Whirlpool is made by a consortium which puts the client's name on them...must be 4-5 major brands all made in that same factory.
GE is made by Rheem, and generally is a decent product. If you get a GE at HD and call the 800 number, they answer Rheem. Not a bad choice either rebranded GE or a Rheem itself.
Bradford White makes a nice product, but generally, it is only sold to plumbers, it may be hard to find if you want to buy one directly.
In most cases, on the same heater, you can pay extra and get an extended warranty. Generally, it is not a different heater...you're buying an insurance policy. Sometimes, they'll replace the plastic drain valve with a brass one, but you can do that yourself and probably come out many dollars ahead. A longer warranty tank might have a second or larger anode, but again, those are easy to check and replace at far less than the cost of 'upgrading'; and, many of them are exactly the same with no 'upgrades' to the hardware, only a different label and piece of warranty paper.