LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung has the highest-rated smartphone in the UK and the US, according to new research from the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI-UK) and the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
In the UK, Samsung’s 2012 flagship model Galaxy S III obtains a score of 84, beating Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 at 82 (on a 0-100 scale). According to UK consumers, the iPhone 4S struggles with battery life performance issues and ranks no better than earlier Samsung Galaxy S and S II models at 79.
“However, in view of these results it is important to note that Apple still dominates the overall mobile market in terms of customer satisfaction, outperforming Samsung and everyone else by a significant margin,” said Claes Fornell, ACSI founder and Chairman.
Apple’s overall NCSI score is 81, while Samsung’s overall score is 78 – but Samsung shows a strong upward trend from the Galaxy S II to the Galaxy S III. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 was not included because the study was fielded just prior to its launch. If the S4 performs as well—or even better—in the eyes of customers, Samsung could threaten Apple’s dominance in overall customer satisfaction.
“Not only does Samsung edge ahead of the latest iPhone, Apple customers themselves don’t see much difference between the iPhone 4 or 5,” said NCSI-UK and ACSI Director David VanAmburg. “The latest earnings report from Apple was better than expected, but the name of the game for Apple has always been innovation.”
Samsung’s Galaxy Ace II comes in at 77, while its predecessor, Galaxy Ace scores 75. Blackberry smartphone models Curve and Bold are far below the competition, at 71 and 68, respectively.
UK and US customers give Samsung’s Galaxy S III top scores, but on Samsung’s home turf, Korean consumers prefer the iPhone 5. According to the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) in South Korea, which uses the same technology as the ACSI and NCSI-UK, the iPhone 5 has higher customer satisfaction than Galaxy S III.
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.
About NCSI-UK
The National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI-UK) is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United Kingdom, and is produced by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Results are based on survey data from more than 3,700 customers collected via online panel during Q1 of 2013.
This methodology was developed at the University of Michigan and has been adopted worldwide as a leading macro- and micro-level indicator by universities, governments, and countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Singapore, Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Barbados.
According to research from the University of Michigan, customer satisfaction – as measured by the NCSI-UK and ACSI – is directly linked to stock market performance. Companies with high scores on the ACSI and NCSI-UK produce higher stock returns than competitors and greatly outperform market indices.
