How I Ended Up Becoming A Samsung Guy In Just 2 Weeks

My first phone was a Nokia 1100. Everyone at home had Nokia phones. As time went on and smartphones became the new normal for everyone who could afford one, I stuck with the Nokia brand. Around the same time, people I knew had or were getting Samsung smartphones. One specific range comes to mind as the one with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard - the Corby. As cool as I thought the phones were, I just hated the comical font all Samsung phones had. Then I noticed that most guys who had Samsung phones were a certain TYPE. I prided myself on sticking with other brands like Sony, Blackberry and in 2019 I upgraded to a OnePlus device. FYI, I rarely buy expensive smartphones, just mid-range ones and that segment has gotten stupidly crowded in the last few years with the influx of  brands like Mi, Huawei, Poco and so on. I don't like any of them or their products or most people who buy those products. Its not a rational dislike but it is a strong one. My boycott of Samsung phones continued as well. Until October 2020.

In the first two weeks of this month, I ended up acquiring Rs 50K worth of Samsung gear (most of them were gifts but I picked them). I'd been looking to replace my 2017 Nokia 6 and I'd spent a lot of time looking for options in my budget, irrespective of sale prices. After many an evening spent looking at various lists, review videos and taking my brand-dislikes into account, I came to a surprising conclusion: I was going to buy a Samsung. Then I started looking for good quality wireless earbuds and yet again, I ended up at the Samsung product. Lastly, I was looking for a fitness-based smartwatch for a decent price and yet again, I ended up zeroing in on a (older) Samsung device. From no Samsung smart devices to being kitted out in the Korean brand from ear to pocket, it made me wonder why I no longer held a dislike towards the name.

The answer to that has two key parts: their products became better suited to my taste and their turns out the kind of people I dislike who used to use Samsung devices had moved on to other brands that I now disdain.

In terms of the smartphone product itself, they've stopped using stupid fonts and offer a good design in my price range. For the buds, I went by the wise words of Maquees Brownlee on top of the fact that I preferred the bud design over the stem look. Lastly, I picked the watch because a close contact had been using the same device for their active lifestyle and it was available at an unexpectedly decent discount. 

For the purpose of full disclosure, I have been a user of other Samsung appliances as well. My previous laptop was a Samsung, my monitor is from Samsung, so is the fridge and the AC. The household appliances were carefully chosen by fam of course while the monitor was just a good deal on Amazon. The laptop was uncharted territory since nobody I knew had a Samsung model but it was the only one that met my requirements at the time. 

But it wasn't until I saw my October buying history and then glanced at the three devices now plugged into my charging ports that I realised what I had become: a Samsung guy. In the previous decade, it simply would not have happened. But we're in 2020 and its time to rethink some preferences and choices where there is room for change. 

While I am now well-kitted with Samsung branded items, I won't be the kind of Samsung guy I dislike. Let me know your experiences with any Samsung devices or any other moment that was a big deviation from your usual brand preferences in the comments below. Thanks for reading!