Apple has fallen below Samsung in customer satisfaction among U.S. consumers for the first time in years, according to the results of a new consumer satisfaction index.
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
Samsung's retained an American Consumer Satisfaction Index score of 81 in 2020, the same score it had a year prior. However, Apple's score dropped 2% year-over-year to 80, landing it in a three-way tie with Motorola and Google.
Credit: ACSI
The South Korean smartphone maker also nabbed the five highest-rated smartphone models in the U.S. The Galaxy Note 10+, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S20+ tied for first place with ASCI scores of 85.
Samsung's Galaxy S20 and Galaxy A20 were next in line with scores of 84 and 83, respectively. Apple's iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone X, and iPhone XS tied with the Galaxy S10 with ASCI scores of 82.
Credit: ACSI
Other Apple devices on the list included the iPhone 11 and iPhone 8 Plus, which had scores of 80, and the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE with scores of 79. The iPhone 7 ranked list in the lineup with a score of 75.
Among respondents in the survey, the top criteria for judging a smartphone included ease of text messaging in first place, followed by ease of phone calling, phone design, and audio quality.
The ASCI survey also ranks wireless phone service providers. Compared to a year prior, AT&T achieved an ASCI score of 74, tying with Verizon Wireless. T-Mobile's ASCI score dropped from 76 in 2020 to 72 in 2021. U.S. Cellular came in fourth with a score of 69, while Sprint is no longer part of the ranking.
ASCI's 2020 to 2021 data is based on interviews with 21,189 U.S. consumers carried out between April 1, 2020 and March 29, 2021.
Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.