Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Note II have ranked as smartphones with the best customer satisfaction according to a new study.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated the bestselling smartphones currently in the market on a scale of 0 to 100.
Samsung’s flagship model for 2012, the S III, receives an ACSI benchmark of 84, as did the Samsung Note II, beating Apple’s iPhone 5 at 82. The Galaxy S4 is not included because the ACSI study was fielded prior to its launch.
The iPhone 4S matches its successor, iPhone 5, with an ACSI score of 82. Apple’s iPhone 4 is just one point below at 81. Apple’s overall ACSI score is 81, a 2% drop compared with 2012, but strong enough to retain the industry lead.
There is a significant drop to Samsung’s next model in the rankings with the Galaxy S II, precursor to the SIII scoring 78. Samsung’s total score was 76, a 7% increase from 2012.
"Not only does Samsung edge ahead of all iPhones, Apple customers themselves don’t see much difference between the iPhone 4, 4S or 5," said ACSI Director David VanAmburg.
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"The latest earnings report from Apple was better than expected, but the name of the game for Apple has always been innovation. Samsung, on the other hand, shows a strong upward ACSI trend from the Galaxy S II to the Galaxy S III. If the S4 performs as well, or even better, in the eyes of customers, Samsung could threaten Apple’s dominance in overall customer satisfaction."
Motorola Mobility’s Droid Razr Maxx HD comes in at 80 in the poll, while the Droid Razr scores 77. The low end belongs to BlackBerry, far below competition, with 67 and 64, respectively, for its Curve and Bold smartphones.
"Like Apple, BlackBerry offers smart devices only, yet the company stays firmly entrenched at the bottom of the industry in customer satisfaction," said Fornell. "This does not bode well for BlackBerry considering that smart typically outperforms feature when it comes to cell phones."
