Main drivers for purchasing a new smartphone among Indians are network speed and processor speed that outpace features such as camera, screen size and resolution, said Strategy Analytics.

The importance of mobile network speed and processor performance to Android smartphone buyers is good news both for operators as they seek LTE customer and chipset vendors looking to migrate the huge base of feature phone users in India.

The Strategy Analytics report covers the top-200 best-selling smartphone models in India.

Strategy Analytics noted that there is a disconnect as smartphone vendor favored marketing themes on camera quality, megapixels, screen resolution are really not top of mind for many Indian Android smartphone buyers.

Top phone brands

Xiaomi 26 percent, Samsung 12 percent and Apple are the top three preferred brands for the next smartphone purchase among our Android panel, said Strategy Analytics.

Micromax despite holding a 9 percent share of devices in Strategy Analytics panel was voted preferred brand for their next smartphone by only 2 percent of the panel.

“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.

Strategy Analytics said dissatisfaction exist which One Plus, Xiaomi and others are stepping in to address. Since Nokia is reentering the market this month, Micromax as well as Sony, LG, Lenovo and Motorola have cause for concern.

Xiaomi for the first time since it started operations in the Indian market was ranked among the top three vendors in Q4 2016. The Chinese vendor grew 125 percent y-o-y and 17 percent q-o-q and captured 10 percent of market share in India in the quarter.

Strategy Analytics said Indian premium smartphone segment (above Rs 35k) remains small at 6 percent of potential buyers with over half of Indian smartphone buyers likely to spend between Rs 10K-20K.