Counterpoint: 59% of consumers are willing to upgrade to the next generation of AI smartphones

A survey conducted by Counterpoint in seven countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland and Japan, showed that 32% of respondents were familiar with generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI). Awareness of AI was highest in North America (72%) and lowest in Japan (7%). Smartphones have played a key role in the spread of AI, with nearly three-quarters of respondents accessing the technology through their devices, led by Gen Z users. As smartphones remain an integral part of people's daily lives, 59% of respondents plan to purchase an AI-enabled smartphone in the next year, with the strongest trend in the United States, followed by Germany and France.

The survey shows:

Awareness: 32% of the 25,000 respondents are primarily aware of generative AI through chatbots and search engines.

Smartphone Usage: 73% of informed users have used Gen AI on their smartphone, highlighting the device’s critical role in driving awareness and monetization opportunities.

Key benefit: 69% of users value Gen AI’s ability to save time.

Purchase intention: 59% are willing to switch to a new generation AI smartphone by September 2025, with Americans leading the trend.

Willingness to pay: More than two-thirds of respondents are willing to pay a premium for an AI-enabled smartphone.

Commenting on the growing popularity and use cases of new-generation AI, Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint said, “Generative AI has rapidly gained traction due to its accessibility and versatility across personal, professional, and educational applications. Everyday tasks such as writing assistance, document editing, and research have all become simpler, proving it to be an invaluable tool for users. Writing assistance has emerged as the most dominant use case due to its wide availability, ease of use, and verifiable output. Other popular applications such as image generation and voice assistants have also seen significant adoption.”