The smartphone segment is the most dynamic arena in consumer technology, and brands keep coming up with newer models on a very frequent basis. But who are the people who’re buying all these devices? Which brands do people prefer the most? How are ownership patterns and brand loyalties shifting over time? How people decide on a new smartphone and what are the aspects that matter the most to them while buying one? Our survey has the answers

1. Smartphone Buyer Insights Survey
(March 2021)
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 of Respondents
Survey Methodology
Gender:
 81% men
 19% women
Age:
 6% below 18 years
 39% between 18 and 24 years
 29% between 25 and 34 years
 15% between 35 and 44 years
 11% above 44 years
Region:
 North 35%
 South 23%
 West 29%
 East 13%
 Survey was conducted via Google forms
 For response collection, survey was distributed on 91mobiles’ site and social
channels
Notes:
1) In this report, respondent data from 2020 has been compared with respondent data from 2021, where applicable,
to analyse trends
2) For slides with more than one graph, please note each graph is set at its own scale

4. Trends in smartphone ownership

5. Smartphone brands people own today
Samsung is leading the race with 23% people using its devices
Breakup of smartphone brands owned by people currently
Samsung, 22.8%
Xiaomi, 21.5%
Realme, 10.8%
Vivo, 7.2%
OnePlus, 7.1%
Apple, 7.0%
OPPO, 6.7%
POCO, 2.8%
Motorola, 2.7%
Honor / Huawei,
2.3%
ASUS, 1.7%
Nokia, 1.6%
Infinix, 0.7%
Micromax, 0.6% Google, 0.5%
Tecno, 0.4%
Other, 3.7%

6. Samsung
Apple
2.9%
7.0%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning Apple devices
21.3%
22.8%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning Samsung devices
Smartphone brands with the highest gain in ownership share
(From March 2020 to March 2021)

7. POCO
OPPO
5.8%
6.7%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning OPPO
devices
1.7%
2.8%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning POCO
devices
OnePlus
5.7%
7.1%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning OnePlus
devices
Smartphone brands with the highest gain in ownership share
(From March 2020 to March 2021)

8. Motorola
Xiaomi
23.4%
21.5%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning Xiaomi
devices
4.0%
2.7%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning Motorola
devices
Smartphone brands with the steepest decline in ownership share
(From March 2020 to March 2021)

9. Nokia
ASUS
2.6%
1.7%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning ASUS devices
2.4%
1.6%
Mar 2020 Mar 2021
% of people owning Nokia
devices
Smartphone brands with the steepest decline in ownership share
(From March 2020 to March 2021)

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 buy next
Samsung, 22.8%
Xiaomi, 15.8%
OnePlus, 15.4%
Realme, 12.7%
Apple, 12.2%
OPPO, 4.7%
Vivo, 3.8%
POCO, 3.1%
Motorola, 1.9%
ASUS, 1.4%
Google, 1.2%
Nokia, 0.9%
Infinix, 0.6%
Micromax, 0.6% Tecno, 0.2% Other, 2.7%

11. 6.4%
3.5%
0.8% 0.6% 0.3% 0.1%
-0.8% -0.9% -1.2%
-3.6%
-4.1%
Apple OnePlus Motorola OPPO ASUS POCO Nokia Samsung Vivo Realme Xiaomi
Change in brand preference 2020 vs 2021
Which brand people said they want to own next whenever they upgrade their devices
5.8% 11.9% 1.1% 4.1% 1.1% 3.0% 1.7% 23.7% 5.0% 16.3% 19.9%
12.2% 15.4% 1.9% 4.7% 1.4% 3.1% 0.9% 22.8% 3.8% 12.7% 15.8%
% change in the number of people who said they want to upgrade to the
following brands when they next buy a new phone
Preferred next brand in 2020 Preferred next brand in 2021

12. Recap
o The brand with the highest share of users today: Samsung
o Brands with the highest increase in ownership share from March 2020 to
March 2021: Apple, Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus and POCO
o Brands with the highest decrease in ownership share from March 2020 to
March 2021: Xiaomi, Motorola, 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 from March 2020 to March
2021: Apple, followed by OnePlus
o The brand with the highest fall in user preference from March 2020 to March
2021: Xiaomi, followed by Realme

13. Brand loyalty among smartphone users

14. Brand loyalty / customer retention
Apple beats OnePlus as the brand with most loyal users
% of people likely to buy from the same smartphone brand when they upgrade next
75%
67%
59%
52%
46%
40% 39%
30%
27%
Apple OnePlus Samsung Realme Xiaomi POCO OPPO Vivo Motorola

15. Apple Motorola OPPO ASUS Samsung OnePlus POCO Nokia Realme Xiaomi Vivo
62% 17% 33% 22% 59% 67% 42% 28% 56% 51% 36%
75% 27% 39% 23% 59% 67% 40% 25% 52% 46% 30%
Brand loyalty of current users in 2020 Brand loyalty of current users in 2021
Change in brand loyalty from last year
Apple and Motorola saw a big jump, while Xiaomi and Vivo saw a big dip
% change in number of current users who want to buy from the same brand again
when they upgrade next
13%
10%
6%
1% 0% 0%
-2%
-3% -4%
-5%
-6%

16. How major brands will lose when users upgrade next
Vivo users planning
to switch to
OnePlus 15.3%
Samsung 12.6%
Apple 9.8%
Samsung users
planning to switch to
OnePlus 9.7%
Apple 7.8%
Xiaomi 7.0%
Xiaomi users
planning to switch to
Samsung 13.3%
OnePlus 12.2%
Realme 9.8%
Realme users
planning to switch to
OnePlus 12.6%
Xiaomi 8.4%
Samsung 8.2%
OPPO users planning
to switch to
Samsung 14.3%
OnePlus 11.5%
Realme 10.1%
OnePlus users
planning to switch to
Apple 13.6%
Samsung 8.6%
Xiaomi 2.4%
Brand-wise % of people who wish to move to other brands from their current ones

17. Recap
o The brands with the highest customer loyalty: Apple and OnePlus
o Brands with the highest increase in customer loyalty from 2020 to 2021:
Apple, Motorola and OPPO
o Brands with the highest decrease in customer loyalty from 2020 to 2021:
Vivo, Xiaomi and Realme

18. How people decide on a new smartphone

19. What is the main reason for you to buy a new smartphone for yourself?
To own the latest
or a better
smartphone,
46.1%
My current
phone is no
longer working
as well as it
used to, 33.9%
To avail a good
deal that I am
getting on a new
phone, 12.8%
Other, 7.2%
Primary reason for buying a new phone
Almost 60% people buy a new phone just for an upgrade

20. Men are more likely to buy a new phone just for an upgrade
compared to women
47%
37%
Men Women
% of people that buy a new phone just for an upgrade

21. How often do you end up changing your primary smartphone?
Within 6 months,
9.5% 6 months to 1
year, 11.2%
1 year to 2 years,
26.9%
After 2 years,
52.3%
Frequency of smartphone upgrade
Almost 50% people upgrade within 2 years, with 20% upgrading within a year

22. What is your primary source of information while deciding on a new phone?
Check gadget
websites
(91mobiles,
MySmartPrice,
GSMArena, etc.),
37.2%
Watch video reviews
on YouTube, 26.7%
Check e-commerce
websites, 14.7%
Visit offline store(s)
to check options,
11.2%
Ask friends and
family members for
recommendations,
10.1%
How people decide on a new phone
64% people research a new phone on gadget sites or YouTube before going to the store

23. % of people that watch YouTube videos while deciding on a new phone
27%
21%
Men Women
Men are more likely to watch YouTube videos while deciding on
a new phone compared to women

24. % of people that check gadget websites while deciding on a new phone
38%
33%
Men Women
Men are more likely to check gadget websites while deciding
on a new phone compared to women

25. Recap
o Almost 60% people buy a new phone just for an upgrade
o Almost 50% people upgrade their phone within 2 years, with 20%
upgrading within a year
o 64% people research a new phone on gadget sites or YouTube
o Men are more likely to visit gadget sites or watch reviews on YouTube
before buying a new phone compared to women

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

27. Which smartphone attribute is most important to you while deciding on a
new phone?
Performance /
speed, 54.6%
Brand name, 14.5%
Camera, 14.5%
Battery, 8.0%
Design / looks,
5.4%
Display, 3.0%
Performance matters most to people while buying a new
smartphone

28. % of people that said camera matters most while deciding on a new phone
People below 35 years care more about camera while buying a
new phone compared to older age groups
17%
16% 16%
12%
8%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 Above 44 years

29. % of people that said performance/speed matters most while deciding on
a new phone
Men care more about performance/speed while buying a
new phone compared to women
56%
41%
Men Women

30. % of people that said camera matters most while deciding on a new
phone
14%
27%
Men Women
Women care more about camera while buying a new phone
compared to men

31. Which of these factors is most important for you while evaluating the
performance of your next smartphone?
Processor brand
(Qualcomm
Snapdragon,
MediaTek, Exynos,
etc), 47.8%
RAM capacity (in
GB), 25.9%
Processor clock
speed (in GHz),
18.4%
Benchmark scores
(AnTuTu,
Geekbench, etc.),
7.9%
How people evaluate a phone’s performance

32. % of people that said processor brand matters most while evaluating the
performance of their next smartphone
Men care more about processor brand while evaluating the
performance of their next phone compared to women
49%
37%
Men Women

33. % of people that said RAM capacity matters most while evaluating the performance
of their next smartphone
24%
45%
Men Women
Women care more about RAM capacity while evaluating the
performance of their next phone compared to men

34. Which of these is most important for you while evaluating the camera
capabilities of your next smartphone?
Resolution
(measured in
megapixels), 32.9%
AI capabilities /
software features,
21.5%
Video capabilities (4k
video, slow-mo, etc.),
20.8%
Number of rear
cameras, 9.3%
Aperture (measured
in f-number), 9.0%
Selfie capabilities,
6.4%
How people evaluate a phone’s camera capability

35. Which of these upcoming flagships are you most looking forward to?
33.7%
1.8%
3.1%
4.6%
7.4%
9.2%
11.2%
11.4%
17.6%
Not interested in premium phones
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 / Samsung Z Fold 3
ASUS ROG Phone 5
POCO F3
Realme GT
Samsung Galaxy Note 21 series
Apple iPhone 13 series
Xiaomi Mi 11 series
OnePlus 9 series
Upcoming flagship devices people are most excited about
OnePlus 9 series tops the list

36. Which of these upcoming budget / mid-range smartphones are you most
looking forward to?
36.7%
6.0%
8.1%
8.4%
9.5%
12.7%
18.5%
Not interested in budget or mid-range smartphones
Vivo X60 series
OPPO F19
Google Pixel 5a
Samsung Galaxy M62
Samsung Galaxy A52
Realme 8 series
Upcoming mid-range devices people are most excited about
Realme 8 series tops the list

37. Recap
o 55% people said performance / speed of the phone is the most important
aspect while buying a new phone
o Men care more about performance while buying a new phone compared to
women
o Women care more about camera while buying a new phone compared to men
o Almost 50% people consider processor's brand as the most important factor
while evaluating a phone’s performance
o 1 in 3 people consider megapixel count as the most important factor while
evaluating a phone’s camera

38. How people prefer to purchase a new
smartphone

39. How much did you pay for your current phone?
Below ₹10,000,
19.1%
Between ₹10,000
and ₹20,000,
50.9%
Between ₹20,000
and ₹30,000,
16.5%
More than
₹30,000, 13.5%
Most popular price segment for smartphones
3 in 10 people own devices priced above ₹20k

40. Number of people owning phones priced above ₹20k have
increased in 2021 compared to 2020
More than
₹20k, 26%
Less than
₹20K, 74%
How much did you pay for your current
phone?
2020 2021
How much did you pay for your current
phone?
More than
₹20k, 30%
Less than
₹20K, 70%

41. 84% people are planning to buy a new phone in 2021
Are you planning to buy a new phone this year?
Yes, 83.6%
Not sure,
10.3%
No, 6.1%

42. Almost 90% people are considering buying a 5G phone next
Would you buy a 5G phone in 2021?
Yes, 55.6%
Maybe /
depends on
the price,
31.6%
No, 12.9%

43. Where people would prefer to buy a new phone if…
Online and offline price
are the same
Online price is ₹1000
cheaper than offline
Offline price is ₹1000
cheaper than online
Online,
40.4%
Offline,
32.9%
Not sure,
26.7%
Online,
58.3%
Offline,
18.0%
Not sure,
23.7%
Online,
25.1%
Offline,
43.9%
Not sure,
30.9%

44. How would you pay for a new smartphone?
Pay full amount
upfront, 57.3%
Buy it on EMI
through bank
credit / debit
card, 23.9%
Buy it on EMI
through
services like
Bajaj Finserve /
ZestMoney,
14.2%
Other, 4.6%
Preferred mode of payment for a new smartphone
Almost 4 in 10 people would opt for EMIs

45. % of people that would prefer to buy a new phone on EMI through bank credit /
debit card
17%
21%
27%
28%
23%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 Above 44 years
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

46. % of people that would prefer to buy a new phone through cardless EMI services
like Bajaj Finserv / Zestmoney
11%
13%
16% 15%
12%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 Above 44 years
People between 25 and 44 years are more likely to buy a new phone
using cardless EMI services compared to other age groups

47. Would you buy extended warranty to protect your new phone against
spills and screen damage?
Yes, 34.4%
No, 37.9%
Maybe,
27.7%
Will people pay extra for extended warranty on their new phone
35% said they would
Note: The question told people that extended warranty can cost 5% to 7% of the phone’s price

48. People below 34 years are more likely to buy extended warranty to
protect a new phone compared to older age groups
% of people that are likely to buy extended warranty to protect their new phone
against spills and screen damage
40%
36%
34%
31%
29%
Below 18 years 18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 Above 44 years

49. Women are more likely than men to buy extended warranty to
protect a new phone against spills and screen damage
% of people that are likely to buy extended warranty to protect their new phone
against spills and screen damage
34%
40%
Men Women

50. Would you buy a new phone through smartphone upgrade programs such as Galaxy
Forever, Mi Smart Upgrade or Realme Real Upgrade?
Yes, 35.2%
No, 32.0%
Maybe, 32.8%
Will people buy a new phone through upgrade programs
35% said they would
Note: The question explained how an upgrade program works – one can get a new phone at ~70% of the
cost, and then upgrade after 12 months or retain the phone by paying the remaining amount)

51. Women are more likely than men to buy a new phone through
smartphone upgrade programs
35%
39%
Men Women
% of people that are likely to buy a new phone through smartphone upgrade
programs such as Galaxy Forever, Mi Smart Upgrade or Realme Real Upgrade

52. Recap
o 84% people are planning to buy a new phone in 2021
o Almost 90% people are planning to buy a 5G phone next
o Almost 4 in 10 people would opt for EMIs to buy a new phone
o 34% people would pay extra for extended warranty on their new phone
o 35% people would buy a new smartphone through smartphone upgrade
programs