The key points addressed in the 91mobiles Smartphone Buyer Insights Survey 2020 are details on current and future smartphone ownership in India, how brand loyalty is shifting, smartphone aspects that matter to people, how they research and how they buy smartphones.

1. Smartphone Buyer Insights Study
April 2020
Voice of 15,000+ users
India’s #1 Gadget Discovery Site

2. Objective of the survey
Key questions asked
Current brand ownership in the smartphone space
How brand loyalties are shifting
How people research for new smartphones
How people prefer to buy new smartphones
Popularity of smartphone brands by age and gender
1
2
3
4
5

3. Demographic split and methodology
Demographic Split
Methodology
Gender:
o 72% men
o 26% women
o 2% others
Age:
o 35% below 24 years
o 34% between 25 and 34 years
o 19% between 35 and 44 years
o 12% above 44 years
Region:
o North – 36%
o West – 27%
o South – 22%
o East – 15%
o Survey was conducted via Google forms
o For response collection, survey was distributed on 91mobiles’ site and social channels

4. Trends in smartphone ownership

5. Smartphone brands people own today
Breakup of smartphone brands owned by people currently
Xiaomi
23.4%
Samsung
21.3%
Realme
10.8%
Vivo
7.7%
OPPO
5.8%
OnePlus
5.7%
Motorola
4.0%
Honor
3.0%
Apple
2.9%
ASUS
2.6%
Nokia
2.4%
POCO
1.7%
Huawei
1.2%
Others
7.5%

6. Smartphone brand ownership share 2019 vs 2020
Realme and Samsung grew their share
SamsungRealme
5%
11%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning Realme devices
19%
21%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning Samsung
devices

7. OPPOVivo OnePlus
6%
8%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owing Vivo
devices
5%
6%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owing
OPPO devices
5%
6%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owing
OnePlus devices
Smartphone brand ownership share 2019 vs 2020
Vivo, OPPO and OnePlus grew their share

8. HonorMotorola
6%
4%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning
Motorola devices
5%
3%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning
Honor devices
Smartphone brand ownership share 2019 vs 2020
Xiaomi, Motorola and Honor saw a dip in their share
Xiaomi
25%
23%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning
Xiaomi devices

9. NokiaASUS
4%
3%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning ASUS devices
3%
2%
March 2019 March 2020
% of people owning Nokia devices
Smartphone brand ownership share 2019 vs 2020
ASUS and Nokia saw a dip in their share

10. Current brand preference: which smartphone brand people want
to own next (whenever they upgrade in the next 1 to 2 years)
Breakup of smartphone brands people plan to migrate to
Samsung
23.7%
Xiaomi
19.9%
Realme
16.3%
OnePlus
11.9%
Apple
5.8%
Vivo
5.0%
OPPO
4.1%
POCO
3.0%
Nokia
1.7%
Motorola
1.1%
ASUS
1.1%
iQOO
1.1%
Huawei
1.1%
Honor
0.9%
Others
3.4%

11. 10.4%
6.6%
1.8% 1.8% 1.7% 1.4%
-0.7%
-1.6% -2.1%
-3.4% -3.7% -4.1%
Change in brand preference 2019 vs 2020
Which brand people said they want to own next whenever they upgrade their devices
% change in the number of people who said they want to upgrade to the
following brands when they next buy a new phone
Realme Samsung OPPO OnePlus Vivo Apple Motorola ASUS Huawei Nokia Honor Xiaomi
5.9% 17.1% 2.3% 10.1% 3.3% 4.4% 1.8% 2.7% 3.2% 5.1% 4.6% 24.0%
16.3% 23.7% 4.1% 11.9% 5.0% 5.8% 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1.7% 0.9% 19.9%
Preferred next brand in 2019 Preferred next brand in 2020

12. Recap
o The brand with the highest share of users today: Xiaomi
o Brands with the highest increase in ownership share from March 2019 to
March 2020: Realme, Samsung, Vivo, OPPO and OnePlus
o Brands with more than highest decrease in ownership share from March 2019
to March 2020: Xiaomi, Motorola, Honor, ASUS and Nokia
o Most preferred brand today with the highest number of users saying they want
to migrate to this brand when they upgrade next: Samsung
o The brand with the highest jump in user preference March 2019 to March
2020: Realme, followed by Samsung

13. Brand loyalty among smartphone users

14. Brand loyalty / customer retention
OnePlus continues to have the most loyal users (it was at the top last year as well)
67%
62%
59%
56%
51%
42%
36% 35%
33%
28%
22%
17% 17%
OnePlus Apple Samsung Realme Xiaomi POCO Vivo Huawei OPPO Nokia ASUS Honor Motorola
% of people likely to buy from the same smartphone brand when they upgrade next

15. Apple Realme OPPO Samsung Vivo OnePlus Motorola ASUS Xiaomi Huawei Nokia Honor
48% 44% 26% 53% 33% 66% 20% 26% 56% 42% 47% 38%
64% 56% 33% 59% 36% 67% 17% 22% 51% 35% 28% 17%
Brand loyalty of current users in 2019 Brand loyalty of current users in 2020
14%
12%
7% 6%
3%
1%
-3%
-4% -5%
-7%
-19%
-21%
Change in brand loyalty from last year
Apple and Realme saw a big jump, while Nokia and Honor saw a big dip
% change in number of current users who want to buy from the same brand
again when they upgrade next

16. How major brands will gain when users upgrade next
% of people that want to
switch to Samsung from
their current brands
Motorola 22%
Nokia 21%
ASUS 18%
OPPO 17%
Honor 16%
% of people that want to
switch to OnePlus from
their current brands
Honor 17%
Google 15%
POCO 13%
Oppo 10%
Nokia 10%
OnePlus Samsung

17. How major brands will gain when users upgrade next
% of people that want to
switch to Xiaomi from
their current brands
ASUS 14%
Huawei 14%
Realme 13%
Motorola 13%
Vivo 12%
% of people that want to
switch to Realme from
their current brands
ASUS 18%
Motorola 17%
Honor 15%
OPPO 15%
Vivo 12%
Xiaomi Realme

18. How major brands will gain when users upgrade next
% of people that want to
switch to OPPO from
their current brands
Huawei 5%
Vivo 5%
Honor 5%
Samsung 3%
Motorola 2%
% of people that want to
switch to Vivo from
their current brands
OPPO 4%
Motorola 3%
Nokia 3%
Samsung 3%
Realme 2%
OPPO Vivo

19. Recap
o The brands with the highest customer loyalty: OnePlus and Apple
o Brands with the highest increase in customer loyalty from 2019 to 2020:
Apple, Realme, OPPO and Samsung
o Brands with the highest decrease in customer loyalty from 2019 to 2020:
Honor, Nokia, Huawei and Xiaomi

20. How people decide on a new smartphone

21. What matters most to people when buying a new phone
Innovative features and good specs dominate
Innovative phone
features that make
the device
interesting,
38%
Good specs,
34%
Positive expert
reviews,
12%
Brand name,
7%
Positive user reviews
(on e-comm sites),
7%
Positive feedback
from friends / family,
2%
Factors that matter most to people when buying a new smartphone

22. People below 25 years care more about good specs while
buying a new phone compared to other age groups
% of people that said good specs matter most while buying a new smartphone
62%
40%
28% 29%
35%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years

23. % of people that said innovative features matter most while buying a new
smartphone
23%
35%
43%
41%
33%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years
People between 25 and 44 years care more about innovative
features while buying a new phone compared to other age groups

24. 35%
28%
Men Women
% of people that said good specs matter most while deciding on a new
phone
Men care more about good specs while buying a new phone
compared to women

25. 38%
43%
Men Women
% of people that said innovative phone features matter most while
deciding on a new phone
Women care more about innovative features while buying a
new phone compared to men

26. Frequency of smartphone upgrade
More than 50% people upgrade within 2 years, with 23% upgrading within a year
How often do you change your primary smartphone?
Within 6 months,
9%
6 months to 1
year,
14%
1 year to 2 years,
31%
After 2 years,
46%

27. Primary reason for buying a new phone
More than 60% people buy a new phone just for an upgrade
To own the latest
or a better
smartphone,
48%
If my current phone is
no longer working as
well as it used to,
32%
To avail a good deal
that I am getting on a
new phone,
13%
Others,
7%
What is the main reason for you to buy a new smartphone for yourself?

28. Less than 1
week,
35%
1 to 2 weeks,
24%
2 to 4 weeks,
16%
More than 4
weeks,
25%
How much time did you take to decide while buying your current phone?
Time taken to decide on a new phone
65% people take more than a week to decide

29. How time spent on research varies by device price
People spend more time on research as the price of the device increases
32.60%
40.20%
46.80% 48.10%
Below ₹10,000 Between ₹10,000 and
₹20,000
Between ₹20,000 and
₹30,000
More than ₹30,000
% of people who took more than two weeks to decide on their current phone,
by the price segment of the device

30. How people decide on a new phone
68% people research a new phone on gadget sites or YouTube before going to the store
Check gadget
websites (91mobiles,
Pricebaba, GSM
Arena, etc.),
44%
Watch video reviews
on YouTube,
24%
Check e-commerce
websites,
15%
Visit offline store(s)
to check options,
10%
Ask friends and
family members for
recommendations,
7%
What is your primary source of information while deciding on a new phone?

31. Expert content pieces viewed by people before buying a new phone
70% people read two or more reviews before buying
1 to 2,
15%
2 to 3,
16%
More than 3,
56%
None,
13%
How many expert reviews or videos do you consult before buying a new phone?

32. 2 to 3,
38%
4 to 5,
26%
More than 5,
27%
None,
9%
How many smartphones do you compare before finalizing the one you
want to buy?
How many phones people compare before finalizing one
90% compare at least two devices before buying a new phone

33. Online, offline or both: where people check smartphone prices
More than 90% people shop around for the prices online
Online only,
53%
Both online and
offline sources,
40%
Offline only,
4%
Don’t check price
multiple times at
different sources,
3%
Where do you check the prices of the smartphone(s) you are
considering buying?

34. Recap
o Innovative features and good specs matter most to people while buying a
new phone
o More than 50% people upgrade within 2 years
o More than 60% people buy a new phone just for an upgrade
o 65% people take more than a week to decide a new phone
o 68% people research a new phone on gadget sites or YouTube
o 70% people read two or more reviews before buying a new phone
o 90% compare at least two devices before buying a new phone
o More than 90% people shop around for the prices of a new phone online

35. Smartphone attributes that matter most to
people while deciding a new phone

36. Performance matters most to people while buying a new
smartphone
Performance /
speed,
56%
Camera,
14%
Brand name,
11%
Battery,
9%
Design / looks,
6%
Display,
4%
Most important smartphone attribute while deciding on a new phone

37. How people evaluate a phone’s performance
Processor brand
(Qualcomm
Snapdragon,
MediaTek, Exynos,
etc), 48%
RAM capacity (in
GB),
24%
Processor clock
speed (in GHz),
18%
Benchmark scores
(AnTuTu,
Geekbench, etc.),
10%
Most important factor while evaluating the performance of a new phone

38. How people evaluate a phone’s camera capability
Resolution
(measured in
megapixels),
42%
AI capabilities /
software
features,
26%
Aperture
(measured in f-
number),
15%
Number of rear
cameras,
11%
Selfie
capabilities,
6%
Most important factor while evaluating the camera of a new phone

39. 34%
31%
18%
9% 8%
42%
26%
15%
11%
6%
Resolution
(measured in
megapixels)
AI capabilities /
software features
Aperture
(measured in f-
number)
Number of rear
cameras
Selfie capabilities
March 2019 March 2020
Most important factor while evaluating the camera of a new phone
How people’s way of evaluating camera changed from last year
Resolution matters even more than before

40. Smartphone innovations people most want in a new phone
Super-fast
charging,
27%
5G capability,
26%
Camera zooming
capability (30x
and above),
14%
108MP camera,
13%
In-display selfie
camera,
12%
Foldable display,
8%
Recent / upcoming smartphone innovations people are most excited about

41. Recap
o For more than 50% people, performance or speed of the phone is the most
important aspect while buying a new phone
o Almost 50% people consider processor's brand as the most important factor
while evaluating a phone’s performance
o More than 40% people consider megapixel count as the most important factor
while evaluating a phone’s camera
o Top two smartphone innovations people most want in a new phone: super-fast
charging (chosen by 27% people), followed by 5G capability (chosen by 26%)

42. How people prefer to purchase a new
smartphone

43. Most popular price segment for smartphones
₹10k to ₹20k price segment dominates
Below ₹10,000,
19%
Between ₹10,000
and ₹20,000,
55%
Between ₹20,000
and ₹30,000,
13%
More than
₹30,000,
13%
How much did you pay for your current smartphone?

44. 85% people are planning to buy a new phone in 2020
(survey was done before the COVID-19 crisis)
Yes,
85%
Not sure,
10%
No,
5%
Are you planning to buy a new phone this year?

45. Online,
47%
Offline,
28%
Not sure,
25%
Where do you prefer to buy a new phone?
Where people prefer to buy a new phone

46. 44%
40%
16%
47%
28%
25%
Online Offline Not sure
March 2019 March 2020
Where people prefer to buy a new phone
Online channel is becoming preferable for smartphone
purchases

47. Where people would prefer to buy if online was cheaper
Online,
65%
Not sure,
18%
Offline,
17%
Where would you buy a new phone if offline price is up to ₹1,000 more?

48. Men are more likely than women to buy a new phone online
47.2%
40.9%
Men Women
% of people who would prefer to buy a new phone online

49. Preferred mode of payment for a new smartphone
Almost 4 in 10 people would opt for EMIs
How would you pay for a new smartphone?
Pay full amount
upfront,
60%
Buy it on EMI
through bank
credit / debit card,
23%
Buy it on EMI
through services
like Bajajfinserve /
Zestmoney,
14%
Others
3%

50. 77%
67%
55% 52%
61%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years
% of people that prefer to pay the full amount upfront while buying a new
phone
People below 25 years are more likely to pay full amount for a new
phone upfront compared to other age groups

51. 13%
18%
28% 28%
23%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years
% of people that prefer to buy a new phone on EMI through bank
credit / debit card
People between 25 and 44 years are more likely to buy a new phone
on EMI using a bank’s debit / credit card compared to other age groups

52. 8%
12%
14%
17%
12%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years
% of people that prefer to buy a new phone through cardless EMI services
like Bajaj Finserv / Zestmoney
People between 25 and 44 years are more likely to buy a new phone
using EMI services like ZestMoney compared to other age groups

53. 37.1%
32.9%
Men Women
% of people likely to buy a new phone on EMI using a bank debit /
credit card or services like Baja Finserve / ZestMoney
Men are more likely than women to buy a new phone on EMI (whether
using a bank debit / credit card or services like Bajaj Finserve)

54. Will people wait for a sale to buy a new phone
~50% of people will wait for a sale to buy their chosen phone (however, only 13%
chose a phone because it’s on discount; refer slide 27)
Yes, I would wait
for a sale,
49%
No, I would buy it
right away,
32%
Not sure,
19%
Will you wait for a sale to buy a new phone you have finalized?

55. 38.3%
47.4% 48.3%
50.9% 51.7%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years
% of people who would wait for a sale to buy a new phone they have
finalized
People below 18 years are least likely to wait for a sale to buy a new
phone they have finalized compared to other age groups

56. Will people get a new credit card because it offers a good discount
on a phone
Almost 30% said they would
Yes, I will get a
new credit card,
28%
No, I will not get a
new credit card,
47%
I am not sure,
25%
Will you get a new credit card because it offers a good discount on a
phone you want to buy?

57. Will people pay extra for extended warranty on their new phone
More than 30% said they would
Yes, I will pay
extra for
extended
warranty,
32%
No, I won’t pay
extra for
extended
warranty,
43%
I am not sure,
25%
Will you pay extra for extended warranty on your new phone?
Note: The question told people that extended warranty can cost 5% to 7% of the phone’s price

58. Will people rent a smartphone
1 in 6 said they would
Yes, I will rent a
smartphone,
15%
No, I won’t rent a
smartphone,
72%
I am not sure,
13%
Are you open to renting a smartphone?

59. If the monthly rent is
reasonable,
11%
To be able to
experience the most
premium
smartphones without
having to buy them,
8%
To get the flexibility to
change phones
frequently,
6%
If I can rent a phone
with ease,
4%
No, I would not rent a
smartphone,
71%
What would prompt people to rent a smartphone
Almost 30% people would rent a smartphone if there are clear benefits
What would prompt you to rent a smartphone?

60. What people do with their old smartphones
Half of them continue to keep it
Keep it with me,
51%
Exchange it for a
discount on my
new phone,
26%
Sell it offline,
13%
Sell it online on
OLX / Quikr,
6%
Sell it online on
Cashify,
4%
What do you do with your old smartphone?

61. People above 35 years are more likely to exchange their old phone for a
discount on their new phone compared to other age groups
22.7%
21.1%
26.5%
28.8%
33.5%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years Above 44 years
% of people who prefer to exchange their old phone for a discount on their
new phone purchase

62. Men are more likely than women to sell their old phone offline when
they buy a new device
13.8%
10.1%
Men Women
% of people likely to sell their old phone offline when the buy a
new one

63. Recap
o 85% people are planning to buy a new phone in 2020
o 47% people would prefer to buy a new phone online, compared to 28% who
prefer to buy offline
o Almost 4 in 10 people prefer to opt for EMIs while purchasing a new phone
o 49% people wait for a sale before buying a phone they have finalized
o 28% people would get a new credit card because it's offering a discount on a
phone of their choice
o 32% people would pay extra for extended warranty on their new phone
o Almost 30% people would rent a smartphone if there are clear benefits

64. Popularity of smartphone brands by age and
gender

65. Realme and Xiaomi are more popular among people below 25
years compared to other age groups
XiaomiRealme
26%
25%
23% 22%
21%
Below 18 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 Above 44
% of people using Xiaomi devices
across age groups
15%
14%
10%
8%
8%
Below 18 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 Above 44
% of people using Realme devices
across age groups

66. Samsung and OnePlus are more popular among people
above 34 years compared to other age groups
OnePlusSamsung
14%
17%
23%
25% 24%
Below 18 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 Above 44
% of people using Samsung devices
across age groups
3%
5% 5%
6%
8%
Below 18 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 Above 44
% of people using OnePlus devices
across age groups

67. Xiaomi and Realme are more popular among men than women
Xiaomi Realme
11%
7%
Men Women
% of people owning Realme devices
between genders
23%
20%
Men Women
% of people owning Xiaomi devices
between genders

68. Samsung and OPPO are more popular among women than men
OPPOSamsung
21%
25%
Men Women
% of people owning Samsung devices
between genders
6%
7%
Men Women
% of people owning OPPO devices
between genders

69. Recap
o Realme and Xiaomi are more popular among people below 25 years
compared to other age groups
o Samsung and OnePlus are more popular among people above 34 years
compared to other age groups
o Xiaomi and Realme are more popular among men than women
o Samsung and OPPO are more popular among women than men