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HTC One M8 draws fans of Apple, Samsung, but mostly HTC, survey says

According to a survey of consumers upgrading to the HTC One M8, most are loyal HTC owners, but plenty are trading up from an iPhone or Samsung device as well.

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
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Eric Mack
2 min read

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Is the HTC One M8 the phone for everyone or just for fans already in the know? Sarah Tew

If you're buying an HTC One M8 , odds are you're a satisfied HTC customer coming back for more.

At least that's the finding of a survey of consumers using UK-based CompareMyMobile, which functions like an online aggregator of gadget trade-in sites. CompareMyMobile also informed us earlier this week that the biggest group upgrading to the new Samsung Galaxy S5 is actually current iPhone users.

In the case of HTC's new flagship Android phone, almost 24 percent who upgrade via the site report that they are trading in an iPhone to move up. But the biggest chunk of new One M8 purchasers are staying loyal to HTC -- 46 percent are trading up from an old HTC device. In third place, 21 percent of new One M8 owners are making the switch from a Samsung.

Another interesting stat is that over 13 percent of all people upgrading to the HTC One M8 are doing so from last year's HTC One -- a pretty strong showing for the HTC fanatic cohort.

"We found it pretty interesting to see that although HTC is clearly pulling some consumers away from other brands like Samsung and Apple, the majority of people upgrading are actually really loyal HTC fans," a representative from CompareMyMobile said in an email.

I'd have to agree, although we should also keep in mind that the sample size here is relatively small (it's "in the hundreds") and may not include many North American consumers.

Unfortunately for HTC, I might also postulate that the reason most of the action around the One M8 is coming largely from existing owners is that the company isn't forcing its way onto the radar of the wider world, obsessed with Apple and Samsung as it is.

What do you think? Share your upgrade story in the comments.