If you walked into a shop looking for a phone and you found one with the name ‘Kyocera’ or ‘Xiaomi’, would you buy it? Well, don’t always judge a book by its cover.
As much as we love brand names, namely Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Motorola and Sony, among many others, there are a couple we should try to put a little faith in. ZTE, for example, is said to be one of the top 10 smartphone makers in the world. Yet we tend to overlook it. Reviews have shown that its designs are almost always on point (although some seem to think they tend to copy the iPhone). Micro sim-cards? Check. Multitouch? Check. 8GB internal memory? Check. Five megapixel (MP) camera and two MP front-facing camera? Check. So what is there not to like? Well, that question is yet to be answered.
Perhaps you might have seen the phone Xiaomi now and again, haven’t you? This brand is only five years old, yet it is already working with Microsoft and here’s a mind blowing fact: this is the world’s third largest smartphone distributor. Founded by Lei Jun, China’s 23rd richest person, Xiaomi has been building on its brand by creating the Mi series of phones and tablets. Already rated seven out of 10, the Mi 4 comes with the Android operating system and a 13 MP camera as well as a secondary 8 MP camera. Although no card slot is included, the Mi 4 is setting the pace with 3 GB RAM which Samsung is also catching up on and this five-inch phone would costs around N$3 000. But once again we have to ask, why neglect it?
Well, studies have shown that when you’re loyal to a brand, you’re loyal and there’s no turning back, unless your preferred brand creates phones which are simply unnecessary or too pricey.
Either way, some people sacrifice their money to stay with their favourite brand because they are comfortable with it and they love the corporate image which the company puts out.
Social acceptance is also a factor. Which phone do you need to look wealthy? Which phone will impress everyone? It’s all in the brand, and only time will tell whether others will obtain a fan base as strong as the top smart phone makers do.
