America’s most popular smartphone brand — Apple — may not be delivering when it comes to smartwatches, according to consumers.
For its 2025 telecommunications study, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) surveyed over 27,000 consumers about their telecom services and devices, including smartwatches. The ACSI then used the survey feedback to score brands for customer satisfaction on a scale from zero to 100.
Apple and Samsung cellphone users were equally satisfied, giving each phone manufacturer a score of 81.
However, Samsung outperformed Apple in the smartwatch market.
Samsung earned a smartwatch customer satisfaction score of 83 — 3 points higher than Apple’s smartwatch satisfaction score of 80.
“Apple may be feeling the effects of its delayed rollout of the Apple Watch Ultra 3,” the ACSI says. Apple didn’t release this third-generation smartwatch last year as expected.
The other smartwatch brand included in the study, Fitbit, earned a customer satisfaction score of 72.
Durability, design, and the usability of fitness/activity tracking were the aspects of smartwatches in general that customers were most satisfied with. Each factor earned a score of 81 out of 100.
The courtesy and helpfulness of repair service technicians, as well as the ease of arranging manufacturer-provided repair services, were the lowest-ranked factors, each scoring 73.
The smartwatch industry as a whole earned a customer satisfaction score of 77.
The ACSI says that a “perceived lack of significant upgrades has had a moderating effect on both sales and customer satisfaction for smartwatches,” bringing the overall score down.
This is the first year the ACSI included smartwatches in its annual telecom study.
Add a Comment