While users are interested in purchasing a premium smartphone in the next 12 months, dust and water resistance are the most sought out features that users want in their smartphones, said more than half of the respondents of Counterpoint Research’s India Premium Smartphone Consumer survey.
Almost six out of ten respondents think dust and water resistance is a must have and are willing to pay for the feature.
‘In-display fingerprint, facial recognition, dual or more cameras, and AI capabilities came up as key features, where almost four out of every ten respondents thought that these are a ‘must have’ in their future premium smartphones. Longer battery life along with fast charging, higher memory storage, new designs, and multiple cameras are the other key features which will influence future purchase decisions. Punch hole displays and foldable displays are yet to make any significant impact on consumers’ minds in India,’ commented Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, on the consumer preferences for features,
Further, data from the survey reveals that replacement cycles among the potential premium smartphone buyers (who are currently using a smartphone priced above Rs 20,000 or roughly US$280) are around 25 months.
The Indian market has been growing at a healthy rate. There is a close competition between Samsung and OnePlus in the premium segment. The survey further revealed that Samsung users replace their smartphones slightly faster than average while OnePlus users hold onto their devices for a bit longer.
‘Almost six out of ten Samsung users are interested in replacing their smartphone within the next year. About four out of every ten users of OnePlus plan to buy a new smartphone in the next year,’ the survey revealed.
In India, while Apple struggles to gain momentum in the premium segment, Chinese brands like Oppo, Huawei, and Vivo are trying hard to break into the segment.
For the study, Counterpoint Research targeted upper-mid and premium segment (>Rs 20,000) Android smartphone users. The survey had 800 respondents from the top cities in India.
According to the survey’s findings, almost half of the respondents are interested in spending Rs 40,000 (roughly $580) or more for their next purchase. Further, one in every five respondents is interested in spending more than Rs 60,000 (roughly US$870) or more. And around eight per cent of these respondents indicated their interest in spending Rs 80,000 (roughly US$1,150) or more.
