Samsung Beats Apple in Customer Loyalty in Smartphones

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Nokia and Sony tie for fourth place, while LG settles for third.

A South Korean technology company, Samsung, has beat Apple in customer loyalty for smartphones for the first time.

Behind Samsung and Apple was LG in third place, while Nokia and Sony tied for fourth. "This is the first year that Samsung beat out Apple in smartphones," said Robert Passikoff, the president of Brand Keys, which saw its customer loyalty index surveying 39,000 consumers. "When Apple was number one, everyone said, ‘Well sure, it’s Apple.’ But the fact is that Samsung always had a larger share of the marketplace."

"It’s not terrible to be number two," Passikoff added. "But in both cases I think consumers are looking for higher degrees of innovation. It was only after Samsung and other companies came out with smaller tablets that Apple brought out the iPad mini. It was only in reaction."

During November 2012, for the first time since the iPhone launched, the percentage of the smartphone's owners who said they will definitely or probably buy another Apple handset declined.

Elsewhere, for the first time in three years, Apple was not ranked among the top 20 most trusted companies for privacy. LG, meanwhile, overtook Apple as the second leading U.S. handset manufacturer during December 2012, while Samsung topped that list. The South Korean technology giant also replaced the iPhone maker as the world's leading chip buyer.

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34 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Benthon
    So it crumbles, ever so slowly...
    Reply
  • A Bad Day
    Two days ago, one of my classmates criticized me for not upgrading from my 4 year old Samsung phone to the iPhone 5.

    The argument then turned into an 11 years old Nokia flip-phone vs his iPhone.

    Him: "Well I have an protective case that also recharges my phone!"

    Me: "My Nokia phone doesn't need a protective case. And I have a laptop at home for internet access."
    Reply
  • A Bad Day
    EDIT: For clarification, I used to use my dad's old Nokia phone until I "upgraded" to my mom's old phone.

    The Nokia phone takes about a second to access the contact info, and last for two weeks without recharge.

    The "better" Samsung phone takes a minute, and only last for around three days with the same usage.
    Reply
  • invlem
    Can't complain, I've used samsung products for years, very happy with the quality, every PC here has a samsung LCD
    Reply
  • IAmVortigaunt
    I really don't understand the appeal for these Samsung phones. I understand wanting to avoid Apple, but what's so great about Samsung? In my estimation, they make some pretty generic looking phones made of cheap looking light plastic. IMO, HTC makes better phones...and, of course, Nokia. I like Samsung's TVs and some of their other products, but I just don't think they make quality hardware when it comes to phones.
    Reply
  • joytech22
    Let's just say that when I owned my Galaxy S, I targeted their support team with a large E-Mail saying how they SHOULD have created the Galaxy S. Aaaaand I was banned from their support. :3

    Still buy their devices though..
    Reply
  • Gundam288
    A Bad DayTwo days ago, one of my classmates criticized me for not upgrading from my 4 year old Samsung phone to the iPhone 5.The argument then turned into an 11 years old Nokia flip-phone vs his iPhone.Him: "Well I have an protective case that also recharges my phone!"Me: "My Nokia phone doesn't need a protective case. And I have a laptop at home for internet access."You should upgrade to a Note 2 or S3 just to make your classmate mad.

    I upgraded to a Note 2 from a Nokia Mural recently and I love it. (it was time for me to upgrade and my mural's battery was starting to go T_T ) But If you just need a phone, then keep your old flip phone. It's cheaper to replace and they are built like a tank when compared to smartphones.
    Reply
  • ikyung
    IAmVortigauntI really don't understand the appeal for these Samsung phones. I understand wanting to avoid Apple, but what's so great about Samsung? In my estimation, they make some pretty generic looking phones made of cheap looking light plastic. IMO, HTC makes better phones...and, of course, Nokia. I like Samsung's TVs and some of their other products, but I just don't think they make quality hardware when it comes to phones.I agree on the phone design for the Samsung phone. I personally don't like it either. But, I think the main reasons there are so many customers behind Samsung pretty much comes down to three things.
    1) Removable battery and SD card expansion
    2) Choice (people who want a 200 dollar phone can't buy an Apple brand. Yet Samsung has multiple choices all the way from low-end to high-end phones).
    3) Up-to-date internal hardware. When they launch a new phone from their high-end line of phones (Galaxy S and Galaxy Note) it's pretty much the cream of the crop in terms of specs. Like the S3 is pretty much a year old and yet they still use it to compare other Android phones that recently launched.

    There was an article on Wozniak calling Apple arrogant because instead of giving consumers the freedom of choice to pick out their phones, they just bring out one phone to rule them all. It worked 3 years ago when consumers didn't understand Smartphones as much as today. Now, consumers KNOW what functions to look for in a phone and want variety. Which is probably why Apple is coming out with the mini and a rumored iPhablet.
    Reply
  • halcyon
    I never thought I'd completely abandon the iPhone but I can't imagine wanting to go back to such restriction.
    Reply
  • darkavenger123
    A Bad DayEDIT: For clarification, I used to use my dad's old Nokia phone until I "upgraded" to my mom's old phone.The Nokia phone takes about a second to access the contact info, and last for two weeks without recharge.The "better" Samsung phone takes a minute, and only last for around three days with the same usage.Yeah, but can you watch HD movie stream from the house server while doing big business in the toilet?? My S2 can.
    Reply