Sales of smartphone's may be at an all time high, but a new survey reports that customers have yet to commit to brand loyalty.

Whether you prefer Coke or Pepsi, many of us simply won't accept the competition's product. It seems the world of the smartphone connoisseuris the one notable exception.

A recent survey concluded that fifty-six per cent of the smartphone owners they spoke to are not committed to their particular handset or its operating system, and are considering switching brand or model when they next take-on a new handset.

2,653 mobile phone users in Brazil, Germany, Spain, Britain, the United States and China were investigated by the market-research company GfK to establish the buying patterns for smartphone's.

It wasn't a surprise to anyone that among the phones that are currently available to consumers in the UK and across Europe, the Apple iPhone attracts the greatest levels of brand loyalty with nearly 60 per cent indicating that they feel happy with and committed to their Apple device.

Ryan Garner, the lead analyst of the survey, said: "People are really keeping their options open. There's been an explosion of new choices in the market over the last year, with Android and Windows Phone 7, and with new versions of Symbian, the RIM OS and Meego in the pipeline there is huge choice."

With so may new models being released all the time, and technology for smartphone and tablets being developed at such a rate, it's not surprising that customers are keeping their options open.

It simply means that brands need to up their game if they are going to attract and maintain a loyal following. The current hype over HTC might introduce more customers, but the substance has to be consistent if it is going to rival Apple in terms of a solid fan base.

Who will lead in 2011? Watch this space.