Samsung Beats Apple Inc. (AAPL) In Customer Satisfaction

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The latest study from American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) showed that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) won the hearts of consumers with its Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II smartphones.

Samsung Beats Apple Inc. (AAPL) In Customer Satisfaction

The latest study from ACSI showed that the flagship smartphones outperformed the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 5 in terms of customer satisfaction.

Samsung smackdown

Data showed that Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II each received an ASCI benchmark of 84 (based on a 0 to 100 scale). Both devices emerged as the top smartphones in terms of customer satisfaction this year.  The Samsung Galaxy S II received a customer satisfaction score of 78.

The iPhone 4 received an ACSI benchmark of 81 while the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 each received a score of 82.

David Van Amburg, director of ACSI commented, “Not only does Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) edge ahead of all iPhones, Apple customers themselves don’t see much difference between the iPhone 4, 4S or 5. The latest earnings report from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was better than expected, but the name of the game for Apple has always been innovation. Samsung, on the other hand, shows a strong upward ACSI trend from the Galaxy S II to the Galaxy S III. If the S4 performs as well—or even better—in the eyes of customers, Samsung could threaten Apple’s dominance in overall customer satisfaction.”

The Droid Razr Maxx HD and Droid Razr from Motorola Mobility received a ACSI score of 80 and 77 respectively.BlackBerry Ltd’s (NASDAQ:BBRY) Curve and Bold smartphones received an ACSI score of 67 and 64, respectively.

Meanwhile, the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) in South Korea noted that Korean customers prefer iPhones to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The iPhone 5 received a higher customer satisfaction than the Samsung Galaxy S III. The ASCI study showed that consumers in the United States prefer smartphones from Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930). ACSI and NCSI use the same technology.

Samsung not going to crack Korea any time soon

Claes Fornell,  founder and chairman of ACSI said, “While feature phones are cheaper, and therefore viewed by many customers as better value, smartphones excel in quality. Smartphones receive strong marks for feature variety, design and ease of use, with battery life as their only real shortcoming.”

With regard to the performance of BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s smartphones, Fornell commented that the company “stays firmly entrenched at the bottom of the industry in customer satisfaction.” He added that the result “does not bode well” for the Canadian smartphone manufacturer because smartphones generally outperform feature phones.

Meanwhile, in terms of value share, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) dominate the smartphone market, according to a report from Cannacord Genuity.

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