2y ago

Discussion: Brand Loyalty vs. Exploring New Brands

Here's a new discussion for the /c/Android community!

Are you devoted to a particular Android device manufacturer, or do you relish experimenting across different brands?

🔍 What drives your loyalty to a specific brand? Is it their consistent quality, exceptional customer service, or unique features? Let the community know what keeps you coming back for more!

💡 On the other hand, if you're open to trying new brands, what motivates you to explore beyond your comfort zone? Is it the allure of cutting-edge technology, competitive pricing, or recommendations from friends?

30 comments

I personally have no loyalties and will go wherever the good deals and specs are! That's currently with the S23 Ultra thanks to a ridiculously good trade-in promo, but I've previously used LG, Sony, OnePlus, Motorola, Nexus, Pixel, and HTC devices. With that said, I also don't often feel as much of a need to upgrade anymore, unless someone in the family needs a hand-me-down.

There's really no real reason to stay loyal to a brand when you're using Android. If you like a particular OEM's UI or a feature they provide, good for you! If not, then there's literally no reason not to switch brands. It's not like your apps won't work or your contacts won't move over.

The only brand I'll ever be loyal to is my mother's cooking

I HAD been loyal to OnePlus for as long as they were friendly to enthusiasts, developers, and explorers of various firmware.
Now I'm on the hunt for a brand that provides those things as OnePlus has moved in a different direction.

I'm loyal to my wallet

- I used to buy Samsung because they were the only ones offering the microSD slots, for a while.

I've only had Oneplus or Samsung for the last decade, used to love the quirks of the former and love the extra features like EdgePanels and GoodLock on the latter.
In the coming months I am hoping to get a Zenphone 10 assuming it works okay on TMobile in the US

I think your brand loyalty should always stay as close to zero as posible, it's not your job the keep buying their product, it's theirs.

I'm devoted to Sony, can't switch to anything else.. they're the only one watching all the features I care about
- How's the software update support these days? I owned a few Xperia back in the day and that was a weak point at the time.
  
  Security patches are out monthly less than a week after Google releases, OS updated are slower but have been getting better, only major downside is the lack of commitment to more than 2 years of OS, real kick in the shins for such an expensive phone but alas I'm a sucker for all it's other offerings
- What features are those? Camera related?
  
  Camera is nice and especially unique so that is a bonus, but for me it's the physical fingerprint scanner, SD card slot, headphone jack, front firing speakers, and no notch in a flagship from a reputable company, could drop several of those requirements and not find any options and this has all of them

I don't care about brands because I have a set list of requirements and I'd not have found a new phone if I'd stuck to my first brand.

I was a Samsung loyalist, up until my current phone, the Note 20 Ultra. Their decisions since then have me questioning what's out there for the first time in my life. There is almost NO significant differences between Android phones anymore once they stripped away what made them unique - hardware superiority (e.g., SD card slot, magstripe payment, etc.) with solid software. Had they kept their $0.50 pieces of hardware, they'd have whatever the profit margins of the upcoming S24U would be from my wallet, and probably more valuable to them, blind loyalty without brand curiosity.
But at this point, I'm just waiting for more reviews for the Sony Xperia I V.

Loyal to Pixel line because Google has me wrapped around their finger. I love them though

I'm loyal to good products.
For a while I was a bit of a OnePlus "fanboy". The OnePlus One was an amazing phone for someone like me. I liked it so much that at one point everyone at home had one (4 in total). It was much better and cheaper than anything we had used until that point. Then I got a 3T and OnePlus was going down hill... promises of improvements that never came, Carl Pei fking lying, so that was it. I learned my lesson. My next phone was a Galaxy S10 and when that broke, I managed to get a good deal on a OnePlus 8 Pro and since it was cheaper and it had official LineageOS support, it was a good option.
I have no idea what my next phone will be. Maybe Asus Zenfone. Maybe some Xiaomi/Poco. Maybe OnePlus. Heck, if Google improves their SoC, maybe I can get a Pixel. I know I won't back to Samsung as I like to tinker with my devices, but as long there's some modding going and the brand is not hostile to modding, I'm open to consider it.

Brand loyalty is dead to me
I just get whatever has the best bang for my buck around with good custom ROM support every 3-4 years
When my Motorola G8 Power ROM scene slowed down, I upgraded to a Redmi Note 10 Pro (256/8 version) for $220 and fully intend to stick to with this phone until I finish college

I've been a bit stuck on Samsung phones.
If I think about why, it's mainly due to two things, in order of importance:
One UI and Samsung Goodlock. I'm probably going to get roasted for this, but I like Samsung's UI a lot more than other varieties of Android. When My Note 10 went in for repairs in 2021, a friend lent me their Pixel 6 Pro (they didn't like it and went back to an I iPhone) For me it felt very basic and I was happy to go back to my Note. People hate on Samsung's UI, but I reckon it's gotten really good in the last few years.
The S-Pen. I'm not using it constantly, but I am using it several times a week and love having it there. Main uses for me are not to make notes (I'd rather type). I use it as a shutter button, planting my phone somewhere stable and taking less shaky photos. I use it to edit photos, so much better than using my finger. I use it to sign documents (probably only about once a month but it's so handy to have it when you need it).
I do also like Dex for when I'm on holidays and I can plug it into a hotel TV with my mini Bluetooth keyboard/mouse. But that only gets used once or twice a year so I could live without it.
Given the above, I feel like Samsung has me by the b*lls right now when it comes to phones! I don't know if that would be described as "loyalty", but I have been sticking with the brand.

No brand loyalty. First thing I primarily look at is what the history of update support has been for the brand, and then what the custom rom scene is like if that's an aspect I feel like exploring. Finally it's price, but if a phone has had subpar update support and doesn't even have a thriving custom rom scene then it's dead to me no matter what it promises.

I check all the available options and choose the one that meets most of my requirements regardless of the brand, this is what everyone should do

I currently have a Fairphone 4 device.
Hard to say about loyalty, since this is the only time I can say I've personally been attached to any particular phone brand. And if their device will prove to be very badly designed then I'll obviously go back on my decision.
I guess what I like about them is their stance on various social issues, like the sourcing of raw materials that go into manufacturing a modern smartphone, and how they commit to improving themselves based on that.
For example, they talk about forming the Cobalt Fairtrade foundation, in the hopes of promoting the ethical sourcing of the cobalt that goes into your phone's battery, so that it doesn't involve child labor.
Or how they claim to pay factory workes a better wage that most other manufacturers, even though this can only be achieved by overpricing their own phone, which makes it less attractive.
Granted, you really have to care about this stuff yourself to become invested in the company because the phone itself is very bland and, otherwise, quite overpriced

Will never ever be loyal to a brand. I go case by case, when I need a piece of tech, I check what's currently on the market, and decide from there. I do seem to have some preferences, as I came back to Nexus/Pixel multiple times. But I switched to other things too.

I'll be honest, I have no special love for samsung products.. But I have both the S8+ and a Galaxy Flip, atm. The former because it's the best sized tablet for reading comics and the latter because I remembered how fun it was to have a flip phone.
Brand loyalty is for cowards. live a little and make more decisions based on your id

I've been enjoying my Pixel 5a as of late, but I would switch in a heartbeat if another OEM offered a product that's better for me. Brand loyalty doesn't make that much sense in my opinion, what does is looking for the best product for you.

My current phone is a Samsung. I bought it because its not made in China and has the features I needed - expandable storage and a headphone jack at the right price
I dont care about brands. I'll buy anything not made in China if it does the job and its not too expensive. Currently Samsung is the only brand that fits the bill as far as I know (things may have changed since I bought my last phone)

not loyal. i like stock android so motorola, google or nokia it is.

Samsung are the second phone manufacturer I've owned 2 devices in a row from, HTC being the first. Ive had Nokia and Apple too. Android, Windows Phone, and IOS.
I've learnt that they're all a compromise one way or another, and the grass is always greener. At the end of the day, all I use is YouTube, Lemmy, Facebook and Firefox, so yeah... Any will do!

30 comments