Do you Always go for the Popular Brands when it Comes to Mobile Phones?

India
August 24, 2008 2:08am CST
I here have bought a Fly mobile phone. I've heard that the company originated in Britain but has just recently entered our markets. It has given me many features for an astonishingly low price. I had gone through all the popular brands in the market and their sets cost more for a lot less features than this one. So I decided to go for it. And I have been decently happy with its performance for the past one year. Though it has a VGA camera, the picture quality is simply marvellous. The audio is also very good with the earphones plugged in. And what more, a 128 MB card was thrown in for free! So my question is: why should we bother to buy a Nokia, Samsung, or LG when newer companies offer all the benefits of those sets for a lot less? After all, the popular brands also let us down often. I myself have been disappointed with two Nokias which I used to own previously. Do share your thoughts. Cheers.
5 people like this
37 responses
@sdas86 (6076)
• Malaysia
24 Aug 08
Hi, Normally, I will buy popular brand cellphone because I think that the build quality and features are more standardize. I do not like to try cellphone from new brand because new brand might not have the technology of those popular company. Some new brand might have problems in the products they built. For example, the battery is the most worried part because I am afraid that it might explode if the cellphone is not properly built. So, I will still go for Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Motorola and some other popular brands.
1 person likes this
• India
24 Aug 08
If you consider the battery, then I must say that it may go wrong with any popular brands also. Take Nokia, for instance. Recently, it caused an uproar with their faulty BL 5C batteries which were exploding without any warning whatsoever, causing many people to have serious injuries. The problem escalated to such a level that Nokia had to undertake a massive replacement campaign. I myself was among the faulty battery holders and had mine replaced. You specifically talked of batteries exploding. The example is right in front of your eyes, and that too of a popular brand. So what do you have to say of that?
@sdas86 (6076)
• Malaysia
25 Aug 08
Hi, I read about the news too. It is truly a bad news from Nokia. I still prefer buying popular brand because these brands have more experience in the mobile phone technology and they can check and remove faults in their products. For new brands, they might not have enough experience in mobile phone technology. So, more problems might occur.
@sdas86 (6076)
• Malaysia
25 Aug 08
Hi, I read about the news too. It is truly a bad news from Nokia. I still prefer buying popular brand because these brands have more experience in the mobile phone technology and they can check and remove faults in their products. For new brands, they might not have enough experience in mobile phone technology. So, more problems might occur.
@magna86 (1786)
• India
24 Aug 08
its sad that the nokia brand didn work for u.. but still i can tell you that more than 95%of the people are satisfied with nokia!!for its quality!! wel people dont go for the new brands coz they are not sure whether they would give us the promising quality that they have said!!! see for eg:.. my friend bought a fly mobile.. it was around 5k and loaded with all the features that you said!! . one day she happened to take the mobile in rain!! and the other day she found that its not working!!! but this is not the same as in the case of nokia!!! even if i accidentally drench my mobile ,or slip my mobile down nothing happens!!!.. i have experienced a lot of this!! and i very much satisfied that i am using it!!
1 person likes this
• India
24 Aug 08
I was also a Nokia fan and even after my first Nokia mobile malfunctioned, I went in for a second believing that it was only a sporadic case and my next one will operate just fine. But sadly, it also disappointed me and I was disillusioned with Nokia. And as for mobiles getting drenched, I myself have carried my mobile in my pocket through the rain and it's still operating fine. Of course, if you don't have an umbrella and soak the mobile through and through, any mobile will stop functioning! Why shall I deliberately expose my mobile to rough handling? They are delicate instruments and need to be handled with care. My mobile has also slipped occasionally from my hands. It also depends upon a little luck, perhaps. If the set gets hit at a sensitive spot, it'll stop functioning outright.
1 person likes this
@Beaver72 (446)
24 Aug 08
I'm from and live in britain but i've never heard of fly mobile, i shall be sticking with nokia because i find them reliable and hardy, i've other brands of mobile phone in the past but none have never quite hit the mark for me like nokia does
@Raymo23 (463)
• Uganda
24 Aug 08
The perfomance of most phones depends on the price so I think a low-priced Nokia phone might perform poorly. I'm mainly Nokia and think it's okay 98% most times/ If I was to change, I'd think Samsung and Vodafone.
1 person likes this
• India
25 Aug 08
Well, I beg to differ, Raymo. After all, the low-end sets of a brand, which are also the low-priced ones, are perhaps the most robust of them all as they have to cope with a smaller number of features. Their circuitry is simple and sturdy unlike the higher-end sets whose circuitry is quite complex and delicate. Remember, the more functionalities a set incorporates, the more complex the internals become and a slight knock or a drench may upset the delicate balance.
• Singapore
24 Aug 08
Hello abhi_destar, for me, I will go with the functions and the reviews of the phones. I tend to stick to phones which has good reviews rating by independent party. Thus, I will always know I am getting the best deal out there - I rather have someone out there who has been brought the wrong product and complaining than me being the one, haha.
• India
25 Aug 08
That's the best strategy, deltasswat. After all, in this age, where as soon as a product hits the market, experts from all sorts of media are instantly reviewing the pros and cons of it and informing the general public, it's not prudent to jump for something about which we don't know before. But, for me, as my purse was an important factor, and I also longed for those features, so I ended up with this Fly mobile of mine.
• Philippines
24 Aug 08
never heard bout FLY mobile.. if the features are awesome and meets all my needs then why should not have one.. soem are not that particular though in mobile phones, some say as long as they can communicate its fine.. they don't go for the brand it stands..
1 person likes this
• India
24 Aug 08
I know some people of that sort too... they are the purists, I should say. They always believe that a phone is just meant to be a long-distance communication device and nothing else. They don't use other features of the phone and never care even to open the instruction manual for details. As long as they can make and receive calls, it's fine by them.
@f333ny (2)
24 Aug 08
Yes. I like going with a for-sure phone that will fit me well. Hence why I have a Sony, it is probably the perfect phone for me because the amount of music it can hold and the volume it plays at. I also enjoy the texting. XD
1 person likes this
• India
24 Aug 08
Yeah, music in mobiles is a really good thing. I myself store all my latest favourites in my mobile.
@dlufel (423)
• Australia
24 Aug 08
Cant agree more. I had Nokia, Sony and Samsung mobile phone before. And they usually dissapoint me about their service. SE usually take ages to fix something. While Nokia, they dont really trained their employee well. I had 2 of my nokia phone fixed and back with the same problem (all they can do is upgrading their software and of course all my data is lost). As for samsung, the feature is not good enough.
• India
25 Aug 08
That's exactly what I want to say, dlufel. Thanks for agreeing with me. If the quality of both the sets and the service is the same as those of newer brands, why won't I go for the newer brands which offer me more for less? I understand your situation. It's really frustrating when you have to patiently enter all the information back again in your mobile.
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
24 Aug 08
I would go for the well known brands with any electronics actually. It just gives me a certain level of comfort to spend my hard earned money on a product that is already tried and tested in the marketplace. I do know the Fly brand and have actually bought one for my wife when we lived in the Philippines; it was a basic handset at the time and worked perfectly well. I am sure that all of these new market entrants will prove themselves over time and gain more and more sales; and this in turn will make even the Nokia's etc far more competitive. So we consumers ultimately win! Even though I may be more brand orientated myself, as long as the features and most importantly the warranty stack up then I say go for it!
• India
24 Aug 08
As far as my experience says, basic handsets always work well since they have a lot less capabilities to cope up with. The ultimate test of any brand comes with more advanced handsets. Let's see how my mobile does in the long run. And you are right. With so much competition popping up in the electronics goods sector, prices are on a downhill slide, which is ultimately good for us only. But there's one hitch with my mobile as far as the warranty is concerned. It's only given a one-year warranty. Oh, leave it! After all, I can go for another one at the end of the year.
2 people like this
@cottonm (753)
• Malaysia
25 Aug 08
i seldom change my mobile phone, i will search for the features & outlook that i like, coz i think mobile phone is not jusr a phone nowadays, it can b a fashionable product ^_^
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
25 Aug 08
I do make my mobile phone purchase decision based on brand. However the popularity of the brand doesn't concern me much. I go for certain brands as I like the user interface. I've been using motorola phones for years before getting a new phone just over the weekend. Yes it is the apple iPhone 3G. You can guess from my nick that crazy over all things apple. I love the user friendliness of the phone and will recommend everyone to get it. In fact I am posting this from my new phone. Had a fun time playing with it. Cheers ;p
• India
27 Aug 08
Wow! Posting responses in myLot from your mobile???? Apple must have done a really good job with this iPhone. Yes, of course, I'll be getting one for myself, but I'll wait until the prices become a little more competitive. As for now, it's only the luxury of the rich.
• Singapore
27 Aug 08
yes it's a nifty gadget and I'm really loving it. Think I'm pretty lucky as I got it for a fairly good deal. Paid a grand total of S$208 for it. That translates to about US$145 with a thirty months contract. It's a good deal especially since I've been waiting for the launch for the longest time. Other than the battery life, can't really find much fault with it. Cheers ;p
@SHAMRACK (8576)
• India
24 Aug 08
Dear friend, I too would go for popular brands as they much guaranteed for better performance by their branding and moreover I can buy it with much confidence and trust too. The most popular brand in our place is Nokia and Sony Erisson brands. More many features too can be trusted and many other replacement and other types of guarantees are also available and its spares and accessories too can be got without much hassles.
• India
25 Aug 08
Yeah, shamrack, you're quite right. The spares are an important consideration. But consider this: some spares and accessories like memory card, bluetooth dongle, USB cable etc. are also expensive which make the pricing of the set higher. Whereas for this Fly mobile of mine, I got both an USB cable and a 128 MB memory card for free along with the set. So I thought it to be a better deal.
@dodyast3 (1514)
• Indonesia
25 Aug 08
I always look for Nokia, SE, Motorola or Samsung for mobile phones. Basically, every electronic products are mostly the same, especially mobile phone. It doesn't matter whether it's famous brand or not, soon or later, you need to bring them to care center. However, the advantage of choosing famous brands, they already have certain period of time in the market which giving them a significant time to establish their network and customer service. Buying their products will not give guarantee free of bugs on the product, but give us a guarantee, their customer service is available to fix it or replacing the spare part when we need it. In some countries are now available a mobile phone directly from China, which is much cheaper compare to the available brands. Amazingly, the features are competitive with the famous one. The only problem, we will have difficulty in finding the place to repair it. But it doesn't mean the unfamous will remain unknown forever. Soon they will grow if they have a good management, etc. If we are looking a few years back, we can see that Nokia was new at that time. Because of their intensive promotion, development and the growing numbers of care center in every part of each country, they are becoming the number one brand and take over Motorola position in the market easily. Samsung is also new in mobile phone, but they are using their current electronic network and keep growing these days. Let's summarize it. Whatever brand you choose, as long as you like the model and suitable for you, then buy it. With one condition, you ask the seller where you can find the customer service. Soon or later whether you realize it or not, you will need to bring the product back to them That's all my share of my thought. Happy Mylotting
• India
27 Aug 08
Thanks for that really long and explanatory response, dodyast. Yes, you're right. The real emphasis should be on the customer care services of the brand in question. If the mobile is only for use-and-throw purposes, it's not of much use. But this isn't a Chinese mobile, the brand is of UK. And moreover, I had asked them precisely about the locations of their service centres while buying it. I've had quite a bitter experience with Nokia itself, and I had no doubt that this may at least equal it. But so far, it has given me quite a satisfactory experience. I'm not that much informed about the brands' rise and fall, but I thought Motorola was always behind Nokia in terms of sales. This piece of information was new to me. Thanks for sharing it. Cheers.
@lostfan01 (259)
• United States
24 Aug 08
I don't really buy a phone because of the popular band, I buy a phone if I like it and I think it is worth the money. I have never really liked apple but I have an iPhone 3G which I bought because I really liked the features
• India
25 Aug 08
Man, I really envy you. An iPhone 3G? That's the coolest toy in the market right now for us gizmo freaks. I'm just waiting for the prices to fall a bit, though. It's just been launched in our country and the price is beyond my reach. But I have my eyes on it.
• United States
25 Aug 08
I guess it is , there's so much hype about the phone.. Here in the US it's just $199 .. Way cheaper than the original iPhone ... What expensive is the monthly service from Att , it's like $20 more than the original just for the basics ..
• Philippines
24 Aug 08
Good day...Honestly I usually go for the brand because I trust their reputation and that they'll stand by what they'd said. I also put into consideration that like some of the equipment, it can have some damage or malfunction and I would also depend on their service center.
• India
25 Aug 08
Now that's a very important point you've brought up, blackmantra. Of course, servicing and spare parts are important considerations when we are buying any electronic goods. I had checked the service centre list of Fly in our city before going ahead to buy it. If they hadn't offered adequate services, I wouldn't have bought it at all.
@nupats (3564)
• India
24 Aug 08
hi dear i dont use mobile phones so i do not have much knowledge..my husband is very involved in these things he keeps using new models he is crazy about these gadgets..i do not use mobile phones at all but it has good point like all the time connectivity but i am not that important person..take care dear..have fun..
• India
25 Aug 08
Well, nupats, you don't have to be a VIP in order to claim a mobile phone for yourself. Perhaps it's high time you started using one. It's a load of fun, I can tell you that. Go ahead and pester your hubby for a new set, then. I'm sure he can't refuse you.
@nupats (3564)
• India
26 Aug 08
hi dear my hubby will be overjoyed if i tell him i need a mobile but i dont like using mobile phones i am more comfortable without them and as it is a health hazard too..take care dear
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
26 Aug 08
Sorry to hear from you what happen about Nokia brand, but never been happen to me, since im nokia lover, i start my nokia since 1997 bt still fine on me even what model, i thik it will be depend how you will care to your phone.
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
I do consider the brand when it comes to buying a mobile phone. Well, of course, other things matter to me. Like, I prefer phones that have higher capacity as well as those that have good features. I always go after well-known brands because I feel more comfortable using mobile phones that come from good companies. I wouldn't mind paying extra if I get my money's worth.
@ajrox1810 (992)
• India
24 Aug 08
Too many features can prove bad for you abhi. It's always better to get for branded phones like Nokia and Sony Ericsson as there mobiles are finished to perfection. You will soon experience problems with your mobile phone,say in the firmware or a damaged loudspeaker soon. Happy Calling.
• India
25 Aug 08
Ah, well, that may happen. But I'm ready to take the chance. After all, I've had to buy two Nokias in two successive years. Both didn't last for more than one year. So, if this one malfunctions, I'll again go for a new one. But at least, I now have the features which Nokia wasn't able to provide me at that price.
26 Aug 08
I dont go for popular brands but I go for ones that I understand how they work and if i am comfortable using them!! I tend to use Nokias and Samsungs. My boyfriend likes Sony Erickson. I find these phones easy to use and are reliable. When Im picking phones I go by how the phone looks rather then the model of the phone. I have never used 3, LG or Sony Erickson's myself, I dont like the style of their phones!!
@jstmarfz (1498)
• United States
29 Aug 08
The first time i started to have a mobile phone, it was Nokia. I am not really particular with the brand but it with the model. I am more in the latest model and the features of the phone. The 2 last phone I got was N70 and N95i. But when i moved here in USA, Im now using LG Voyager. Before I buy a phone, I compare the most latest model of each brands by their features. Who ever is more cooler, even its expensive, worth it though I would buy it.!
@nazzy24 (64)
• Philippines
27 Aug 08
i go for the features before buying a brand new phone i make sure to canvas all the brands of phone to know what features fit me.