Indians love iPhones but within their budgets

Who doesn't love Apple? The iPhone maker has changed the way people look at phones across the globe. Indians are no different to this global rage but then Indians aren't big spendthrifts and Apple happens to be the most expensive brand in the market. So, how do we reconcile the two?

Simple- Buy Apple but when it fits your budget! Apple iPhone 5s is the top premium smartphone in India, according to a Mobilytiks report by CyberMedia Research. Apparently, the smartphone is currently available online at a price starting at Rs 15,499. Is it a coincidence? We, don't think so. But then we aren't even saying that all Apple lovers wait for prices to come down to fit their budgets.

The iPhone 5s is the "no.1 premium smartphone in India across all the states on the cumulative installations basis (simply put, this means sales) as of March 2017," the report reads, adding that iPhone models occupy spots on the top five premium spots even in non-metro states.

In Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, iPhone 5s is ranked as the top premium smartphone while iPhone 6 occupies the second place in these states, except West Bengal where Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini held the second spot in the premium category.

From Android stack, Samsung and OnePlus are the only brands that made it to the list of top 5. It is worth noting that OnePlus 3T has positioned itself in the top 5 list in a very short span post its launch towards the end of 2016. "There has been growth in numbers from Oppo and Vivo as well; however, models from these brands are yet to figure in the top 5 on a cumulative basis," the report added.

If we look at the top Indian handset brands, Micromax is the clear winner followed by Lava, Intex, Karbonn and Spice.  There are some traces of localised brands like Celkon and Spice which are strong in states like Andhra Pradesh-Telangana and Rajasthan. An in-depth look hints towards consolidation in the handset market. In this scenario, regionally strong brands like Spice and Celkon would be worth evaluation for takeovers, the report added.

“Rankings have a highly positive correlation with the years of operation. This clearly hints that market development is a function of time and interim measures like online only, etc. don’t yield results in the long term,” said Faisal Kawoosa, Principal Analyst and GM, CMR.

”The Indian brands must pace to regain, as new entrants are picking up the order fast,” added Kawoosa.