[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Samsung narrowly edged Apple in a mobile phone satisfaction survey of U.S. consumers. It led in the flagship and foldable segments, reaffirming its competitiveness in the U.S. market.

On May 21 (local time), IT outlet 9to5Mac reported that in this year’s telecommunications, mobile phone and smartwatch survey released by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Samsung scored 81 in the mobile phone category to keep the top spot. Apple followed with 80, down 1 point from a year earlier.

The survey was conducted from April 2025 to March 2026 among 26,963 U.S. consumers. Respondents rated satisfaction with major companies’ products based on their recent user experience.

The overall average score for mobile phones was 79, up 1 percent from a year earlier. ACSI measured satisfaction with artificial intelligence (AI) features separately for the first time in this year’s survey, and that item scored 85 out of 100.

Samsung’s lead continued even when broken down by model group. In the flagship segment, Samsung scored 84 and Apple scored 82. In the older and other segment, Apple narrowly led with 79 versus Samsung’s 78. In foldables, Samsung was highest at 80, while Google scored 72 and Lenovo, which owns Motorola, had 70.

The results differ somewhat from Apple’s own customer satisfaction survey results that it has recently highlighted in earnings announcements. Tim Cook (팀 쿡), Apple’s chief executive, and Kevan Parekh (케반 파레크), its chief financial officer, mentioned in last month’s fiscal 2026 second-quarter earnings release that U.S. customer satisfaction for the iPhone 17 series was 99 percent by 451 Research. At the time, Apple also disclosed high satisfaction figures for major product lines, including 97 percent for Macs, 98 percent for iPads and 96 percent for Apple Watches.

In smartwatches, Apple and Samsung shared the top spot. Apple held steady at 80 from a year earlier, while Samsung fell to 80 from 83 to tie. The overall average score for smartwatches was unchanged at 77.

Among detailed items, app and accessory connectivity, fitness and activity tracking features, and website satisfaction received the highest ratings at 83 each. Ease of use and interoperability appeared to be key factors shaping consumer satisfaction.

The industry views the survey as showing that competition in the U.S. smartphone market is shifting beyond simple brand loyalty toward perceived AI functionality and user experience by product line.

In particular, an analysis says Samsung is expanding its presence in the U.S. market on the back of competitiveness in foldables and premium product lines, while Apple is maintaining strengths in ecosystem connectivity and wearables.