According to Counterpoint Research, one in three smartphones in 2025 will be GenAI capable and will surpass 400 million units. In 2024, one in five smartphones were GenAI capable so this shows the difference between two years and this rapid adoption of smartphones with GenAI capabilities is mostly because of improved chipsets and more efficient lightweight large language models (LLMs).
In 2024, most of the smartphone brands focused on GenAI as a key selling point and this trend is expected to continue in 2025 as well. However, consumer adoption is still low because of a lack of compelling and everyday-use features. So, OEMs are searching for GenAI applications that can provide clear benefits and upgrades other than just doing hardware improvements. Because of the deep ecosystem integration, strong premium market presence, and loyal customer base, Samsung and Apple are expected to dominate the GenAI smartphone market this year with Samsung's Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence.
Chinese brands like OPPO, Xiaomi, HONOR, and vivo are also expected to drive GenAI adoption in mid-range smartphones by 2026 or early 2027. If affordable GenAI smartphones start becoming mainstream, Apple’s market share can decline. Western Europe, North America, and China are going to lead the early adoption of GenAI smartphones. In North America, nearly half of smartphone shipments in 2024 were GenAI capable and this can increase up to 82% by 2028. Samsung, Google, and Apple are driving GenAI adoption in smartphones through personalized assistants, AI-powered content creation tools, and subscription-based services. However, customers are still hesitant to pay extra for AI features.
Local OEMs have integrated AI quickly in a lot of devices in China so the adoption of GenAI smartphones is also going to be quick. Many Chinese brands have also developed their in-house LLMs but they are only present in the domestic market. Agentic AI is also emerging as a new innovation for 2025 which is expected to surpass GenAI by providing more context-aware, autonomous, and action-driven AI experiences.
Read next: Rooted Today, Ruined Tomorrow: Why Tweaking Your Phone Could Cost You Everything
In 2024, most of the smartphone brands focused on GenAI as a key selling point and this trend is expected to continue in 2025 as well. However, consumer adoption is still low because of a lack of compelling and everyday-use features. So, OEMs are searching for GenAI applications that can provide clear benefits and upgrades other than just doing hardware improvements. Because of the deep ecosystem integration, strong premium market presence, and loyal customer base, Samsung and Apple are expected to dominate the GenAI smartphone market this year with Samsung's Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence.
Chinese brands like OPPO, Xiaomi, HONOR, and vivo are also expected to drive GenAI adoption in mid-range smartphones by 2026 or early 2027. If affordable GenAI smartphones start becoming mainstream, Apple’s market share can decline. Western Europe, North America, and China are going to lead the early adoption of GenAI smartphones. In North America, nearly half of smartphone shipments in 2024 were GenAI capable and this can increase up to 82% by 2028. Samsung, Google, and Apple are driving GenAI adoption in smartphones through personalized assistants, AI-powered content creation tools, and subscription-based services. However, customers are still hesitant to pay extra for AI features.
Local OEMs have integrated AI quickly in a lot of devices in China so the adoption of GenAI smartphones is also going to be quick. Many Chinese brands have also developed their in-house LLMs but they are only present in the domestic market. Agentic AI is also emerging as a new innovation for 2025 which is expected to surpass GenAI by providing more context-aware, autonomous, and action-driven AI experiences.
Read next: Rooted Today, Ruined Tomorrow: Why Tweaking Your Phone Could Cost You Everything
