What are the real drivers behind consumers' choice of handsets? In the first annual Markinor/ITWeb Mobile Loyalty Survey, done in association with ITWeb, Nokia emerged as the clear market leader. Samsung was the second most preferred handset brand, because of its design and innovation. The feature-packed Sony Ericsson had a much smaller but loyal following, while Motorola – despite its sexy packaging – was the least popular among those surveyed.

No surprise on price According to the survey, consumers rate quality as a key factor on which they would base their next cellphone purchase decision (49 percent), followed by reliability (36 percent), ease of use (34 percent), design features (33 percent), functionality (24 percent), and price, which came in as the least significant factor at 12 percent. This isn't surprising, since handset subsidies mean few consumers feel the price directly hit their pockets.