US Mobile Users More Happy With High-End Handsets, Per JD Power Study

According to a new study conducted by marketing firm JD Power, it turns out that Samsung’s smartphone devices rank the highest in terms of providing overall satisfaction among subscribers of major US wireless carriers AT&T and Sprint. But with customers of Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, however, they are happiest with Apple’s iPhone devices. 

By collating the results of two studies conducted in the months leading up to August of this year, JD Power came into the conclusion that subscribers of the Big Four wireless carriers in America are more satisfied when compared to customers of lesser mobile operators such as Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, and Virgin Mobile, all of which are mainly prepaid wireless carriers.

JD Power’s study also found that subscribers of major US wireless carriers pay an average of $361 for their handsets, compared to an average of $137 for prepaid customers. It appears that that those mobile users who pay more for their smartphone devices are generally more happy with their handsets compared to those paid less. JD Power offers that this may be so because high end devices are generally considered to perform better compared to more affordable smartphones.

JD Power’s study is intriguing to say the least because it still has not taken into account what has recently happened to one of Samsung’s flagship devices, the Galaxy Note 7. In future JD Power studies, it would definitely be interesting to know if those who were most satisfied with Samsung smartphones (especially AT&T and Sprint subscribers) would still feel the same, given how the Galaxy Note 7 has caused so much damage to Samsung’s previously unblemished reputation. 

And in light of the demise of the Galaxy Note 7, how will the emergence of other products fare in satisfying customers. For Google, its new Pixel devices are largely untested yet, at least by the masses. There is no doubt that many will be wondering how many consumers will be expressing their satisfaction of the Pixel smartphones a few months from now, instead of devices produced by Apple or Samsung. 

Less than a month ago, JD Power also released the results of a study on music streaming services. In that study, JD Power named Apple Music as the overall leader, especially in terms of performance, reliability, music content, and ease of use. Right on Apple Music’s heels are Rhapsody, followed by Pandora,  Spotify, TuneIn, Amazon Prime Music, and Google Play Music.