The recent forecast of Counterpoint Research states that the shipment of generative AI (GenAI) smartphones will surpass 100 million units in 2024. That will mark as a significant growth in the adoption of AI-driven devices. The report has further predicted that the GenAI smartphone shipments will continue to upscale, and will reach an estimated 522 million units by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 83%. 

Despite being at 4 per cent of the market share in 2023, the share of GenAI smartphones is anticipated to double in the stated year.

Rapid evolution and learning curve

While generative AI smartphones currently constitute a minor percentage of the overall smartphone market, the report has further emphasized the potential for a substantial increase in excitement and marketing efforts in the upcoming year. 

Tarun Pathak- the Research Director has noted that 2026 is expected to be an inflection point, with GenAI smartphones prevading across various price segments.

Characteristics of GenAI smartphones

The GenAI smartphones further represent a subset of the upcoming smartphones which leverages Generative AI for creating original content. This helps in distinguishing them from devices which primarily provide pre-programmed responses or perform predefined tasks. 

These smartphones run size-optimized AI models natively and come equipped with specific hardware specifications.

OEM roadmaps

The GenAI landscape is expected to focus on key areas such as information provisioning, image creation, live translation, and personal assistant applications. In the short term, the industry leaders, including Qualcomm and Samsung, are identified as immediate frontrunners, given their existing product capabilities and offerings.

Emerging use cases for GenAI

The report has further anticipated that the emergence of smartphones has been optimized to run GenAI models, by supplementing the traditional use of artificial intelligence in smartphones. 

Potentially use cases which include the creation of personalized content, enhanced digital assistants with unique personalities and conversation styles, content recommendations, and more.

Peter Richardson, the Vice President and Research Director has further emphasized that while artificial intelligence has been a smartphone feature for several years, the industry is now witnessing the evolution toward smartphones which are specifically tailored to run on GenAI models, unlocking new possibilities for user experiences.

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Inputs from IANS