1) The survey of over 15,000 smartphone users in India found that Xiaomi has become the top brand currently owned with 28% of respondents, overtaking previous leader Samsung. 2) When considering future purchases, 28% of users plan to switch to Xiaomi or its sub-brand POCO, indicating further growth, while Samsung may continue to decline. 3) OnePlus emerged as the most recommended brand and highest rated for value, while it and Apple had the lowest rates of users reporting issues like battery problems or poor camera performance over time.

1. Consumer Insights Study
Smartphone Category
Based on real experiences of 15,000+ users
India’s #1 Gadget Discovery Site

2. Objective of the survey
Key questions we wanted answered
How brand loyalties are shifting in the smartphone space
How user preferences are evolving
Common issues faced by smartphone users
How satisfied users are with their current devices
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3. Demographics and methodology
Demographics
Since the survey was conducted among the audience of 91mobiles, the
demographics of the respondents would be as follows:
• Online savvy
• Millennials (18-35 age group)
• 70% male
• Enthusiastic about smartphones
Methodology
• The survey was conducted via a form, which was shared on 91mobiles’
site, app and social channels
• Only smartphone brands which got more than 100 entries were
considered for data analysis
Note: Almost 50% of the surveyed respondents have owned their smartphones for over a year
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4. The questions we asked
Brand ownership
 Details on smartphone brands owned by respondents in the past and
present, and the ones they want to purchase next
 Ownership duration
Issues faced
 Whether the respondents had to visit the service centre
 The most common issues faced
 Features users miss the most
Satisfaction and recommendation
 Whether the users are satisfied with the smartphone brands they own
 Whether they would recommend the same brand to others
 How would they rate their current smartphone on value for money
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5. Brand quotient and
ownership

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Previous ownership patterns
Samsung used to be the undisputed market leader earlier with 25% share
Breakup of smartphone brands owned by respondents earlier

7. 5
Current ownership patterns
Xiaomi has taken over now with 28% respondents owning the brand’s smartphones
Breakup of smartphone brands owned by respondents currently

8. 6
Future ownership patterns
Of the total respondents, 28% likely to switch to Xiaomi and POCO when they upgrade
Breakup of smartphone brands respondents plan to migrate to

9. Brand ownership share: previous vs current vs future
Samsung may face a steady drop, but OnePlus, Nokia & Apple could see growing numbers
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10. Gainers and losers
Apple might gain due to the aspirational factor, but OnePlus could see huge growth too
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11. The most recommended brands
OnePlus came up as the most highly recommended brand, followed by Xiaomi
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Top brands by percentage of users who said they’ll recommend the same brand to others

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The most value-for-money brands
Over 90% OnePlus users rated their phones the highest on value
Top brands by percentage of users that rated their smartphones 4 or more out of 5 on value-for-money

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The brands chosen by first-time users
Xiaomi is a popular choice for first-time smartphone buyers
Breakup of smartphone brands chosen by first-time smartphone buyers

14. Smartphone
issues

15. Service centre visits
Almost a quarter of the respondents faced a service issue
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16. Brand users citing the least service issues
Honor stands out as the brand with the least service issues
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Brand-wise percentage of users who had to visit a service centre to get problems fixed

17. Most common issues
Battery degradation is the biggest pain point
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The most common problems faced by users

18. Battery problems by brand
OnePlus is the best brand in terms of battery reliability while Apple is the worst
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Brand-wise percentage of users who reported battery degradation issues

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Camera consistency by brand
Apple owners faced the least camera-related issues while ASUS users faced the most
Brand-wise percentage of users who reported problems related to camera consistency

20. 17
Slowdowns / Performance Issues by brand
OnePlus smartphones offered smooth usage over time while Lenovo fared the worst
Brand-wise percentage of respondents who reported performance issues

21. Summary of best & worst brands on various issues
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Coveted features
Waterproofing and quick-charge support are the most sought-after features
The features users desire the most on their devices

23. Brand loyalty and
switching preferences

24. Brand loyalty
OnePlus will be able to retain 60% of its current users when they upgrade next
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Note: Prospective Xiaomi buyers also include prospective buyers of its sub-brand POCO
Percentage of users who would stick to the same brand

25. Users who wish to move to other brands from their current ones
POCO seems to be cannibalising Xiaomi’s sales
% of current Samsung owners who wish to
convert to other brands
% of current Xiaomi owners who wish to
convert to other brands
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Samsung’s defectors Xiaomi’s defectors

26. Users who wish to move to other brands (contd.)
OnePlus stands to gain significantly when users of other brands migrate
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% of current Honor owners who wish to
convert to other brands
% of current Motorola owners who wish to
convert to other brands
Honor’s defectors Motorola’s defectors

27. Users who wish to move to other brands (contd.)
OnePlus’ good run continues…
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% of current OPPO owners who wish to
convert to other brands
% of current Vivo owners who wish to convert
to other brands
OPPO’s defectors Vivo’s defectors

28. Users who wish to move to other brands (contd.)
About 14% current OnePlus users could move to more premium devices
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% of current OnePlus owners who wish to
convert to other brands
% of current Apple owners who wish to convert
to other brands
OnePlus’ defectors Apple’s defectors