Samsung Tops All Brands

2019 RESCUECOM Computer Reliability Report: Samsung Shines, Microsoft Pulls off the Impossible, Apple Falters

Samsung continues a streak of dominating all brands in the overall reliability of its computers on the market with Lenovo coming in second and Apple devices dropping in reliability among consumers.

Samsung’s steady increase seems to be due largely to the company’s dedication to ensuring the reliability of its computers via rigorous testing before release. This includes an extensive battery of tests for every computer made before going on the market.

Lenovo, now the PC market share leader, simply makes desktops and laptops which, while not the cheapest, are known for being higher quality than their price tag would suggest. It has proven itself with its IdeaPad and ThinkPad laptop lines, and its various Chromebook versions are highly touted by Laptop Mag, CNET, Paste, and Engadget as exceptional.

The reliability of Apple computers continues to be good, but it dropped to fifth place because Samsung, Lenovo, and others got better. This is something for Apple purchasers to consider, as Apple computers are the most expensive. Dell takes a dramatic fall in reliability amongst all brands. For the most part, Dell’s desktops are cheap because they use cheap parts. They are consistently prone to both hardware and software issues. Its XPS laptop line is excellent, but the more affordable Inspiron line suffers from a consistent need for computer repair.

“Samsung demonstrates computer reliability at an amazing level, especially considering the size of their market share and diversity of their product line. Lenovo has come back from a third tier market share holder to become the number one in PC market share for 2019, an incredible feat especially since their computer reliability is second only to Samsung,” says David A. Milman, RESCUECOM CEO.

Which brands should I look for when shopping for new tech and which brands should I skip?

Samsung is once again the top choice for computers and, given the facts, Lenovo computers would also make an excellent choice.

Microsoft has accomplished the nearly impossible, coming from almost last place in both market share and reliability to hold a strong market share and a bronze medal in computer reliability with its “Surface” line of computers. While Samsung’s overall reliability beats Microsoft’s, and it has several of the top laptops on the market, the best laptop you can buy is the Microsoft Surface Book 2.

Are there other brands worth considering?

Acer is always a solid brand, this year now tops in computer reliability improvement with a very reasonable price tag. Along with affordable desktops and laptops, Acer now has the Chromebook 11, considered one of the best 2-in-1s on the market and amazingly affordable.

Considering Apple’s fall from grace, the question to ask is whether Apple has really slipped or others have risen. The answer, surprisingly, is Apple has fallen. The combination of an average RESCUECOM Computer Reliability report score and a notoriously steep price tag does not bode well for their future. Keep in mind $1,000 is the lowest you will pay for a new Mac and it will be their lowest end of last year’s model. Expect to shell out close to $3000 for the latest extremely powerful, portable, and fast MacBook Pro. Though Apple’s cult-like following continues to buy without complaint, the question is, will that continue as their computer reliability spirals downward?

Asus computers come in on the lower end in reliability but remain extremely “affordable,” A.K.A. cheap. Still, you should consider paying a bit more for the Zen Book 3, which has rave reviews from Digital Trends, PC Mag, and Tom’s Guide as well as being a Computer Shopper editor’s choice.

_{1 – Brand’s percentage share of calls into RESCUECOM call center
2 – Calculated percent of computers on the market against number of repair calls per brand.
3 – Assigned by RESCUECOM to simplify the reliability scoring system.}