I used to always get Samsung phones as a result of the alienating “I’m a PC and I’m a Mac” ad campaign that Apple used to have. That was until the Nexus contract went to LG which helped me realize that Samsung are just plain crap. Samsung do allow people who can’t afford expensive phones access to cheap alternatives though, but this is where the Chinese might have something to pitch into the arena. I’d put money on Xiaomi making better phones than Samsung in the coming years.
I agree. iPhone at the high end and Xiaomi if you want a frugal but functionally-similar smartphone. Although I’m already pretty entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, I had really high hopes for the Google/Motorola partnership so it’s sad to see that end in failure. You need one company to make both the software and hardware to ensure good consistant design, which is why Xiaomi is on the right track with their initiative to create their own version of Android.