Why do we choose Samsung? Is it blind fandom or is there more to this?

Well, the end of the year is almost here, so we've decided to embark on a little adventure and try to answer those questions as best we can. If you've wondered these things about us, feel free to grab a cup of your favorite beverage and sit back while we share a bit more about ourselves. And specifically, the reasons why we spend a good chunk of our daily lives supporting Samsung and not another brand.

The freedom of Android. Combined with Apple qualities?

The heading above may have conflicted you if you classify as a tech enthusiast who hates Apple on principle. If you're among them, i.e., highly opinionated about Apple and already reaching for your proverbial pitchfork, then we probably won't change your mind regardless of what we say. As for the rest, please, allow us to elaborate before we go any further.

One of the reasons many people love Apple is because of its app and device ecosystem. No matter how you (or we) may subjectively feel about Apple's UI design, Apple Store policies, hardware, and pricing strategies, objectively, there's no denying the great value of an interconnected device and app ecosystem. That's how Apple won over its fans, first and foremost, and that is why many Apple fans put up with the company's sometimes-unsavory decisions.

Samsung isn't Apple, and if you think it shouldn't become a mirror reflection of the Cupertino giant, then we're very much on the same page. We love using Galaxy smartphones and tablets because they offer much more freedom than iOS devices.

But although we very much agree that Samsung should not try to copy Apple in most respects, we also believe that a rich device and app ecosystem — as well as high customer satisfaction — is the key to success. And if you don't want to buy into Apple's ecosystem — as we don't — and you prefer the openness of Android, then we truly believe that Samsung is the only sensible choice. Whether or not you want to agree with this simple fact, Samsung possesses some of Apple's qualities without the rotten bits and pieces. There's nothing wrong with admitting that, and it's a reason why we believe Samsung is great, even if it hasn't yet reached its full potential.

Samsung products are a part of our daily lives, and it goes beyond Galaxy smartphones

Although our primary focus at SamMobile is in mobile devices, such as Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and wearables, some of you may not realize that our personal investment in Samsung goes further than that. It permeates our day-to-day lives on the technology level.

For most of us at SamMobile, Samsung is more than just a smartphone vendor. Over the years, we've purchased Samsung TVs, tablets, wearables, and even home appliances from our own pockets. They weren't Samsung gifts, and the company didn't sponsor or surround us with products for us to praise. We did it of our own volition, not because of blind fandom, but because, objectively speaking, Samsung is, without a shadow of a doubt, the only smart device brand in the world that can get close to the level of interconnectivity Apple offers on its platforms. All while remaining open, flexible, and true to the ideology of Android. And note that we said “smart device brand,” not just “smartphone brand.”

Samsung still has work to do in many areas, but it's far ahead of all other Android OEMs when it comes to an interconnected device and app ecosystem. And that is because Samsung builds itself up across the board. Unlike most Android OEMs, Samsung doesn't just obsess over one or two features while neglecting everything else. The company accounts for all its products to the best of its abilities. Its philosophy is to elevate its smart product portfolio, software, and mobile apps at the same time, which is why the Samsung user experience – across One UI and other devices or software – is much more cohesive than what you'd find elsewhere.

Granted, Samsung could do better, but we're supporting the brand for its efforts because, realistically speaking, there's no other feasible choice if you're a customer whose scope is bigger than just owning an Android smartphone. And even then, Samsung's consistency across its mobile software, from camera to productivity apps, not to mention timely firmware updates, is unmatched across the Android landscape.

Regardless of whether you use one Galaxy mobile device or many, or whether or not you have other Samsung smart devices, it's all the little things that count and add up to create value. It's about the sum of all parts that come together to create something great rather than the individual parts themselves. To give you a few practical examples of why Samsung is our preferred tech brand:

• Samsung offers the best firmware support among all other brands by far. If you care about holding on to your mobile device for more than a year or two, Samsung is the best choice in the Android landscape because of its excellent support. Many recent Galaxy phones and tablets are eligible for four major Android OS upgrades, and the company has sped up its rollouts consistently.
• Samsung has the most expansive customer support and repair service network among all other Android OEMs. It also offers some of the best trade-in values in the mobile industry, allowing many of us to upgrade to newer devices more often than we would if choosing a different brand.
• Samsung smartwatches and wireless earbuds work at their maximum potential when used with Galaxy mobile devices.
• If you own more than one Galaxy smartphone and/or tablet, apps like Samsung Internet and Samsung Notes can “hop” between them seamlessly, allowing you to continue your work even when you switch devices on the fly.
• The ability to automatically mute your Samsung smart TV, speaker system, or Samsung vacuum when you receive a phone call is not something you can do with another Android phone and a random TV or home appliance brand.
• Samsung DeX is the most viable desktop-like environment for Android, and some of us depend on it daily. And if you prefer Windows, Samsung phones and tablets offer the best cross-platform features for Microsoft's OS.
• Using a Samsung account on multiple mobile Galaxy devices gives you access to features like the Samsung Keyboard clipboard and Quick Share. They can make your life so much easier — again if you own more than one Galaxy device. And most of us at SamMobile do.
• Samsung smart TVs offer great content like Gaming Hub and Samsung TV Plus. The latter is also available for a myriad of Galaxy phones and tablets, which means you can continue watching your favorite TV Plus content regardless of whether you're at home or on the go.
• Samsung Health, available for Samsung smart TVs, Galaxy smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, various smart scales, and other health-related devices, is one of the best fitness apps available for Android. And again, it spans multiple device categories in Samsung's product catalog.
• Samsung offers the best Android tablets, bar none. And the S Pen is one of the most valuable accessories for these large-screen devices. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can replace the S Pen and Samsung's digitizers with just any random tablet paired with a capacitive stylus.
• Most Samsung mobile devices — especially flagships — have an excellent build quality to the point where they feel almost unbreakable. In a world where some mobile devices can cost almost as much as a used car (arguably a bad one), high durability can go a long way!
• Compared to all other Android OEMs (maybe aside from Google), Samsung offers the most cohesive experience. Almost every Samsung app and facette of One UI has a clear purpose, and there's a lot of consistency across the company's designs and One UI features and apps. Much more so than what you'd find in custom Android UIs from other OEMs, most of which feel all over the place or incomplete next to the Samsung experience.
• Some of us love foldable phones, and if you want to have one foot in what is arguably the future of mobile, Samsung is the best foldable phone brand right now. The high build quality, incredible software support, Flex Mode and FlexCam features, and advanced technologies such as under-display cameras are found nowhere else in the emerging foldable phone space.
• The sense of community stemming from owning Samsung devices may not be the primary reason we support the brand, but it is one of them. Remember that every small thing contributes to the Samsung experience. And the fact that the brand is almost ubiquitous has its perks. Even if we ignore the sense of belonging we get from seeing Samsung sponsoring our favorite sporting events or other ambitious projects, there are practical benefits to supporting a world-renowned brand. For example, Wireless PowerShare is that much more interesting of a feature because many people own Galaxy smartphones and wearables. SmartThings Find is, in part, powered by the Samsung community. This device locator system allows other Galaxy device users to contribute to a network that can help other customers find their lost Samsung smartphones, tablets, and wearables. The system works even if lost devices are offline and can help anyone — even Samsung customers you've never met. Inevitably, such community-driven features contribute to a stronger sense of belonging. It's something that other Android brands can't offer. Such qualities may not be easy to quantify, but they are qualities nonetheless.

We believe we chose Samsung for good reasons, and those reasons are becoming more apparent year after year

We love Samsung more than other brands. It is true. Nevertheless, we believe we have good reasons to do so. In recent years, Samsung has shown that it is beginning to understand more and more that its mobile devices should not live in a bubble separated from the rest of its smart products. It took some time to get to this point, and there's more work to be done. The company is not perfect, but almost everything Samsung does — from mobile devices and software to smart TVs, wearables, and home appliances — has a good baseline and a decent level of consistency across the board. And no other Android OEM comes close to understanding the bigger picture better than Samsung.

In conclusion, we like Samsung because we get value from using its products across different categories on a daily basis, from smartphones to other types of devices. We are fully aware that you could find Android smartphones with qualities that Galaxy devices lack. Some phones have more cameras or better image processing in specific lighting conditions. Others have faster charging, and so on. But if we were to pick one of those phones from other brands, we'd be giving up on a whole lot more. Rival brands may sometimes excel in one or two areas, but even so, they don't have a good-enough baseline across all facets of the user experience — from software, first-party apps, and trade-in offers and customer support, to cross-device interconnectivity and exclusive features like DeX and Samsung TV Plus. And the outstanding firmware support — comparatively — is nothing to sneeze at.

No other Android smartphone brand gets even close to the consistency of Samsung, and other OEMs lack a growing ecosystem to which their devices can belong to add value for customers. Samsung smartphones have become more than just their raw hardware specifications. And their value becomes more and more apparent the more invested you are in the Samsung ecosystem, which we are. We wouldn't give that up for anything else in the tech world.