Xiaomi has surpassed Apple and Samsung to become the most preferred smartphone upgrade choice for Indian consumers in 2017, according to a report by research firm Strategy Analytics. 26 percent of potential Android buyers looking to upgrade their devices in 2017 list Xiaomi as their preferred brand.
Xiaomi topped with 26% share in the most preferred smartphone brand. Samsung and Apple shared the preferred market share at 12%. Motorola, Lenovo and OnePlus had 7%, 6% and 6% preferred market share respectively. Surprisingly, homegrown smartphone maker Micromax was the least preferred smartphone brand with only 2 per cent share.
The survey is based on insights from a Strategy Analytics opt-in panel in India of over 2000 participants. Consumers evaluated purchase drivers such as online availability, network speed and chipset performance over features such as camera, screen size and resolution.
Manu Jain, vice president and managing director, Xiaomi India said,
Our phones are built with a vision to make technology innovation affordable to everyone. We don’t compromise on our cost to value proposition, our fan engagement or our quality. We’ve seen that help Xiaomi grow and consolidate its position in the Indian smartphone market every year. We are thrilled to see this belief in Xiaomi’s brand ethos unequivocally validated by consumers through this report.
According to analyst firm IDC, Xiaomi India has become the number one selling smartphone brand in the online market, with 29.3 percent share, and the second largest smartphone brand in India with 10.7 percent market share in Q4 2016.
Rajeev Nair, Senior Analyst, Strategy Analytics said,
The Indian smartphone industry is ever changing. It is interesting to note how consumers today understand technology and are very aware of their smartphone needs. With an array of devices selling in the Indian market, it is remarkable that Xiaomi has witnessed a whopping 125% growth in India and has become the most preferred brand for Android buyers looking for an upgrade in 2017.
Finally, Strategy Analytics also stated that according to their Smartphone Model Tracker (SMT) program which covers the top 200 best-selling smartphone models in India, four of Xiaomi models feature in the top-20 list.