AI in Smartphones: Why Most Users Still Don’t Care

It’s almost amusing how the smartphone industry has fallen in love with a word that barely excites its customers: artificial intelligence. For years now, giants like Samsung, Apple, and Google have poured billions into building AI ecosystems for the Galaxy, iPhone, and Pixel lineups, promising a future of smarter phones and seamless digital experiences. Yet, most users simply shrug.

The truth is, despite all the noise, the average buyer still cares more about battery life, camera performance, and price than about AI summarizing their emails.

When the Pixel 10, Galaxy S26, and iPhone 16 launched, every keynote and advertisement screamed about AI. Smart assistants, live translation, AI photo editing, even tools that generate emojis or craft text replies – these features dominate marketing campaigns. However, a recent poll showed that over 70 percent of consumers don’t even consider AI when choosing a phone. For many, it’s just another buzzword. People want a fast, reliable device that lasts the day, takes great pictures, and doesn’t cost a fortune. Everything else feels like fluff.

This disconnect between tech companies and their customers is fascinating. The industry wants us to believe we’re entering an ‘AI age,’ where every tap and swipe is enhanced by machine learning. But when you look at communities on Reddit or tech forums, the sentiment is clear: users don’t see the point yet. They joke that the only AI feature they need is one that makes their battery last longer or stops them from dropping their phone. To them, generating custom emojis or rephrasing an email is as exciting as a new wallpaper.

However, this might not last forever. History shows that what starts as a gimmick often becomes a necessity. Think of fingerprint scanners, wireless charging, or even 5G – initially mocked, then widely adopted. The same could happen with AI once it stops being a collection of parlor tricks and becomes something genuinely useful. When an AI assistant anticipates your schedule, handles tasks without prompts, or even customizes your entire device behavior intelligently, that’s when people will start caring. But we’re not there yet.

Apple’s iPhone 17, for instance, integrates AI more deeply into iOS than ever before, yet its biggest appeal still comes from hardware upgrades. Ironically, even with lackluster AI integration, Apple just hit a record market valuation – proving once again that innovation alone doesn’t drive sales; trust and ecosystem do. Samsung and Google face the same dilemma: they’ve built incredible AI systems, but without tangible benefits that everyday users can feel, the hype rings hollow.

AI on smartphones today is like a futuristic tool stuck in a beta phase. It has potential, but not purpose – at least not for the masses. Still, the tide will turn eventually. When the tech finally catches up with its promises, AI could redefine what a smartphone is capable of. Until then, it remains a fascinating, expensive experiment that most users continue to ignore, waiting for the day it truly earns its place in their pocket.