Strategy Analytics further noted that for the first time Xiaomi has been ranked among top three vendors in Q4 2016.
If someone is mulling an upgrade to an Android smartphone, chances are they will prefer Xiaomi phones over other brands. It is not a claim we are making, but research firm Strategy Analytics which in its latest report notes that the China-based manufacturer is the most preferred smartphone brand for Indian Android owners looking to upgrade in 2017.
A survey conducted on 2,000 buyers found that around 26 percent preferred Xiaomi as their next smartphone brand. This was followed by Samsung and Apple at 12 percent, Motorola at 7 percent, Lenovo and OnePlus at 6 percent, and Micromax at 2 percent. Interestingly, Xiaomi has lesser share of installed base at 16 percent as compared to Samsung at 18 percent.
Senior analyst at the firm Rajeev Nair noted, it is the first time since Xiaomi started operations in the Indian market that it has been ranked among the top three vendors in Q4 2016. “The vendor grew a whopping 125 percent YoY and 17 percent QoQ and captured 10 percent of market share in India in the quarter,” Naid added.
Furthermore, the report also noted that Xiaomi had four models in the top-20 from the firm’s list of top 200 best-selling smartphone models in India. In January, Xiaomi claimed to have sold 250,000 units of its Redmi Note 4 smartphone in just 10 minutes setting a new record. This was followed by its March statistics, where it claimed to have sold over one million Redmi Note 4 units in just 45 days of its first sale. ALSO READ: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Review
Based on the report, network speed and hardware performance is outranking camera and display size as purchase factors among potential buyers. “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,” said David Kerr, Senior Vice President at Strategy Analytics.
Kerr further pointed, “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.”
To put into perspective, it is expected that HMD Global will be launching the Nokia 3310 redux globally in April, followed by the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6. These budget to mid-range smartphones are poised to take on the existing market players with their high brand recall value.
Meanwhile, the report further noted that in India, premium smartphones still sell less. The premium segment with smartphones priced above Rs 35,000 is comprised of just 6 percent of potential buyers while over half of the Indian smartphone buyers are more willing to spend anything between Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000.