I’m guilty of preferring T-Mobile over AT&T and Verizon for no real reason and so are most of you

T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon — the ‘Big Three’ carriers in the United States — enjoy a public perception that is built atop older, outdated metrics. The three networks are very comparable in most aspects nowadays but T-Mobile continues to remain the carrier of choice for most of you.

Preconceived notions for the Big Three

According to recent tests, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon are much closer to each other when it comes to coverage, bandwidth, reliability, and other wireless metrics. T-Mobile is considered to be the best bang-for-your-buck option, Verizon is the top dog for coverage, and AT&T is a reliable all-rounder in the public’s eyes.

These beliefs favor T-Mobile greatly

In a recent poll, we asked you which carrier you were most likely to recommend to others. Before even seeing the results, I thought that T-Mobile would likely come out on top with Verizon following in second place and AT&T trailing last.

I was correct. A little over 50 percent of all votes went to T-Mobile, 33 percent of voters favored Verizon instead, and only around 17 percent of you said that you would recommend AT&T. What about you?

AT&T and Verizon get unfairly left behind

T-Mobile, despite its many controversies as of late, remains the most popular choice in many parts of the U.S. Verizon and AT&T are just as good as the “un-carrier” in many regions, if not even slightly better.

Yet, despite all three usually providing the same experience to customers, T-Mobile continues to grow rapidly even as it adopts more controversial practices. In short, customers are holding on to a world view that hasn’t reflected reality in quite some time.

I’m guilty of this too

T-Mobile has cultivated a very strong image. Despite knowing what the data says, I would recommend T-Mobile to others as well if coverage in their area is decent.

The un-carrier just does so many things right and markets them in such fun ways that I completely understand why most of you would recommend it over the other two. T-Mobile Tuesdays, for example, is one such perk of signing up with T-Mobile. The company's senior staff also keeps an eye on how things are going, often reposting stories from here on their profiles.

Public perception has been very carefully crafted as well. T-Mobile very often boasts about coverage during storms, new perks, price lock guarantees, and signup bonuses. It works, marketing works, and now we have the proof for it.

What's been going on with T-Mobile lately?

• T-Mobile's customer perception hasn't changed
• Another T-Mobile fee hike is here
• T-Mobile bolsters its 5G network

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