Qualcomm Technologies commissioned a survey of more than 12,000 people across the U.S., U.K., Germany, India, Brazil, and China to examine consumer interest in personal AI and intelligent wearables.
The survey found that 60 to 70 percent of respondents expressed interest in advanced AI when considering a new device. Seventy percent "express strong interest in an AI assistant that can interact naturally through voice and seamlessly manage devices, apps, and everyday tasks."
Consumers showed different purchase priorities by device type. Audio playback quality drives purchases for true wireless earbuds and headphones. Display quality and responsiveness matter most for smartwatches. For smart rings and pendants, respondents prioritized aesthetics like materials and finish. For smart glasses, the type of control—voice, gesture, or touch—was most important.
Among wearable owners, 60 percent use AI at least weekly. Smartwatches showed the highest continuous wear time at nine hours on average, followed by smart rings, necklaces, and pendants at eight hours. Audio glasses averaged six hours, smart glasses five hours, and true wireless earbuds and wireless headphones three hours each.
Privacy, security, and user control emerged as the top reported concerns limiting adoption. Almost 60 percent of respondents wanted to keep wearable data private or required approval before sharing. The report noted that respondents showed more interest in adopting intelligent wearables when Snapdragon was introduced as the enabling platform.
The survey found that consumers preferred connected ecosystems of multiple devices coordinated by a personal AI agent over single devices. They wanted each new device to deliver "incremental intelligence, convenience, or contextual awareness" beyond what existing devices provided.