A new survey indicated that HTC and Motorola customers today are less satisfied with their smartphone compared to last year, as the upgrade path to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich takes its toll.

In a recent survey of almost 15,000 people HTC and Motorola users questioned show the biggest drop in satisfaction compared to the same survey in 2011 by Android keyboard developer Swiftkey.

The survey asked almost 5,000 HTC customers whether they were satisfied with their smartphone. Only 67 per cent said their phone was "excellent" or "very good" in 2012 compared to 86 per cent of HTC owners in 2011.

Motorola's figures aren't much better. Only 64 per cent of users rated their phone "excellent" or "very good" in 2012 compared to more than 80 per cent of users saying it was "excellent" or "very good" in 2011.

In comparison, Samsung users are happier with their phones now compared to last year, while Apple and BlackBerry users are fairly static but still very positive.

Samsung has turned a 78 per cent approval rating in 2011 into an 82 per cent approval rating in 2012. It's also worth noting that the survey results haven't included the new Samsung Galaxy S III.

According to the data, 84 per cent of iPhone users say their iPhone is "excellent" or "very good". That number was 86 per cent in 2011.

It's also good news for BlackBerry users. Although many commentators claim people are less satisfied now than ever before with BlackBerry phones, the Swiftkey survey doesn't suggest that's the case.

According to the 1,500 BlackBerry users asked, its approval rating has risen from 68 per cent in 2011 to 70 per cent in 2012. It's not much, admittedly, but it could be a lot worse given Research in Motion's recent issues. It seems BlackBerry users like using their BlackBerry.

The survey was conducted in June.