A friend of mine has a phone that he’s not much of a fan of anymore. He used to be, when he first got it. He used to tell me all the time that it was the best phone that he had ever owned, and that he was glad he chose it, instead of any of the other options that many people (including myself) had suggested to him. At the time, and with the fervor that he was trying to convince me and others, I thought he was just overcompensating for a purchase he wasn’t entirely sure of. Like he knew he had made a mistake, but didn’t want to admit it, so he threw himself into the long-term relationship he was in, thanks to the two-year contract he had signed to get it.

Now, he’s coming up on the end of the contract and a few days ago he asked me which phone he should get. I told him that he should probably wait until September, just to see what Apple announces, but he told me —reminded me, actually— that he “hates Apple,” and that it doesn’t matter what they announce because he won’t buy it. There were a lot of expletives in there, too, just for emphasis I’m sure.

So, once I was put on the right course (Android, because Windows Phone isn’t an option, either), we started going through the options. Obviously the phones I landed on were from Motorola, and even suggested that he check out the OnePlus 2, especially if he wanted to avoid any dealings with the carrier he’s on. But, nope, he wants to stick with the carrier options (which doesn’t even include a lengthy contract anymore), and so we started whittling away the options.

We got to HTC’s One M9 and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5. It was here that he told me that he’s “no longer a fan” of HTC, because his current phone wasn’t that great anymore. He had lost his fandom of HTC, and so even if he wasn’t necessarily always a huge fan of Samsung phones, the glowing reviews and recommendation from me sent him over the edge. He went with the Note 5.

I’m sure he’ll be happy with it, unless he breaks it by inserting the S Pen the wrong way, but it got me thinking about manufacturer loyalty. Or a lack thereof. This is a guy that, back in the day, only picked up Nokia phones. He wouldn’t even consider anything else. He loved those phones, Nokia as a company, and he threw money at them, even when he admitted there might be better phones out there.

Another friend of mine is a self-proclaimed “Apple fanboy,” and he’s just given up on anything else and any other company. Unlike me, who still uses an iPhone, he doesn’t even try anything else. He even picked up an Apple Watch just because he didn’t want to be a terrible fan of Apple (luckily, he actually likes the thing… or does he?).

And now, thanks to Reactionary Internet, all I see is “I’m going to jump the [insert company name here] ship as soon as this other phone comes out!” and then you can input any number of reasons why someone’s not a fan of the manufacturer they’re currently rocking. I’ve never written off a company like that, so I’m curious where that tendency comes from.

I’m also curious to know if any of you actually have loyalty to a certain manufacturer, and for how long it’s been going on. Are you such a fan of one company, be it Motorola, LG, HTC, Samsung, or Apple, that you just flat-out ignore any other company and their devices? I want to know, so let me know in the comments below.