CNET Survey Finds 55% of US Adults Upgrade Phones for Price, Not AI or Foldables
Updated
Updated · CNET · May 12
CNET Survey Finds 55% of US Adults Upgrade Phones for Price, Not AI or Foldables
2 articles · Updated · CNET · May 12
55% of US smartphone users cite price and 52% longer battery life as upgrade drivers, while only 12% point to AI features and 13% to new phone designs such as foldables.
58% say they are frustrated with their current phone's battery life, and 31% say their phone no longer holds a charge, reinforcing why practical performance outweighs novelty.
Camera features ranked a distant third at 27% and screen size 22%, showing buyers still favor core hardware benefits over custom emoji, photo editing and live translation tools.
CNET said those priorities have changed little since 2024 and 2025, even as baseline prices have climbed to about $800 for an iPhone 17 and $900 for a Samsung Galaxy S26.
The survey, conducted online by YouGov from April 29 to May 1 among 2,486 US adults, suggests smartphone makers' AI and foldable push remains out of step with mainstream upgrade demand.
With consumers rejecting AI gimmicks, is the smartphone industry's multi-billion dollar bet on AI destined to fail?
As the AI industry consumes memory chips, are affordable smartphones with good storage becoming a thing of the past?
Why do top brands ignore battery tech that could double phone lifespans when consumers are demanding it?