Xiaomi Tops Indian Smartphone Purchase Intention
Xiaomi is the most preferred smartphone brand for Indian Android owners looking to upgrade their devices in 2017. Network speed and Processor speed outpace camera, screen size and resolution as purchase drivers.
Xiaomi 26%, Samsung 12% and Apple are the top three preferred brands for the next smartphone purchase among our Android panel. Micromax despite holding a 9% share of devices in our panel was voted preferred brand for their next smartphone by only 2% of the panel.
The importance of network speed and processor performance to Android smartphone buyers is good news both for operators as they seek LTE customer and chipset vendors looking to migrate the huge base of feature phone users in India. A disconnect does appear as vendor favored marketing themes on camera quality, megapixels, screen resolution are really not top of mind for many Indian Android smartphone buyers.
David Kerr, Senior Vice President at Strategy Analytics commented “Indian Android smartphone owners are tech savvy with definite brand preferences and specification requirements. It is striking how poorly Micromax is rated in terms of purchase consideration relative to its position in the market.
Clearly a pool of dissatisfaction exist which One Plus, Xiaomi and others are stepping in to address. With Nokia reentering the market this month, a powerful emotive brand will be added as an option to those dissatisfied with the current status quo. Micromax as well as Sony, LG, Lenovo and Motorola have cause for concern.”
Figure 1: Indian Smartphone: Preferred Brands vs Share of Installed Base Android Users
| Vendor | Share Android Panel | % Preferred Brand for Next Smartphone |
| Xiaomi | 16% | 26% |
| Samsung | 18% | 12% |
| Lenovo | 11% | 6% |
| Motorola | 11% | 7% |
| Micromax | 9% | 2% |
| Apple | ~ | 12% |
| One Plus | 2.4% | 6% |
| Source: Strategy Analytics Inc. |
Rajeev Nair, Senior Analyst commented “Xiaomi for the first time since it started operations in the Indian market was ranked among the top three vendors in Q4 2016. The vendor grew a whopping 125% YoY and 17% QoQ and captured 10% of market share in India in the quarter.” Further evidence of Xiaomi gaining ground in India is provided by our Smartphone Model Tracker (SMT) program which shows that the vendors had four models in the top-20 list (our report covers the top-200 best-selling smartphone models in India),
The report also noted that the Indian premium smartphone segment (above Rs. 35k) remains small at only 6% of potential buyers with over half of Indian smartphone buyers likely to spend between Rs. 10K-20K.
About Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success.
Strategy Analytics’ AppOptix opt-in panel in India with over 2000 participants was used to deliver insights into the smartphone market. AppOptix is based on a panel of consumers who are selected based on their smartphone usage and profile. Panelists download and use a passive data monitor on their device that enables Strategy Analytics to observe device behavior – including use of apps, where and how often are they used, and by whom. AppOptix is supported by a big data analytics platform that uses a leading business intelligence tool to help identify use, behavior and trends across mobile and Wi-Fi networks representing a broad portfolio of devices that use the most popular social, gaming, entertainment, messaging and other applications.
