The Verizon iPhone 4 allowed the iPhone to act like a phone again. Photo: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com

The iPhone undoubtedly is among the most popular phones ever, and yet another survey shows it continues resonating with consumers.

In J.D. Powers’ semi-annual customer satisfaction survey, Apple’s iPhone takes the top spot yet again, making it the top smartphone brand five years running. Apple scored an 838 on the survey’s measure of performance, ease of operation, features, and physical design. HTC scored second place with 801.

“Our results are based on consumer experience. The intuitiveness of t...