89 percent smartphone buyers prefer better camera over other specs

The survey also pointed out that when it comes to product aesthetics, OPPO was placed first (94 percent), followed by Realme (93 percent), with Samsung and VIVO tied at the third position (92 percent)

| Published: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 14:51 [IST]

According to CMR Mobile Industry Consumer Insight (MICI) survey, eighty-nine percent buyers consider the camera as the key specification while buying a smartphone, followed by battery life (87 percent), RAM (79 percent) and internal memory (72 percent).

89 percent smartphone buyers prefer better camera over other specs

The survey said Indian Consumers put a premium on factors, such as "product reliability" (76 percent), "product innovation" (72 percent), and "customer centricity" (68 percent) over "smartphone brand equity and imagery".

The CMR MICI survey results underline the fact that consumers are increasingly becoming brand-agnostic, and their smartphone preferences are increasingly driven by factors, such as overall product quality (92 percent), product performance (90 percent), product aesthetics (82 percent), and reliable after-sales service, with fast turnaround time (76 percent).

"In a hyper-competitive market, marked by the smartphone sea of sameness, smartphone brands that invest in ensuring product quality and other softer aspects, win big. Indian consumers, especially post-millennials and Gen-Z are very demanding. For them, smartphone product design, product quality, and overall value for money are of critical importance," said Narinder Kumar, Lead Analyst - IIG, CMR.

The survey also pointed out that when it comes to product aesthetics, OPPO was placed first (94 percent), followed by Realme (93 percent), with Samsung and VIVO tied at the third position (92 percent).

Satya Mohanty, Head- User Research Practice, CMR, "The CMR MICI Survey results affirm the importance and passion that consumers invest in, and associate with their smartphones. While bigger smartphone brands continue to hold onto their pockets of strength, it is interesting to see Realme outperform the competition. I believe this can be attributed to the nimble and success-hungry DNA of Realme, a nascent smartphone brand."