Despite more powerful competition, iPhone SE tops new customer satisfaction survey

While not Apple’s latest and greatest, the iPhone SE has topped the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index data for May 2017. The data shows a customer satisfaction rating for the iPhone SE of 87 out of 100, putting it 1 point ahead of the iPhone 7 Plus and Galaxy S6 Edge+…

The ASCI gathered its data from 36,194 customer interviews during the 12 months ending in April 2017. The data from those customers was then run through the ACSI’s “cause-and-effect econometric” model, which assigns a rating to user comments and responses for an overall score out of 100 possible points.

While the iPhone SE tops the list, the iPhone 7 Plus isn’t far behind with a satisfaction score of 86 out of 100. Interestingly, the iPhone 6 Plus, the iPhone 6s Plus, and the iPhone 7 all received scores of 83 out of 100, while the iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 6s came in at 80 out of 100. Finally, the iPhone 6 received 79 out of 100. Overall, the list is heavily dominated by Apple and Samsung.

Below is the full top 17 list:

1. iPhone SE – 87 out of 100
2. Galaxy S6 Edge+ – 86 out of 100
3. iPhone 7 Plus – 86 out of 100
4. Galaxy S6 Edge – 85 out of 100
5. Galaxy S7 – 84 out of 100
6. Galaxy S7 Edge – 84 out of 100
7. iPhone 6 Plus – 83 out of 100
8. iPhone 6s Plus – 83 out of 100
9. iPhone 7 – 83 out of 100
10. Galaxy Note 5 – 82 out of 100
11. Galaxy Note 4 – 81 out of 100
12. Galaxy S5 – 80 out of 100
13. iPhone 5 – 80 out of 100
14. iPhone 5s – 80 out of 100
15. iPhone 6s – 80 out of 100
16. Galaxy S6 – 79 out of 100
17. iPhone 6 – 79 out of 100

Seeing the iPhone SE come out on top is certainly interesting as it’s not necessarily Apple’s most high-end smartphone. Though, customer satisfaction doesn’t necessarily depend on performance, but rather how well a device is able to satisfy the needs of its user.

The iPhone SE was introduced 14 months ago as an alternative to large-screened phones for those who still preferred the smaller form factor. Alongside the announcement of the (RED) iPhone earlier this year, Apple doubled the storage capacities for the iPhone SE, but the device has otherwise not seen any hardware changes since its initial unveil.

Are you an iPhone SE user? Do you agree with the ACSI’s rating? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.