- India had 484.7 million smartphones in use as of June 2019 (1H 2019)
- Micromax, Lava and Intex only three domestic brands in the list top 10 smartphone brands in India
As per the first edition of India Smartphone Installed Base Analysis Report by Techarc, India had 484.7 million smartphone devices in use by the end of June 2019 (1H 2019). This is 14 per cent more than the feature phones and just two per cent less than feature phones and smart-feature phones taken together. Techarc analyzing this trend, said that it is expected that smartphones will be the most used mobile handset device category by the end of year 2019 (Dec 2019) in India.
“The urge to own a smartphone will continue among the vast base of feature phone users, however, they still are facing challenges in finding a durable smartphone in the entry segment (less than Rs 5,000). The entire industry needs to look for disruptions beyond Android Go and smart-feature phones to address the persistent need of owning a smartphone at the entry level,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder, Techarc.
400+ brands of smartphones used by consumers in India
The report also highlights that consumers in India are using smartphones from more than 400 different brands. Interestingly, many heavyweights are themselves operating more than one smartphone brand in the country. It is to be noted that BBK alone operates Oppo, Vivo, Oneplus and Realme smartphone brands. Similarly, Huawei also has smartphones under Huawei and Honor brand names.
The installed base of users in India is spread over 12,000+ models of various OEMs and brands. 15 brands have installed base of five million or more. Techarc noted that Micromax is the only Indian brand in top five. However, its among fast depleting brands from the networks in India.
Lenovo MBG (Lenovo + Motorola), as per the report, is likely to dethrone Micromax from the top five list. Realme, on the other hand has made an entry in the top 10 most used smartphones in India in just a span of over a year. Apple, as per the report, is still the most used brand in the luxe category. OnePlus tops the list in premium brands category.
Top three used smartphones in India
Samsung Galaxy J2, Xiaomi Redmi 5A and Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 are the top three used smartphones in India. Top 10 models are either from Samsung or Xiaomi with Vivo Y53 being the only exception which figures in the top chart.
Consumers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh use as many as 9000+ different smartphone models. This is followed by Delhi, Gujarat and Karnataka where people are using 7000+ different models. Consumers in remaining states use 4000+ different Smartphone models.
Faisal Kawoosa, added, “Although the average selling price of smartphones has increased in the range of 11 to 13 per cent in the past two to three years owing to several new features being introduced, consumers see great value in owning one. Smartphones are not just lifestyle electronics but add great value to the productivity and accessibility of a user.”
