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Ford James's avatar
Ford JamesMod

Credit to Damien Mason for this bounty idea on the Just About Tech suggest-a-bounty bounty a few months ago!

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
Ford James

Cheers Ford! Really interested to see the outcome of this one because everyone has different feelings.

EveOnlineTutorials's avatar
EveOnlineTutorials

For me, I used to love Androids, but then my wife surprised me with an iPhone 14 and a Titanium Apple watch.

So in terms of Phones and watches, I’d have to say I am now “pro apple” I love my iPhone and my Iwatch, I think if I had to get a new phone I would go Apple again, the very fact of what the technology is capable of, especially considering my watch is essentially a mini phone.

So in terms of brand loyalty, deffo Apple :) I also love my Mac Air

cyruz's avatar
cyruz
EveOnlineTutorials

I wouldn't call myself an Apple fanboy and I'm never on the newest Apple hardware, but they definitely know their stuff. Everything is so seamless and straightforward. From supporting old devices to upgrading to new ones and making them all interact well.

While the watch is a bit too pricey for my taste, I'm now on my third iPhone and I still love how easy it is to move everything to a new device. And they support old devices for so long, whereas, from my experience of managing my parents' phones, Android phones are often all over the place.

So yeah, I can definitely understand why all of this would make you stick with their phones (and more).

CelestialFlea's avatar
CelestialFlea

I wouldn't say I have 'brand loyalty' per se but I do have preferred choices based on past experiences with brands.

For example; With certain PC hardware, I've been very happy with Corsair. My Dark Core SE mouse, my Corsair PSU and Corsair Dominator RAM sticks. I might be more inclined to stick with Corsair. But other things I'm happy to try other brands if they're known for quality and will save me some money.

For musical instruments and accessories, Yamaha and Behringer are my goto's if I can help it as I know I'll get great quality, utility and sound. But again, I'm not specifically tied to them I'm happy to buy other brands if they're known and recommended by friends, relatives, reputable influencers etc.

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason

Unsure if this is a conflict of interest since the bounty was my suggestion but here are my two cents anyway:

I have no brand loyalty, but I do have brand preference

Brand loyalty means you give trust to companies based on their past actions. They've bought good faith through releasing repeatedly good products and you're willing to take the chance. My problem with this is that it introduces risk to your hard-earned money, as all it takes is one bad product or poor decision for you to be caught out. This is particularly important while we're on the precipice of fledgling generative AI features dominating just about every new release. It's prime time for brands to screw up.

Brand preference means a company is at the top of your considerations but you still want to do that last leg of research and treat each purchase on a case-by-case basis. You'll look into reviews for the latest thing rather than earmarking money for it before you've seen a single impression.

As for which brands I prefer, I'm strictly Nvidia for graphics cards simply because its unrivaled with upscalers and latency features, which is where the future is headed. AMD is better at pure rasterisation this generation, but is rumoured to bow out of the high-end in the next one, leaving little choice outside of the mid-range.

I'm a big Keychron fan with keyboards nowadays, because it drops the gaming fluff and focuses on the typing experience. With the latest 2.4GHz wireless models, they're basically unrivalled.

I've tested a lot of MSI monitors over the past six months and have to say the consistency is outstanding. While the cases are bit on the plastic side, the features are robust and the out-of-box colour calibration is just out of this world accurate. If I were to buy a new one, it'd probably be with them (just with none of the AI crap, I don't want to cheat in games).

Horror and Cats's avatar
Horror and Cats

I love a Dell PC. I’ve only had two other PC brands in my adult life and neither of them lasted nearly as long. One even had issues right out of the box. I’ve still got a Dell desktop which works fine and is over ten years old.

I’m not big on building PCs. I used to do it when I first started out and I burned out on it. I like picking my specs and getting it ready to run like a racehorse out of the box, and Dell has ALWAYS done that for me.

cyruz's avatar
cyruz

Brand loyalty is a double-edged sword, depending on what products the brand makes. In general, I don't buy a lot of unknown brands, but I don't mind mixing them in places like e.g. my kitchen.

When it comes to PCs though, I can see how sticking with certain brands can have advantages. Peripherals, for instance, often come with their own apps and programs. So having a bunch of different ones, means you may need to install 3, 4, or more apps to manage things. And if they have to run in the background it's even worse.

That said, I've found myself trying to stick with Steelseries for many years now. I have a headset, a mouse (one I've bought twice when the last one finally died after many, many years), a little RGB mousepad, and even a 5.1 RGB sound system. I may get a keyboard, so I can ditch iCUE.

While the sound system was a little bit of a new thing for Steelseries and had a few growing pains, I really like that I can manage everything with just one app. From how my speakers sound, to how fast my mouse moves.

Steelseries aren't perfect. They're heavily involved in eSports, supporting a team I personally wouldn't support myself. They're also adding a bit of bloat to their app, trying to push into the video game clips/capture scene, for which I've already got Nvidia - so there's no reason to bother with any of that. All in all, they're alright in my book though.

If you use your head and common sense, you can make the best out of brand loyalty and still know when it's time to not be bound by it. 👍

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
cyruz

I can definitely see the appeal of app consolidation here, but I really can't stand SteelSeries' apps. I find them dreadfully unreliable and increasing in bloatware, as you say. Chatmix in headsets hinges on it, too, meaning if the app screws up (a big possibility on some systems), the feature fails to work as intended.

I'm a huge fan of the hardware, though. I favourably reviewed the Rival 5, loved Arctis Pro Wireless and Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (I still use the latter to this day), and I collect the brand's limited edition mouse pads. As of now, I own about seven, I think, which is an achievement considering they're never available in the UK. And although I am a reviewer, I've only ever received one of the mats for free, which isn't an XXL one like the ones I collect.

cyruz's avatar
cyruz
Damien Mason

I'm still on an older headset because it refuses to break. Because it's wired, the Chatmix works even without GG running.

I'm always told wireless headsets have pretty bad microphone quality, since just from a technical standpoint, wired is better for microphones. What's your impression?

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
cyruz

You're not wrong on the mic front. Added compression from wireless transmission crushes the sound, so it's almost always tinny. I use a separate desktop mic, so it's never really bothered me. If SteelSeries had headphone versions rather than the headset model, I'd probably go for them instead. Even Logitech, after it bought Blue, can't make wireless mics sound good.

The things I can't live without are good sound, noise cancelling, dual batteries, and the 2.4GHz dock. Sound quality lets me pinpoint footsteps in Rainbow Six Siege. Noise cancelling has a reverse feature, so it amplifies the atmosphere rather than cutting it out. This means I hear my own voice a bit more naturally through the cups and can regulate how loud I'm speaking later at night. Multiple batteries mean I can always hot-swap them and never be out of power. And the 2.4GHz dock gives me low latency wireless connections, so everything's in sync without a delay, while also plugging into my mixer via the 3.5mm audio jack input. Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is quite literally the only headset on the planet that ticks all of these boxes simultaneously.

Paul's avatar
Paul

Im not loyal to a brand although I have my preferences.

If I feel another company is producing a better product or service then I will go with them. Its not like a huge corporation would be loyal to me 🤷🏼‍♂️

Samuel's avatar
Samuel

For me, I'm definitely loyal to Montech PC cases and fans.

I've never had a better premium experience for a low price with their products. Their Montech King 95 Pro absolutely blew me away with how premium the case is for such a cheap price, and easy building inside of it. I'm so glad I managed to finally come to my senses and avoid the silly NZXT & Lian Li case trap with its extraordinarily high prices (Here in NZ, the Lian Li O11 is 256 for just the case alone)

Otherwise, everything else is just a preference. I loved Corsairs 6000mhz DDR5 RAM range, so I'm naturally going to go back with it again as I had absolutely no issues whatsoever.

For peripherals, I do prefer Alienware (Never for computers though!) as I have an Alienware 610M mouse that's absolutely stunning and a 34 inch ultrawide monitor that's never done me wrong. For a headset, Steelseries is always my first choice as my old pair of Novas lasted me ages.

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
Samuel

Regional availability is a huge factor, come to think of it. Even being in a typical western country like the UK has its limitations, as I mentioned above that SteelSeries doesn't sell its limited edition mouse pads here, making it hard to foster brand loyalty.

I haven't had any experience with Montech, but I wouldn't say Lian Li is silly. Costly in your country and I'd absolutely avoid paying anything near that myself, so I'm not faulting your choices at all, just defending Lian Li case quality. In Europe, I'd recommend be quiet! particularly with its newest Light Base launch but I don't know what availability and cost is like in NZ. I'm also a big fan of Fractal having reviewed a few of its options.

Samuel's avatar
Samuel
Damien Mason

Oh, yes absolutely, but I was more referring to the trap of only purchasing those main 2 being "silly" rather than Lian Li.

I've worked with a Lian Li, and they make a darn good case, not to mention their "to die for" premium fans as well.. it's just a trap where its commonly seen as "the only case" to buy

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
Samuel

In that case, I fully agree. The PC case market has never looked brighter, in my opinion, with tens to hundreds of quality brands to choose from. I'm a huge fan of the wood-look ones from Fractal and Corsair at the moment as I do my best to dull down the tech vibes in my office.

Kane Carnifex's avatar
Kane Carnifex

Yes, but not specific like a brand but a life rule. If you buy cheap you buy twice.

If you try out stuff you can go cheap aka renting or ask a friend. But once you have passion in it you go for the quality and maybe expensive stuff which has proven.

Be careful, some companies which had great reputations may lose them. For Example:

So yeah, i don´t have this conecpt also nobody makes me offers to be loyal.

Toretto 70's avatar
Toretto 70

I really loyal with SONY. this brand has a almost everything product

maybe Sony is not best but it can be above average then other brand, start from phone with Xperia have a amazing camera with amazing censor, lens camera, TV, headphone, Sound,etc.

reasson I love Sony is Sony can compete in all fields without being a winner or even a loser. Sony is an balancer in the sector of technology

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
Toretto 70

I only ever give Sony my preference with games, as I like the single-player experiences, and noise-cancelling headphones, as they're definitely leading the charge in that field. I can see why you'd be loyal to a brand that does many things and does them well, however.

CelestialFlea's avatar
CelestialFlea
Damien Mason

You've obviously never tried Sennheiser or Bowers & Wilkins audio products if you think Sony are leading the charge there :p I swear by my PX7's, best headphones I've ever had.

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
CelestialFlea

I certainly have. Sennheiser boasts better sound quality (I imagine Bowers & Wilkins does too, but I haven't tried them), but Sony's noise-cancellation tech still leads the charge. Granted, WH-1000XM5 was way more incremental than innovation but I know I'm not alone in thinking they're nigh unbeatable in cutting surrounding sound out. It's more about which is more important to you, and I'd argue sound should probably always be since it's the primary function. What good is cutting atmos out if the sound you're focusing on isn't simultaneously top-notch?

CelestialFlea's avatar
CelestialFlea
Damien Mason

I stand corrected then, I would definitely recommend trying the B&W though as the noise cancelling on them is amazing. I don't even hear people knocking on a door right behind me, I'd say they rival or are better than the Bose ones too.

I think Sony might have the edge on some commercial-grade products when it comes to audio and visuals but I think there are brands that do better for high end consumer-grade products but I think a lot of it can be subjective at times, and based on specific uses, circumstances and consumer needs. This is why I LOVE variety and competition.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

It's a complicated question!

Damien Mason's avatar
Damien Mason
Sturmer

Give it a shot, I'd love to read what you have to say.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer
Damien Mason

Sorry, the submission is not quite as lengthy as I initially expected. But it took me many days to nail down, so thank you for this opportunity!

Shovel's avatar
Shovel

for some reason, I’m just incredibly loyal to Apple products especially when it comes to phones. So I’m a graphic designer and the first sort of couple of years of my career I had a personal Mac and when I got employed full-time as a designer I was on a PC and I absolutely hated it and I think it’s due to the fact that I was so used to so then when I got another role at a different company as a graphics designer Gave me to work and I’ve just become obsessed with them ever since so I have currently a MacBook Pro 2023 addition, and then getting a little bit older with the rest of the products but I’ve got an iPhone 12 Pro Max still works amazing so I don’t ever see the need to upgrade this really and then I of course have an apple mouse and Apple keyboard I have an Apple Drive which is pretty old and I’ve got an Apple Watch and I’ve got an Apple iPad which is getting on a little bit but I suppose that’s another reason why I love the Apple product so much is they do last for a very long time, and you can still make a good hefty fee when it comes to selling the products when it when you want to upgrade to a new one. Finally I do have an oldschool MacBook Pro which is from 2015 so it’s nearly 10 years old and this was my first MacBook that I received. I got it as a gift when I started university and I still have it. I use it to work on personal project while my new Mac is used for work. I suppose it comes down with whatever you’re used to continue to carry on personally fine android products a bit weird and uncomfortable to use because I’m so used to the Apple products

Lanah Tyra's avatar
Lanah Tyra
Shovel

I have to admit if you work professionally as a graphic designer Apple is superior without question. My teacher at uni only used Apple before, so when in school he was presented with old PCs he was fuming and often saw him coming in earlier for class so he could practice getting used to how Adobe products worked differently on PC. He even let those of us who had better gear at home to do most of our diploma preparation work at home as he didn't want us to suffer with what school was providing.

I don't use the products as much to justify buying a Mac, but if I was a full-time creator or graphic designer, I would get one in a heartbeat.

My problem with Apple was when my old ipod which I had I think for about 5 years (don't think it was even that much... somewhere between 3-5 years) wouldn't let me update and use some software on it as the iOS version wasn't good enough for it anymore. It was still working perfectly and I was so mad that they were forcing me to replace it, that after this experience I wouldn't buy an Apple phone or tablet.

Shovel's avatar
Shovel
Lanah Tyra

Yeah I totally agree with you there actually that’s one of the downsides of having apple product. Is that sometimes if you do have a really old device you physically can’t use it after awhile because they’ll stop doing updates for it and they’ll stop making apps available for your specific device and it’s kind of like you have to get pushed to do that upgrade and I think things like the iPod where they haven’t come out with a new one it just sort of sits they lost, so I totally agree with you there

Lanah Tyra's avatar
Lanah Tyra

I think it depends on how you define loyalty. For some people it means sticking with a brand no matter what, but for me that sounds more like being fanatic. If a brand starts to increase their price but the quality goes down, I won't stick with it, because then they have betrayed my trust. I would say loyalty is if you want to buy something your first thought will come to your favourite brand, but you do some research first. After comparing the market, even if there would be a slightly cheaper option from another brand which you know could be trusted, you still go with the one you prefer.

For me that is Razer. I swapped to Razer when my Logitech mouse gave in after having it for about 2 years (I'm sorry I'm expecting to use an expensive gaming peripheral longer than that, especially since my partner's Logitech keyboard lasted 15 years!) I've checked out many different brands making MMO mouse as I wanted one with 12 buttons on the side, and after lots of hesitation went for the Razer Naga Trinity. It was more expensive than what I originally wanted to spend on it, but didn't regret my choice. Perfect size for my relatively small hand, I can find the buttons on it with my eyes closed. Haven't had a single issue with it, so I know what quality I'm getting when I buy Razer.

When it came to swapping out my very cheap and noisy mechanical keyboard to one which doesn't drive my partner crazy, I only considered Razer Black Widow keyboards. The one with the yellow switch which is the quietest is not available in the UK, so I had to order it from the US and it has US layout. There would have been cheaper options locally, but still at a price range where I didn't want to take the risk, and went with the brand which earned by trust. Again no disappointments, best keyboard I ever head.

When we moved I wanted to swap my old 5.1 sound system which came with a lot of cables and I always knocked over one of the side speakers, I wanted to swap to a soundbar with a subwoofer as I like my setups clean so went for Razer's Leviathan V2 soundbar without question. Was similarly priced as the SoundBlaster Katana I bought for my partner, but I didn't want to experiment even with a such trusted other brand when I knew exactly what I would be getting from Razer.

Didn't consider it at a time, but now reading the other submissions it is indeed a bonus to only have one software for peripherals, makes it a lot easier, especially when all of them have lighting options to set on them.

BeyondBelief's avatar
BeyondBelief

Over the years I've generally followed the same brands, especially when it comes to creating content and gaming. There's a level of trust that you develop with a brand as you can generally guarantee a pretty great product and that it'll do the job that you desired even if it'll cost you that extra bit more. I've always bought from companies like Corsair, Sony, Asus, Elgato, always reliable and are constantly developing new and exciting tech. They look great, feel great, last a long time, and have create products to a high standard.

avrona's avatar
avrona

While I'm maybe not loyal, I do like my tech to match, and also now that everything requires either a desktop or mobile app, I wish to just use as few of those as possible. So on the PC side, almost all my components are from Aorus, so they all match nicely, while for things like smart home stuff, I mainly stick to Govee or anything from Samsung. So I'm mostly "loyal" for the sake of keeping things nice and unified than any fanboyism.

Konquest's avatar
Konquest

Funny enough according to the original posts screenshot my preference is Steelseries because their products consistently deliver high-quality performance, durability, and innovative features that enhance my gaming experience. Their ergonomic designs and excellent customizable options. Even when there is minor issues such as hairs stuck in the scroll wheel it’s very easy to disassemble and service it on my own. The key board keys are easily removed and can be cleaned with ease.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

I'm probably not loyal to any specific tech brand. I prefer practical and functional over labels and brands. Sometimes it might look like loyalty as long as a particular maker meets my needs.

As a DIYer, tinkerer, and advocate of right-to-repair laws:

  • I prefer companies that use screws over plastic latches and glue.

  • I favor open-source software and modability over proprietary, hidden black boxes.

For example, companies like Apple are out of my scope. Even if I like some of their products aesthetically, their ecosystem is too locked down for my taste. I value the ability to repair, modify, and customize my devices, which significantly influences my buying decisions.

Lanah Tyra's avatar
Lanah Tyra
Sturmer

I miss the times when you could just remove the back of a phone easily and replace the battery if it was draining quickly. Phone was still perfectly fine with a new one.

Get it, some tech is better not to tinkered with, but in general I don't like the disposable directions our world is going in. In the good old days you could easily repair things yourself or take them to a repair shop, now nothing is made to last that much anymore and creates an unnecessary amount of electrical and other kind of waste.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer
Lanah Tyra
Lanah Tyra's avatar
Lanah Tyra
Sturmer

Possibly won't apply to the UK... :(

L
Laser-Bicep

yes i am in a weird way.

I'm not really overly bothered about mobile phones but when xiaomi first started introducing their phones into the uk market they caught my eye.

They appeared to be offering everything a Samsung or similar phone offered at around half the price.

The problem was i had heard of cheap Chinese phones but these were the real deal. and as everyone knows they are a reputable brand. and who cares if they contain spyware. spy away, my life isn't that interesting.

What then happened is that more Chinese manufacturers became more mainstream such as OPPO but the prices of these phones increased but xiaomi stayed low.

So i have followed the Redmi note series of phones with my latest phone being the redmi note 12 5g which set me back £79 . Its snappy , fast , 5g , NFC and everything you could want for a midrange phone. dual sim so it holds my work and personal sim.

its no biggy if i break it and if it last the two years i will be buying the redmi note 14 or 15... which brings upgrades each time i do it.

JB
Josh B
Laser-Bicep

I love Xiaomi phones. My current one is an Honor but prior to that I've had 4 or 5 of them. Amazing value for money!

Limal's avatar
Limal

I am not a fan of change. So I'm very loyal conservative to a set of brands.

I prefer to stick with what I know, even if it means missing out on new features or better products. For example, I have a Samsung phone and I am hesitant to switch to another brand because I am familiar with the Samsung interface and I am afraid of having to learn a new one. The same goes for TVs. I am considering buying a Samsung TV because it will connect to my phone and have the same menus as my old one. I do not like reading manuals or exploring settings, so I prefer to stay with what I know.

JB
Josh B

I wouldn't say I'm 'loyal' to the Playstation series but it's by far my most preferred of the consoles and is always my go-to for cross platform purchases.

I own PS5, Series X and a Switch and have owned each of Sony and Microsofts consoles from each of the last 3 generations but my 'loyalty' is always towards Playstation first.

I just find the user interface to be easier to navigate, the quality and number of exclusive i want to play being more prominent in the Sony console and Trophies are far more addictive than Achievements. Theres just a little buzz to seeing Gold and the might Platinum trophies unlocking, more so than seeing 50G or even 100G popping on the Xbox.

Im not saying its perfect and theres a number of exclusives (eg Gears series, Forza, Halo) I really enjoy and Game Pass is generally a better service than PS Plus but if I had to ditch one and never play it again, I'd ditch Microsoft consoles!

Makster's avatar
Makster
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8IIUlGvzn-

I love Apple so much my username is Apple related but changed just enough to avoid a lawsuit from Tim Cook

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