I own a high-end Samsung TV which certainly has a premium look and feel to it but not everything is great. I recently had to call their technical support to try to solve an annoying software issue and I spent 40 minutes trying to explain the problem to the guy on the other end of the phone and he still didn't get it. I gave up feeling more frustrated with them than the problem itself. I also noticed on AVForums that a large amount of customers buying high-end Samsung TVs return them for various niggles. I wouldn't have got mine if it didn't come with a John Lewis 5 year warranty or I watched a lot of sport (banding issues).
My brother has one of their cheaper model TVs in the same size (46") and although the PQ isn't as good as mine, it was good for the price I thought and still a reasonably attractive TV.
I also have 2 Samsung monitors which are probably 4 years-ish old now but the quality of them is way below that of my previous BenQ monitor. The Samsungs have a cheap plastic casing that attracts dust and fingerprints and they wobble with the slightest vibration. I understand this isn't representative of what they may sell today.
I almost got a Samsung fridge freezer recently. They offered a lot of features and good designs but the prices weren't great and I was concerned about reliability.
As for their phones, I thought the S2 looked and felt cheap but my friend's S3 is quite nice. The Note II is also a very appealing product. I don't care much for their tablets but that's mainly due to the lack of tablet-tailored software on Android. I don't mind plastic if it's a good grade of plastic. The feel of it can actually be better sometimes e.g. I preferred the rounded plastic back of the iPhone 3G over the more premium but harsher feel of the iPhone 4S.
TLDR: I don't think Samsung will ever be a premium brand so long as their support/build/reliability remains poor or average but they do make feature-rich and attractive products.
My brother has one of their cheaper model TVs in the same size (46") and although the PQ isn't as good as mine, it was good for the price I thought and still a reasonably attractive TV.
I also have 2 Samsung monitors which are probably 4 years-ish old now but the quality of them is way below that of my previous BenQ monitor. The Samsungs have a cheap plastic casing that attracts dust and fingerprints and they wobble with the slightest vibration. I understand this isn't representative of what they may sell today.
I almost got a Samsung fridge freezer recently. They offered a lot of features and good designs but the prices weren't great and I was concerned about reliability.
As for their phones, I thought the S2 looked and felt cheap but my friend's S3 is quite nice. The Note II is also a very appealing product. I don't care much for their tablets but that's mainly due to the lack of tablet-tailored software on Android. I don't mind plastic if it's a good grade of plastic. The feel of it can actually be better sometimes e.g. I preferred the rounded plastic back of the iPhone 3G over the more premium but harsher feel of the iPhone 4S.
TLDR: I don't think Samsung will ever be a premium brand so long as their support/build/reliability remains poor or average but they do make feature-rich and attractive products.
