91mobiles Smartphone Buyer Insights Survey 2026: a summary

With the final numbers and nitty-gritty details in, the Smartphone Buyer Insights Survey 2026 by 91mobiles reveals evolving preferences, priorities, and behaviours of smartphone users in India. From changes in ownership patterns to variations in brand loyalty to going in-depth into what goes on in consumers’ minds when purchasing a smartphone, the report provides a standpoint view of how the smartphone industry has fared over the past year.

With responses and inputs garnered from over 15,000 participants, here’s a rundown of the key insights and takeaways gained from the Smartphone Buyer Insights Survey report.

Trends in smartphone ownership

• As of early 2026, Samsung currently leads with a 17.7 percent ownership share among respondents in this survey. The brand is known for catering to multiple price segments and channels in India, providing buyers a vast selection of Samsung-branded phones to choose from.
• Xiaomi and OnePlus follow closely, each holding 11.3 per cent share, while Vivo also captures a similar share.
• Just like Samsung, Xiaomi, and Vivo have multiple smartphone lineups, each targeting different price tiers, while OnePlus competes solely in the Rs 25,000 and above segments.

• Per the survey report, Samsung emerges as the most preferred brand, with over 20 percent respondents planning to purchase a Samsung smartphone the next time they look to upgrade.
• Following closely behind Samsung is Apple, which aspires to be the next smartphone brand for over 16 percent of respondents, while OnePlus secures third place with 13.4 percent of the vote.
• Vivo and Google account for the remaining share, while 32 per cent of respondents are said to stick with other brands available in the market.

Brand loyalty among smartphone users

• As indicated in a separate report, Google has an edge over Apple, Samsung, and other brands when it comes to brand loyalty. With a customer retention rate of 71.5 percent, the American tech giant’s Pixel lineup of smartphones is the most favourable among all smartphone brands.
• Even though Google tops the charts, 70.2 percent of this year’s survey takers are the front-runners to upgrade only to an iPhone from their existing Apple smartphone.
• While the iPhone 17, the newest standard iPhone in Apple’s current lineup, was the highest-selling phone above the Rs 60,000 segment by the end of 2025, per IDC, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 also sold in huge numbers. This indicates a strong hold Apple has over the premium market.
• OnePlus and Vivo hold 43 percent and 38 percent share, respectively, showing niche but notable interest in their smartphones. In the same report by IDC, Vivo dominates India’s smartphone market, holding the top spot with nearly 20 percent share.

How people decide on a new smartphone

• Moving on to the buying behaviour when it comes to deciding on a new smartphone, the primary reason the survey respondents will be looking for an upgrade is when their current daily driver no longer works as it used to.
• Close behind, 36.7 percent will upgrade to own the latest or a better smartphone, reflecting a strong desire for improved features or better performance.
• 13.8 percent of the voters claimed that they would purchase a new smartphone when and if they get an exciting deal.

• Over two-thirds of respondents choose to hold on to their primary smartphone for two or more years before upgrading. With the current advancements in hardware and significantly improved software longevity promises, even several sub-Rs 20,000 smartphones are assured of three OS upgrades, allowing people to operate a phone for a longer period before the software reaches its end of life.
• Interestingly, 10.5 percent of the survey takers switch up their primary smartphone within just six months, likely to experience the latest and cutting-edge innovations available in the market.

Aspects that matter while purchasing a new smartphone

• When it comes to purchasing a new smartphone, 40 percent respondents keep performance and phone speed at the forefront. It appears most people want fast, smooth operation for gaming, multitasking, and overall responsiveness.
• About 22 percent of the smartphone purchasers prioritise cameras. A smartphone with good camera capabilities allows taking quality photos or videos for social media, content creation, or professional use.
• A certain percentage of the participants also consider the brand name before opting for a smartphone, which is where Apple and Samsung carry a major advantage.

• Nearly half of the respondents prioritise the smartphone chipset’s reputation and specific manufacturer. While Android smartphones feature multiple chipsets across price ranges, such as Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Unisoc, Apple utilises its own A series of silicon.
• Approximately 18 percent of users evaluate performance based on the amount of memory on offer, while several users also consider the benchmark scores the chipset delivers, along with clock speeds.

• When evaluating a smartphone’s camera, the highest priority is given to the camera’s megapixel count, likely because it’s the most visible spec on paper and easy to compare.
• While factors like sensor size and aperture matter, a higher megapixel camera offers better perceived sharpness.
• With 25.7 percent votes, the sensor size is the second most considered aspect for photography among potential smartphone buyers, per the survey.
• This is followed by evaluating video capabilities, AI imaging features, and the number of cameras. With content creation on a constant rise, these attributes enable a well-rounded photography and videography experience.

• Despite mature proprietary AI suite offerings from multiple smartphone brands, including Samsung, OPPO, Vivo, Google, Infinix, and others, more than half of respondents are still on the fence about whether they would pay a premium for access to AI features.
• On the other hand, a solid minority is willing to pay more for AI functionalities. This group likely includes early adopters and heavy users of features such as generative editing and real-time translation. An almost equal share of respondents outright said that they won’t pay to use AI features.

• When asked about their preference for a foldable or flip smartphone, almost 70 percent of the people filling the survey denied interest in such form factors, indicating that slab phones are not phasing out anytime soon.
• Only about 7.4 percent respondents are willing to get a foldable or flip smartphone when they upgrade next.
• As of late, while Samsung has consistently launched every Galaxy Z Fold or Z Flip device in India, several brands have also now tried their hands at this ultra-premium product segment. These include Vivo with its X Fold series, OPPO with its Find N series, Tecno with its Phantom lineup, Motorola Razr, and more.

Here are the upcoming or recently released flagship smartphones the respondents were most excited about:

Similarly, here is a percentage-wise list of upcoming or already released midrange smartphones the respondents were looking forward to:

How people prefer to buy a new smartphone

• Around 30 percent of the survey respondents currently own a smartphone priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000, indicating a good chunk of the market prefers smartphones that provide a good bang for the buck.
• The largest share of buyers, however, are present in the Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 segment, with roughly 27.8 percent of people owning a smartphone that falls in the said price bracket.
• The Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000 price segment seems to find fewer buyers, as about only 11 percent of survey takers own a smartphone in that range.

• Survey results show that close to 75 percent of respondents are inclined to upgrade their phone this year. With the Samsung Galaxy S26 series just released globally, there are tons of smartphones for buyers to look forward to from all brands this year.
• In the coming weeks, POCO and OPPO are confirmed to bring a phone with the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s chipset, while the OnePlus Nord 6 series could also be on the cards.
• 15.6 percent of people claim they are not willing to purchase a phone in 2026.
• The remaining are not sure whether they will be purchasing a new phone this year.

• With lakhs of smartphones being purchased in India daily, we asked the respondents how they treat their phones they no longer use, with the majority keeping them to themselves.
• The reasoning behind this could largely stem from the fact that many people treat their old phones as storage devices or are unsure how to gain a buyer.
• On the other hand, a good portion of users give their old phone in exchange as a means to get a discount on a new device, while a similar number of users hand it down to a family member.

• Approximately 42 percent of the surveyees are not interested in getting an extended warranty plan that protects their new smartphone against water or display damage.
• Throughout 2025, we saw multiple phones priced above Rs 20,000 equipped with IP68/69 certification for water and dust protection, which could be why users don’t find investing in an extended warranty plan worthwhile.
• However, 28.3 percent of the respondents would be willing to get an extended warranty in case their smartphones met the wrong fate.

Here’s the full survey for your reference:

Usage Rights

This report is for internal consumption only and should not be shared publicly. If a brand wishes to use this data for social media, marketing, or advertisements, please contact 91mobiles for explicit approval at [email protected]