Technology: Just 11% of People Upgrade Their Phone for AI Features. Here's What They Want Instead
- InsightTrendsWorld
- Jun 11
- 11 min read
Okay, I can analyze this new article about the CNET survey on smartphone upgrade motivations using the same format. Here's the information extracted from the article:
Catchy Title: AI Isn't the Upgrade King: Survey Shows Consumers Want Better Battery and Storage in Their Next Phone
Why it is the topic trending:
A CNET survey reveals that only 11% of US smartphone owners upgrade for AI features, down from 18% last year.
This indicates that consumers care less about mobile AI despite tech companies heavily promoting these capabilities.
The survey highlights that the top motivations for upgrading are price, longer battery life, and more storage.
A significant portion of users (30%) don't find mobile AI helpful and don't want more features added.
There's also growing concern about privacy related to AI on smartphones, and half of the respondents are unwilling to pay extra for AI features.
Overview: Despite the heavy emphasis on artificial intelligence by major smartphone manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Google, a recent CNET survey indicates that AI features are not a primary driver for consumers when deciding to upgrade their devices. The survey found that only a small percentage of users are motivated by AI, with the majority prioritizing more fundamental aspects like price, battery life, storage, and camera quality. Furthermore, a considerable portion of smartphone owners remain skeptical of the value of mobile AI and are concerned about privacy implications and potential costs.
Detailed Findings:
Survey Source: CNET commissioned YouGov Plc. to conduct the survey.
Sample Size: 2,201 adults (2,129 own smartphones).
Fieldwork Dates: May 13 to 15, 2025.
Upgrade Motivation - AI: Just 11% of US smartphone owners upgrade for AI features, a 7% drop from last year's survey (18%).
Lack of Interest in AI: About 3 in 10 people don't find mobile AI helpful and don't want more features added.
Top Upgrade Motivations:
Price: 62%
Longer Battery Life: 54%
More Storage: 39%
Better Camera: 30%
Previous Year's Results (2024): Longer battery life (61%), more storage (46%), better camera features (38%), AI integrations (18%).
AI Feature Usage:
Summarize or write text using AI: 13%
AI image creation tools: 8%
AI for photo editing: 7%
Don't know how to use AI features: 20%
Willingness to Pay for AI: Half of people surveyed are not willing to pay extra to access AI features, up 5% from last year.
Privacy Concerns: Just over 40% of smartphone users are worried about privacy when using AI on their phone, up 7% from last year. Concern is high across all age groups (Boomers: 45%, Gen Z: 41%, Gen X: 41%).
Interest in AI by Age: 14% find AI helpful and are excited for more capabilities. Gen Z (25%) and Millennials (16%) express the most interest.
Smart Assistant Usage: 61% of iPhone owners use Siri, 41% of Pixel owners use Gemini. Daily usage is low (10% for Siri, 9% for Gemini).
Interest in Thin Phones: Just 7% of respondents said a thinner phone would motivate them to upgrade.
Key success factors of product (trend):
Affordability: Price remains the top concern for consumers when buying a new phone.
Battery Life: Long-lasting battery life continues to be a critical factor for user satisfaction.
Storage Capacity: Adequate storage remains essential for users to store their data and applications.
Camera Quality: A good camera is still a significant priority for many smartphone users.
Key Takeaway: Despite the industry's push towards integrating AI into smartphones, consumers are primarily driven by more fundamental needs like price, battery life, storage, and camera quality when considering an upgrade. There's also significant skepticism about the helpfulness of current AI features and a reluctance to pay extra for them, along with growing privacy concerns.
Main Trend: The main trend is a disconnect between the smartphone industry's focus on advanced AI features and consumers' primary needs and desires in a new device, which remain centered around core functionalities and value.
Description of the trend: AI Hype vs. Practical Needs: Smartphone Consumers Prioritize Basics Over Buzz
What is consumer motivation:
Value for Money: Consumers want a new phone that fits their budget and offers good value for the price.
Reliable Performance: Long battery life is crucial for daily usability and avoiding the inconvenience of frequent charging.
Sufficient Storage: Users need enough storage space for their photos, videos, apps, and other data.
Quality Imaging: A good camera is important for capturing memories and content.
Practical Utility: Many consumers prioritize features that directly address their everyday needs and frustrations (like limited battery or storage) over novel but potentially less useful AI capabilities.
What is driving trend:
Saturation of Core Features: While AI is new, core smartphone features like camera and storage have reached a high level of quality and functionality, making incremental improvements less of a primary driver for upgrades for some.
Skepticism Towards AI: Some consumers may be skeptical about the actual usefulness or privacy implications of AI features on their phones.
Cost Concerns: The potential for extra charges for AI features adds to the already high cost of smartphones, making consumers hesitant to prioritize them.
Lack of Perceived Need: Many users might feel that current AI features don't significantly enhance their daily smartphone usage.
"Hype Fatigue": Overexposure to AI marketing might lead to consumer fatigue and a diminished interest in these features.
What is motivation beyond the trend:
Replacing Old or Broken Devices: A primary driver for upgrading is often the need to replace an aging or malfunctioning phone.
Seeking Incremental Improvements in Core Features: While not the top priority, users still appreciate improvements in battery, camera, and storage in new models.
Staying Up-to-Date with Technology: Some consumers upgrade regularly to have the latest hardware and software, even if specific AI features aren't a key motivator.
Description of consumers article is referring to:
Best Description: The article refers to a broad sample of US smartphone owners who participated in the CNET survey. This group, while diverse, shows a general preference for practical features like price, battery life, and storage over the hyped-up AI capabilities currently being promoted by manufacturers.
US Smartphone Owners: The general population of smartphone users in the United States.
Value-Conscious Consumers: Prioritizing price and value for money when considering an upgrade.
Users Focused on Practicality: Emphasizing fundamental features like battery and storage that impact daily use.
Skeptical of AI Hype: A significant portion is not convinced of the immediate usefulness or necessity of mobile AI.
Privacy-Aware Individuals: Concerned about the privacy implications of AI on their devices.
Who are the consumers implied by article:
Who are them: Adult smartphone owners in the United States (aged 18 and older).
What kind of products they like: Smartphones that are affordable, have long battery life, offer ample storage, and feature a good camera.
What is their age?: The survey included adults of all ages, with some variations in AI interest by generation (Gen Z and Millennials showing more interest).
What is their gender?: The survey included both male and female respondents.
What is their income?: The focus on price suggests that a significant portion of these consumers are mindful of the cost of smartphones.
What is their lifestyle: Represents a wide range of lifestyles, as smartphone ownership is widespread.
What are their category article is referring shopping preferences: They are likely to prioritize research and compare different phone models based on price and key specifications like battery, storage, and camera.
Are they low, occasional or frequent category shoppers: Includes consumers who upgrade their phones at various intervals, not necessarily on an annual basis.
What are their general shopping preferences-how they shop products, shopping motivations): Motivated by practicality, value, and addressing their everyday needs from a mobile device.
Conclusions: The CNET survey reveals a potential misjudgment by smartphone manufacturers regarding consumer priorities, with most users valuing core functionalities over the current wave of AI features. This suggests that focusing on improving battery life, storage, and offering competitive pricing might be more effective strategies for driving upgrades for the majority of consumers.
Implications for brands:
Re-evaluate Feature Focus: Smartphone manufacturers might need to reconsider the heavy emphasis on AI in their marketing and product development, potentially balancing it with improvements to core features.
Address Consumer Concerns: Brands should address consumer skepticism about AI usefulness and privacy concerns transparently.
Consider Pricing Strategies: Given that price is a top motivator, offering competitively priced models remains crucial.
Focus on Core Performance: Investing in improving battery life, storage, and camera technology will likely resonate with a broader consumer base.
Implication for society:
Potential for More User-Centric Innovation: Consumer feedback might guide future smartphone development towards features that genuinely address user needs.
Implications for consumers:
Influence on Future Phone Development: By clearly indicating their priorities, consumers can potentially influence the direction of smartphone innovation.
Implication for Future:
Possible Shift in Marketing Strategies: Expect to see if smartphone marketing starts to balance AI hype with more focus on core features and value.
Uncertainty Around AI Monetization: The willingness of consumers to pay for AI features remains a significant question for the industry.
Consumer Trend (name, detailed description): Practicality Over Hype in Tech Upgrades: Consumers, particularly in the smartphone market, are prioritizing practical and immediately beneficial features like battery life, storage, and price over heavily marketed but less clearly useful or potentially costly new technologies like AI.
Consumer Sub Trend (name, detailed description): AI Skepticism and Privacy Concerns in Mobile Devices: A significant portion of smartphone users are either unsure about the benefits of AI on their devices or are actively concerned about the privacy implications and potential future costs associated with these features.
Big Social Trend (name, detailed description): The Value of Core Functionality: In a world of rapid technological advancement, consumers still highly value reliable and effective core functionalities in their everyday devices.
Worldwide Social Trend (name, detailed description): Consumer Value Consciousness in Technology: Across the globe, consumers are becoming more discerning about technology purchases, carefully considering the cost versus the perceived benefits of new features.
Social Drive (name, detailed description): Desire for Reliable and Affordable Technology: Consumers are primarily driven by the need for technology that is reliable, meets their fundamental needs, and is available at a reasonable price point.
Learnings for brands to use in 2025:
Don't Underestimate the Basics: Core features like battery life, storage, and price remain paramount for consumers.
Address Concerns Around New Technologies: Be mindful of consumer skepticism and address concerns about privacy and cost.
Focus on Real-World Utility: When promoting new features, clearly demonstrate their practical benefits for everyday users.
Strategy Recommendations for brands to follow in 2025:
Balance AI Development with Core Feature Improvements: Continue to innovate in AI but don't neglect improvements to battery, storage, and camera technology.
Be Transparent About AI Costs and Privacy: Clearly communicate any potential future costs for AI features and address privacy concerns proactively.
Showcase Practical AI Use Cases: Focus marketing on demonstrating how AI can genuinely improve everyday smartphone tasks.
Offer a Range of Devices at Different Price Points: Cater to the large segment of consumers who prioritize affordability.
Final sentence (key concept) describing main trend from article (which is a summary of all trends specified), and what brands & companies should do in 2025 to benefit from trend and how to do it: The trend of Practicality Over Hype in Tech Upgrades reveals that smartphone consumers prioritize core functionalities and value over the industry's push for AI features, and in 2025, brands should strategically balance AI development with significant improvements in battery life, storage, and competitive pricing to better meet consumer demands and drive upgrades.
Final Note:
Core Trend: Practicality Over Hype: Consumers prioritize core phone features over AI.
Core Strategy: Balance Innovation with Core Improvements: Focus on battery, storage, and price alongside AI.
Core Industry Trend: Potential Misalignment of Innovation and Consumer Needs: The industry's AI focus isn't fully resonating with most consumers.
Core Consumer Motivation: Desire for Reliable and Affordable Technology: Practicality and value are key drivers for upgrades.
Final Conclusion: The CNET survey provides valuable insight into the current priorities of smartphone consumers, highlighting that while the industry is heavily invested in AI, users are still primarily concerned with the fundamental aspects of their devices. Brands that heed this message and strategically balance cutting-edge technology with reliable and affordable core functionalities will likely find greater success in the market.
Core Trend Detailed: The core trend of Practicality Over Hype in Tech Upgrades in the smartphone market indicates a significant preference among consumers for tangible and immediately beneficial features over the allure of newer, heavily marketed technologies like artificial intelligence. This trend reflects a pragmatic approach to technology adoption, where users prioritize improvements in the fundamental aspects of their devices that directly impact daily usability, such as battery life and storage, along with the overall cost of the upgrade, rather than being swayed by the novelty or potential of emerging features that may not yet have a clear or compelling everyday application for the majority of users.
Key Characteristics of the Core trend:
Focus on Core Functionality: Consumers prioritize features like battery life, storage capacity, camera quality, and processing speed.
Value Consciousness: Price and affordability are major determinants in upgrade decisions.
Skepticism Towards New Technologies: There's a degree of caution or uncertainty among consumers regarding the real-world benefits and potential drawbacks (like privacy concerns or added costs) of new technologies like AI.
Resistance to Unnecessary Complexity: Some users may prefer devices that are straightforward and easy to use, without a plethora of complex or unfamiliar features.
Addressing Existing Pain Points: Upgrades are often motivated by the desire to solve current frustrations with their devices, such as short battery life or insufficient storage.
Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend:
Consistent Survey Results: Multiple surveys showing similar findings regarding consumer priorities for smartphone upgrades.
Consumer Feedback on Tech Forums and Reviews: User discussions often highlight the importance of battery life and storage.
Sales Data of Mid-Range Devices: The continued popularity of mid-range smartphones suggests that many consumers prioritize value over cutting-edge but potentially expensive features.
"Feature Fatigue": A general trend where consumers feel overwhelmed by the increasing number of features in their devices and prioritize those they actually use.
Economic Considerations: In times of economic uncertainty or tightening budgets, consumers tend to be more practical in their spending on technology.
How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior:
Prioritizing Specifications Over Marketing Buzzwords: Consumers are paying closer attention to technical specifications like battery capacity and storage options when comparing phones.
Delaying Upgrades for Marginal Feature Improvements: Users may be less inclined to upgrade frequently if new models primarily offer advancements in areas they don't deem critical to their daily use.
Seeking Reviews and User Feedback: Consumers are relying on reviews and the experiences of other users to determine the real-world value of new features.
Implications Across the Ecosystem:
For Brands and CPGs: Smartphone manufacturers need to carefully consider their product development and marketing strategies to align with actual consumer priorities.
For Retailers: Retailers should highlight the core strengths of smartphones, such as battery life and storage, in their sales and marketing materials.
For Consumers: May see a greater focus on improving fundamental features in future smartphones if manufacturers respond to these trends.
Strategic Forecast:
The trend of prioritizing practicality is likely to persist in the smartphone market, especially as upgrade cycles lengthen and consumers become more discerning about their purchases.
Manufacturers that effectively address consumer needs for reliable performance and value will likely be more successful.
Areas of innovation
Revolutionary Battery Technology: Invest in research and development of new battery materials and technologies that offer significantly longer battery life on a single charge, potentially exploring solid-state batteries or more energy-efficient processors and displays.
Scalable and Affordable Storage Solutions: Innovate in storage options, perhaps through more efficient compression techniques or offering larger base storage capacities at competitive price points, or explore more seamless and affordable cloud storage integration.
Modular and Repairable Phone Designs: Explore modular phone designs that allow users to easily upgrade individual components like the battery or storage, extending the lifespan of the device and potentially lowering the overall cost of ownership.
Camera Systems with Enhanced Low-Light Performance and User-Friendly Software: Continue to innovate in camera technology, focusing on improving performance in challenging lighting conditions and developing intuitive camera software that is easy for the average user to navigate.
Durability and Longevity Improvements: Focus on making phones more durable with stronger materials and better protection against drops and water damage, extending the usable life of the device and providing long-term value to consumers.
Transparent Pricing and Value-Focused Models: Innovate pricing strategies to offer more competitive options and clearly communicate the value proposition of their devices, especially highlighting the balance of features and affordability.
Software Optimization for Efficiency: Develop operating systems and software that are highly optimized for energy efficiency, further contributing to longer battery life and smoother performance on less powerful hardware, potentially allowing for more affordable devices.
Final Thought (summary): The preference for practicality over hype in smartphone upgrades signals a need for the industry to focus on delivering meaningful improvements in core features and addressing consumer concerns about cost and usability, ensuring that innovation aligns with the real-world needs and priorities of the majority of smartphone users.
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