ACSI, which is pretty much self-explanatory, is a cross-industry measure of customer satisfaction in the US. The agency conducted a survey among over 23,000 randomly chosen Americans between April 2021 and March 2022. Based on the responses it received, ACSI concluded that Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra is the country’s favorite smartphone of late. Of course, the Galaxy S22 series arrived too late to impact the results of this survey. But the 2020 model surpassing the likes of the Galaxy S21, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 series is a little surprising. Perhaps this survey shows how long Americans are holding on to their smartphones before upgrading to a newer model. That’s because the rest of the devices in ACSI’s “most beloved” chart aren’t the recent ones either. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is followed by LG’s Aristo 3, a budget phone launched in 2019. Interestingly, LG quit the smartphone business several months back. But the device still achieved an ACSI score of 84. Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10 (another 2019 model) shared the third spot with an ACSI score of 82. Google’s Pixel 4 (a 2015 phone) and Samsung’s Galaxy S20+ scored 81 apiece in the ACSI survey. Based on this result, Americans are buying new phones less frequently because their old devices are working just fine for them. No wonder smartphone manufacturers are now offering longer software support than before. They want to win customer trust with their software game as the hardware is mostly an even battle.

Apple is even with Samsung in the battle of brands

While Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones outshined the iPhones, Apple hasn’t conceded much legroom to the Korean behemoth in the battle of brands, ACSI concludes. The company maintained its ASCI score of 80 from last year to go level with its Korean rival. The latter dropped a percentage point from 81. Google, Motorola, and LG make up the top five most popular smartphone brands in the US. You can read the full ACSI report, which also covers consumer satisfaction in the wireless industry, here.