This is one of the reasons I still buy dumb appliances. I recently just more or less rebuilt my cloths dryer for less than $75, New element, new belts, new sensors, etc...

Of course the sheet metal frame, motor, and controls are the same but on a dumb appliance those rarely fail. on a "Smart" appliance those the replacement "smart" controls can be more costly than the entire replacement unit

At this point, "brands" are just the multiple marketing face of conglomerates.

3 years ago I was tasked with buying a cheap TV for an older relative. After spending an afternoon checking what's available, I realized virtually all low end models look the same and have the exact same menus.

Not terribly surprising but I didn't expect everything to be exactly the same across that many know and unknown brands

TVs are down to three panel manufacturers if I recall correctly - so it’s literally the chrome and maybe the bundled apps that differ.

This can be an advantage as sometimes you can flash default firmware to turn a cheap yumcha monitor into a better one.

Not entirely true. Some manufacturers / more expensive product lines have access to higher quality panels. Furthermore anti-reflective coatings, backlights, and wide angle view coatings can all vary widely.