According to a recent prediction by Counterpoint Research, more than 100 million generative AI (GenAI) smartphones would be shipped by 2024. That will indicate a notable increase in the use of AI-powered devices. According to the analysis, shipments of GenAI smartphones are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 83%, reaching an estimated 522 million units by 2027.
The share of GenAI smartphones is expected to triple in 2023, despite only holding 4% of the market share at that time.
Swift development and learning curve
Even though generative AI smartphones only make up a small portion of the smartphone market overall, the survey also highlighted the possibility of a significant rise in interest and marketing initiatives in the following year.
According to research director Tarun Pathak, 2026 will be a turning point when GenAI smartphones become the norm in a range of price points.
Smartphones with GenAI features
Additionally, the GenAI smartphones are a portion of the next generation of smartphones that use Generative AI to produce original content. This helps in setting them apart from devices that mostly offer pre-programmed replies or carry out predefined activities.
These smartphones have specific hardware specs and natively run AI models tuned for size.
OEM roadmaps
It is expected that the landscape of GenAI will center on important areas including picture generation, live translation, information provisioning, and personal assistant applications. Given their current product offerings and capabilities, the giants in the industry-including Qualcomm and Samsung-are considered the clear front-runners in the near term.
New applications of GenAI
The report also predicted that, in addition to the conventional application of artificial intelligence in smartphones, the emergence of smartphones has been designed to run GenAI models.
Potential use cases include content recommendations, improved digital assistants with distinct personalities and conversational styles, and the production of tailored content, among others.
While artificial intelligence has long been a feature of smartphones, the industry is currently seeing an evolution toward smartphones that are specifically designed to run on GenAI models, which opens up new possibilities for user experiences. This is something that Vice President and Research Director Peter Richardson has further emphasized.