America's favorite smartphones are a trio of Samsung models

Who makes the most-loved phones in the US? No, it’s not Apple anymore. The American Customer Satisfaction Index has shared its smartphone manufacturer rankings, and Samsung claimed the top spot — with a three-way tie, no less.

Respondents gave the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, S10 Plus and S20 Plus the same 85-point score, helping them top a fiercely competitive smartphone landscape. Samsung also just edged out Apple as the top overall brand. While its 81 score remained the same, Apple dipped just slightly (80) to sit at second place alongside Google and Motorola.

See also: The best Android smartphones

It was still a close battle. The regular S20 and the A20 just missed out on the top spot by one and two points respectively, and fourth place was a five-way draw that included the base Galaxy S10 and four iPhones, including the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

ACSI didn’t explain why Samsung took the top spot among smartphone makers and models, although the timing of the study may have played a role. Researchers interviewed users between April 2020 and March 2021, keeping the iPhone 12 out of the picture for several months while giving more weight to recent Galaxy phones (the S20 series debuted in March 2020). Throw in a pandemic that temporarily disrupted phone buying and the results aren’t that surprising.

The results are also a commentary on the lack of variety in American smartphone preferences. All of the top 24 smartphone models were either from Samsung or Apple — Google and Motorola may have their fans, but not enough to sway the public consciousness. It could be a while before an upstart disrupts the status quo.