6, 2024, the survey gathered responses from more than 2,000 smartphone users in the US. Among those polled, more than 1,000 owned an AI-enabled iPhone such as an iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Another 1,000+ owned an AI-equipped Samsung Galaxy phone, such as the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Fold4, Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy Z Flip5, or Galaxy Z Flip4. Only those with AI-powered phones were allowed to participate in the survey. iPhone users were asked if they had used any of the Apple Intelligence AI features introduced in iOS 18.1 (the current version of iOS 18.2 was released after the survey), and if so, which ones. Writing Tools came in first place, cited as the top feature by 72% of the respondents. These tools can help proofread, revise, and summarize text across a range of apps, including Mail, Messages, and Notes. Also: Just installed iOS 18.2? Change these 4 iPhone settings now In second place, used by 54% of those surveyed, was the Notification Summaries feature, which offers a digest of multiple notifications in one shot. Next, 45% gave the nod to Priority Messages, which highlights urgent emails and summarizes messages. Other AI features used by iPhone owners included the Clean Up option in Photos to remove objects with one tap, the Smart Reply in Mail and Messages to help draft responses, the Natural Language Search feature in Photos, Transcription Summaries to generate a summary of an audio message or phone call, the Memory Movie feature in Photos to create customized movies and slideshows, and the enhanced Siri with a better grasp of language and the ability to switch between voice and text. Samsung Galaxy owners were asked if they've used any of the Galaxy AI features available in the most recent update. Taking the top spot among 82% of those polled was Circle to Search, which lets you draw a circle around an image to run a Google search on the content. Also: The obvious reason why I'm not sold on smartphone AI features yet (and I'm not alone) Next up was Photo Assist, as cited by 55% of the respondents. This feature automatically regenerates an image as you resize, move, or remove objects in it. In third place, used by 29% of those polled, was Chat Assist, which tries to improve your writing style and correct grammatical mistakes. Other commonly used features among Galaxy users were Note Assist to transcribe audio to text, Browsing Assist to summarize content on a web page, Transcript Assist to create a transcription of recorded speech, and the Interpreter to provide quick translations of text and audio. Though certain features are commonly used, people aren't all that impressed with the existing lineup of AI features. When asked if the current Apple Intelligence features add significant value to the iPhone experience, 65% of Apple users said they're not very valuable and that other features are more important. Only 11% rated them as very valuable, while 16% said they're somewhat valuable but not significantly so. That left 8% who found that the AI features add little to no value. The results were even worse for Samsung's AI. When asked about the value of Galaxy AI features, 52% of Samsung users said that they add little to no value. Some 35% said that they're not very valuable and that other features are more important, while 7% thought they were somewhat valuable but not significantly so. That left just 6% who found the features very valuable. The survey also asked people who haven't used the AI features on their phones why they've resisted. The majority of iPhone owners said that they simply haven't updated their devices to the latest version. Others said that they don't find such features useful or they don't trust AI or its accuracy. Some said they were concerned about privacy and security, that they didn't understand how to use the features, or that they were concerned about the ethics of using AI. The results were similar on the Samsung front but in a slightly different order. The majority of Samsung Galaxy users said they haven't yet used the AI features on their phones because they don't find them useful. Others said that they don't trust the accuracy of AI or are concerned about privacy. A failure to update to the latest software was fourth on the list of reasons, contrasted with iPhone users who placed it at the top of the list. Also: iOS 18.2 rolls out to iPhones: Try these 6 new AI features today When asked to compare Apple's AI with Samsung's Galaxy AI, 15% of iPhone AI users said that Apple Intelligence is better, while 6% gave the nod to Galaxy AI. Among Galaxy users, 4% cited Apple Intelligence as better, while 8% called Galaxy AI the better option. Some 17% of iPhone users would consider switching to Samsung for better AI features, while only 10% of Samsung users would switch to Apple if they felt the AI features were better. AI is a developing process for both Apple and Samsung smartphones. Since the survey was taken, Apple has already released iOS 18.2 with additional AI features such as Image Playground, Genmoji, and ChatGPT integration. More AI is in store for 2025, especially with iOS 18.4. Samsung officially unveiled its latest One UI 6.1.1 in July with several AI features. One UI Version 7 is due out early next year with more AI. This ongoing effort means that new features will likely catch on with users and that some people may find AI more valuable down the road.

Most iPhone owners see little to no value in Apple Intelligence so far

A new survey suggests that Apple Intelligence matters to iPhone buyers, but the majority say that the initial features add little to no value. It remains to be seen whether Genmoji and ChatGPT integration will change that view. Things are even worse for Samsung smartphones, with an even greater majority of owners saying they can't see much point in the AI features offered ... A new survey by tech trade-in site SellCell found that AI is an important factor when choosing a new smartphone. iPhone users showed relatively higher interest in mobile AI than Samsung users as almost half (47.6%) of iPhone users reported AI features as a 'very' or 'somewhat' important deciding factor when buying a new phone vs. 23.7% of Samsung users who said the same. But while iPhone users want AI features, the Apple Intelligence ones seen to date don't seem to impress them. Smartphone users in general are unsatisfied with the existing AI features as the survey recorded 73% of Apple Intelligence users and 87% of Galaxy AI users stating the new features to be either 'not very valuable' or they 'add little to no value' to their smartphone experience. The site also ranked the popularity of different Apple Intelligence features available prior to the launch of iOS 18.2: The survey was carried out before the launch of iOS 18.2, which added Genmoji and ChatGPT integration.

Surprise, Surprise: No One Is Buying an iPhone for Apple Intelligence

You didn't need to send around a survey for that, I could have told you outright. A survey by a website that helps you price second-hand tech found that artificial intelligence is hardly a deciding factor when people choose whether to buy a new phone. The survey was conducted by SellCell, a site with a blog covering gadget trends. Its respondents were over 2,000 smartphone users, over half owning an iPhone with an AI-supported model. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16/iPhone 16 Pro are the only Apple phones offering Apple Intelligence right out of the box. The most popular AI features that people clamor for are the ones that help get the job done the fastest. Generative writing tools, notification summaries, and prioritized messages were among the most used abilities on iPhones with Apple Intelligence. The survey also included results from Samsung users, who have been using Galaxy AI since it debuted on the Galaxy S24 at the beginning of the year. Samsung users love Circle to Search, which makes sense since it's the best thing that has happened to the Android operating system in a long time. They also use the Photo Assist Galaxy AI-infused editing offered in the Samsung Gallery app. iPhone users show a higher interest in AI-forward interfaces than their Android-using counterparts. Nearly 17% think they'd switch to a Samsung device if Galaxy AI were to improve markedly. Apple Intelligence users are also more likely than Android users to pay for a subscription to use the features. Still, around 90% of users on both platforms explicitly said "hell no" to paying for the privilege to use AI. In general, the smartphone users surveyed here remain unsatisfied by existing AI featuresâ€"a whopping 73% of Apple Intelligence users would be OK without it for now, and a higher percentage of 87% of Galaxy AI users don't find it "very valuable." If these survey results indicate anything, the helpful AI featuresâ€"things that help with note-taking and retaining mountains of informationâ€"are the ones people want more of. People work by managing and exchanging tons of information back and forth. The more artificial intelligence and forced-upon-us algorithms can prove they'll make our jobs easier to show up for daily, the faster they'll convince us that the AI revolution is here.

The iPhone is doomed because Apple Intelligence isn't smart enough

The year is quickly running out but there is time enough for the Macalope to look at another survey from online used smartphone outlet SellCell. What should we expect from this survey? Well, in 2022 SellCell said 40 percent of iPhone users were going to buy the iPhone SE, which is a tad high. Then, in 2023, it said Apple adding USB-C would tempt 44 percent of Android users to switch to the iPhone 15. Again, that seemed to wildly overestimate how many people might buy that phone. Or even how many people do the recommended full two minutes of brushing their teeth twice a day. To be clear, the Macalope doesn't doubt that people said the things that SellCell said they said. People say all kinds of wacky stuff. "I think I could win a fight with a bear." "Pop Rocks killed that kid from the cereal commercial." "I'm going to learn how to make Shakshouka." Rod, you failed Instant Ramen 101. Which was a class you took at the community college. It is doubtful you will ever be able to make Shakshouka. Anyway, just take it as a writ that surveys of buying intent are not worth the pixels on your screen that they appear on. No matter how crappy your monitor is. That said, SellCell is back with another block-rocking beat that may just be the exception that proves the rule. "iPhone vs. Samsung AI Survey: AI Features Fall Short: 73% of iPhone Users and 87% of Samsung Users Say They Add Little or No Value" Speaking of rock-blocking beats, a number of times while the Macalope was writing this column he was calling the company "Soft Cell" in his head instead of "SellCell." His writing is almost certainly "tainted" by his lack of "love" for AI, but the horny one is inclined to believe these numbers, which represent the broad consumer antipathy toward AI which is why we're not seeing the much-ballyhooed supercycle in smartphone purchases this year. If anything stands out as fatuous here it's SoftCell's over-generous comments about AI. (See, the Macalope called it "SoftCell" not "SellCell" there and you didn't even notice.) ...the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era ushered in by OpenAI's ChatGPT has fundamentally changed the way we interact with technology. It really hasn't. That's exactly why no one cares about it. Read your own survey. As for sample size, it's not exactly huge. The survey included more than 2000 smartphone users including 1000+ iPhone users with an AI-supported model... Who are these 1,000 iPhone users? I didn't elect them. Among the most popular AI features are 'Writing Tools' (72%)... The Macalope has a strong suspicion this is "most recognized" rather than, strictly speaking, "most popular," but that's probably what people said, sure. These survey results often have a real "Billy on the Street" vibe if you read them in a certain way. "Oh, yeah, all the... AI and stuff. Yeah. Yeaaah, I know whatcha talkin' 'bout." iPhone users showed relatively higher interest in mobile AI than Samsung users as almost half (47.6 percent) of iPhone users reported AI features as a "very" or "somewhat" important deciding factor when buying a new phone, versus 23.7 percent of Samsung users who said the same. The Macalope will just point out that AI could be an "important deciding factor" if you're thinking "I would like to avoid phones with AI with all the vigor I use to avoid getting cornered by cousin Gus who makes his own IPAs and wants to talk about nothing but making his own IPAs at the family holiday party." The Macalope wonders if Soft... nope... SellCell used an AI to write up these survey results because in a section titled "1-in-6 iPhone users would switch brands for better AI" we see that the actual question appears to be "Would Galaxy AI features ever encourage you to switch from an iPhone?" The Macalope's doctor frequently "encourages" him to get more exercise and drink less. Guess how much that's worked. Despite the fervent desires of venture capitalists, AI has so far not taken the world by storm. If Apple concentrated its AI efforts more on improving Siri, these survey results might turn around a bit.