Samsung's phone popularity - why?

[omnius]

Yes. I do realize the vast majority of you are running around with Samsung phones. But I'm being sincere, not inflammatory, when I say I don't understand why Samsung phones are so popular? For me personally I dislike the company's phones. I dislike that all of their phones and their tablets (and now even their win 8 laptop hybrids) use thin bendy plastics to encase their products. I absolutely cannot stand buying electronics of any sort that use thin flimsy plastics. But yet people buy their phones up in droves. I just don't get it! The only thing I can think of is it must be some combination of already being an established TV and PC monitor brand name and good marketing.

It just confuses me how many people - and we're talking a big margin here not just a small difference, which is why I don't get it - will stand in a store and see nice brushed metal, or Kevlar, or [insert whatever solid non flimsy material here that looks and feels better than thin bendy plastic] phones and tablets, often even running the exact same OS, and then pick up the plastic one and say "oh yes, give me this one for sure!"

Yeah, this is a bit of a rant, but there's a reason for it - manufacturers copy success. Brand names looking to emulate Samsung's phone popularity also deciding to pump out plastic phones and tablets is not something I relish the thought of.

 

[breadnatty08]

Well, I have one Samsung phone (Galaxy Nexus) but have owned phones or tablets from Motorola, HTC and Asus. They all have their merits.
The Droid was seriously built like a tank. That thing could be dropped over and over without leaving a scratch.
My Gnex is all plastic, yes, but I'm not worried about its build quality. It's just over a year old and without really ever using a case, it has just one scratch on the corner.

To give an answer about their popularity, I think there's a few reasons:
-They make a ton of different phones from entry level to high end.
-They actually MARKET their phones with ads on TV and billboards.
-Their phones are pretty darn good. I'm no fan of TouchWiz, but it adds some pretty good enhancements in place.
-Yes, they're made of plastic, but most people have cases on their phones. The iPhone is made of metal but I rarely see anyone without a huge Otterbox case on theirs.

 

[omnius]

lol yeah don't get me started on Otterboxes too. That's another trend that bugs me. Everytime I see my friend pull out his phone encased inside the "defender" I say "nice cinder block you have there!"

 

[breadnatty08]

Some people are clumsy, and some just want to throw their phone at their kids to entertain themselves, so I understand. I had a Commuter for my Bionic, and that lasted all of a week before I took it off. Bulky is an understatement for those cases.

 

[zuben el genub]

Possibly there are more Samsungs since more Samsung phones are in the market.

Used to be that way with Nokia - they had a phone for everyone. And I mean everyone.
I took to reading all the Nokia forums in English - they had Indian and Asian forums where the language was English. Rather fascinating outlook on phone usage.

The only other phone you see heavily advertised is the Droid, and I associate that with Verizon.

 

[annebrooks64]

Personally I buy them for the specs on them, the note 2 can beat pretty much anything else out there right now. I have a case on it so all I see is the glass front and case on the back. If any other manufacturer brought out a phone with enough hardware to beat the note 2 and I liked the look and shape of it then I would consider it. At the moment there's nothing else I like.

 

[BigCiX]

Well I mentioned before that I was going to stay away from Samsung phones after the original Galaxy. That phone had a super late gingerbread update and a faulty GPS. Since owning my Captivate I've had the LG Thrill (built very nice but came with froyo) and now the One X (great phone that could of been better if it was on all 4 major carriers and a SD slot). Now that being said, the Galaxy S4 is rumored to have a 5 inch screen and of course good specs. What I'm leaving toward is all the features touchwiz has. For example, multi-screen, s-pen, picture in picture to name a few. If those features will work IN CONJUNCTION with Apex or Nova launcher then I'm sold. If HTC can make the "One X2" with an SD slot, bigger battery, beats audio and release on all carriers (more support) then I'm sticking with HTC.

So, IMO........Sammy really became popular because it's marketing. Their strategy is basically targeting the iPhone with the "Next biggest thing is already here". So for people who don't want iPhones, why not get the phone that goes up against it.

 

[NightHawk877]

When I was looking for an Android phone, HTC's Aria was too weak and Motorola's offerings were pathetic. I got the Captivate because it had the right hardware. HTC still doesn't have what I want. I want an unlocked bootloader and system partition out of the box. I also want Motorola to step up and make every phone they offer compatible with their bootloader unlock tool. Until then, I am sticking to my polycarbonate Galaxy S3 which is not a type of plastic. People think plastic is cheap and weak, but it is not always.

 

[KENNECTED]

Well, I have one Samsung phone (Galaxy Nexus) but have owned phones or tablets from Motorola, HTC and Asus. They all have their merits.
The Droid was seriously built like a tank. That thing could be dropped over and over without leaving a scratch.
My Gnex is all plastic, yes, but I'm not worried about its build quality. It's just over a year old and without really ever using a case, it has just one scratch on the corner.

To give an answer about their popularity, I think there's a few reasons:
-They make a ton of different phones from entry level to high end.
-They actually MARKET their phones with ads on TV and billboards.
-Their phones are pretty darn good. I'm no fan of TouchWiz, but it adds some pretty good enhancements in place.
-Yes, they're made of plastic, but most people have cases on their phones. The iPhone is made of metal but I rarely see anyone without a huge Otterbox case on theirs.

lol yeah don't get me started on Otterboxes too. That's another trend that bugs me. Everytime I see my friend pull out his phone encased inside the "defender" I say "nice cinder block you have there!"

Although I'm an HTC EVO (I've owned both) series lover, I think the Samsung ads and products have been spot on. The ads and marketing have put it on top of the Android ecosystem. Even the specs and the capabilities of the phone are almost equal to the EVO 4G LTE/One X+, Droid DNA, etc, but Samsungs Marketing and ads killed it and were spot on. At the same time HTC had virtually no marketing for any of their products.

The Original EVO ads were everywhere, the new evo and other flagship/high end devices were virtually unseen compared to the campaign for the original EVO.

Samsung raise the Android bar. Who can take it or their flagship device to the next level?? If HTC doesn't get their ---- together I may be headed to Samsung despite my hate for touchwiz.

 

[Petrah]

-Yes, they're made of plastic, but most people have cases on their phones.

This. ^

Even for those who prefer the sexy nakedness of their G-Nex and don't care for cases, they can still pretty it up with a decorative battery cover.

GRUVER concepts

 

[chrlswltrs]

I like Samsung's build quality. I don't need a phone made of metal, and I don't put cases on my phones. If they made phones with Android instead of Touchwiz I would have considered that when I bought my Nexus 4 (which I LOVE the build quality of).

The only reason I won't buy another Samsung phone is because of software not hardware.

The reason they are so popular though is because of marketing. Other than Verizon marketing their Droid line, what other Android phones do you see advertised on TV other than Samsung? There is a reason advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry. People buy what they are told to buy when they see it on TV, internet, magazines, etc.

 

[pool_shark]

The manufacturer means nothing to me.
I didn't buy the Nexus or the Note 2 because they were made by Samsung. They could have been made by Kellogg's for all I care.

I bought them due to the specs, features, and availability on my network of choice.

 

[Petrah]

People buy what they are told to buy when they see it on TV, internet, magazines, etc.

Non-conformist all the way. If the door says Push, I pull.

 

[EarlyMon]

Until then, I am sticking to my polycarbonate Galaxy S3 which is not a type of plastic. People think plastic is cheap and weak, but it is not always.

Polycarbonate is the common name for a thermoplastic polymer.

Plastic means many things. I have a bunch of it on my HTC, including polycarbonate, and I don't have an issue with it either.

Anyway, I think that Samsung sells because of brand recognition, marketing and the ability to supply innovative products in high volume.

 

[zuben el genub]

Samsung is the only one I've seen advertise independent of carrier. I have seen carriers push phones - Sprint had the EVO, and Verizon the Droid. Everyone else seemed to push various phones depending on the audience. I've seen Windows phones, iPhone, and Androids in all ATT spots. MS is doing the Windows phone, but MS is also pushing the OS. Actually, I think LG just put out its own commercial. I've seen it twice lately.

I remember seeing independent ads for Sony Ericsson, Palm (original Treo) and Nokia.

 

[Caesars]

I like the big amoled screens, I also realize that plastic doesn't mean cheap, and As of the note 2....i may never stray again lol.

Return of the Android

 

[chrlswltrs]

I like the big amoled screens, I also realize that plastic doesn't mean cheap, and As of the note 2....i may never stray again lol.

Return of the Android

I loved the screen on my GSII, that was one of the biggest reasons I chose that phone. Now I can't imagine going back though, I haven't seen any other screen that compares to the HD 4.8" screen on the Nexus 4. (I haven't seen any of the 1080p screens yet)

 

[MoodyBlues]

lol yeah don't get me started on Otterboxes too. That's another trend that bugs me. Everytime I see my friend pull out his phone encased inside the "defender" I say "nice cinder block you have there!"

I recently bought an Otterbox Defender for my Atrix 4G, and then one for my Atrix 2. I love them. However, I don't normally use their final layer of protection, the part that causes the bulk you're referring to.

I LOVE the protection the Otterboxes offer my phones. The fact that they have multiple layers of protection--including for the screen, which was my biggest concern (after having IDIOTICALLY broken one on an older phone)--makes me feel confident that they're not going to get damaged.

I leave off the final, outside layer of protection, the hard plastic that has the belt clip on it. Without that it's not bulky enough to bother me, while it is protected enough to satisfy me that the phones won't get damaged.

 

[Rush]

Yes. I do realize the vast majority of you are running around with Samsung phones. But I'm being sincere, not inflammatory, when I say I don't understand why Samsung phones are so popular? For me personally I dislike the company's phones. I dislike that all of their phones and their tablets (and now even their win 8 laptop hybrids) use thin bendy plastics to encase their products. I absolutely cannot stand buying electronics of any sort that use thin flimsy plastics. But yet people buy their phones up in droves. I just don't get it! The only thing I can think of is it must be some combination of already being an established TV and PC monitor brand name and good marketing.

Interesting topic, for me...at the least.

^ I concur.

I've never been a big fan on Samsung's devices, even though they might be one of the popular devices around.

By the way, I moved this thread to our Android Forums.

 

[Rush]

Pssst... the Note 2 might, just might have me considering getting a Samsung device amongst my collection of HTC devices. <> wide smile <>

 

[aysiu]

I don't see what the big deal is about plastic... seems less fragile than glass, no? Anyway, I can't speak for anyone else, but I bought a Samsung phone because I wanted a Nexus phone, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was the latest one, so that's the one I got. If I'm eligible for an upgrade and the Nexus phone of that time is with another manufacturer, I'll get that Nexus phone. No loyalty to Samsung here.

That said, if I had someone ask me for an Android phone recommendation, it's very convenient that Samsung makes a high-end Android phone (that gets good reviews) that's the same phone available on all four major US carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile), so I'd probably recommend the Galaxy S III.

 

[adaaaam]

Samsung sells tons of phones because of customers loyal to/favor the brand and because of customers who aren't loyal but pick the best option in a carrier's line-up at the time that happens to be a Samsung phone so often. I fit in the latter group as I really do not like Samsung for various reasons (poor customer service, inferior build quality, inconsistent warranty coverage), but my previous three phones besides my current one have been Samsungs because they were the best options offered at the time, specs-to-price ratio-wise. I have committed to avoid buying Samsung products but it's hard when the fastest and biggest phones in the world are Samsungs and when they have the best resell value. So this kind of reminds me of why Apple products are so popular when we Android users know iOS to be inferior; great resell value, loyalty amongst its userbase, but unlike Samsung, definitely not because they are best-in-class.

 

[sohguanh]

Sometimes marketing is a big factor. If Samsung promote aggressively and work hand-in-hand in each country major service provider, you can see more of the products on sale and indirectly lead to customer awareness. So although Samsung is quite visible in US, I doubt it is that successful in China and other countries cuz there are so many other brand competing with them there.

As of today, I have tried Motorola,LG,Samsung,HTC and each have their pros and cons. For hardware longevity, Motorola still my choice. I am now testing other brands to see how long they can last.