Samsung beats Apple in brand loyalty: poll

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has beaten its archrival U.S. Apple Inc. in customer loyalty, an online poll showed Wednesday.
  

Samsung ranked first with 35 points, outpacing Apple's 7, according to an online poll by U.S. corporate research site SurveyMonkey, based on the responses from 5,000 consumers in the fourth quarter of 2014.
  

The poll, however, did not disclose the exact number of companies researched for the survey.
  

The loyalty mark gained by Samsung stood far above the industry benchmark of 19 points, it added.
  

Such a result is unexpected as it challenges a general view among industry watchers that iPhone users tend to be much more loyal to the brand than those who use Galaxy smartphones.
  

In contrast, Samsung lagged behind Apple in customer service satisfaction. The U.S. smartphone maker scored a 41 percent positive rating to stand on top, while Samsung got 25 percent. But the scores from both companies stood far below the industry benchmark of 75.
  

In a fresh battle in the premium smartphone market, Samsung and Apple are vying for leadership with the release of their new handsets: the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 lineups.
  

Samsung has forecast 5.9 trillion won ($5.4 billion) in operating profit for the first quarter, up 11.5 percent from the previous quarter, pinning hopes on a recovery after its worst performance in three years last year. (Yonhap)