As we look forward to the smartphones coming our way in the next few weeks and months, we recently conducted a survey to evaluate user preferences on Android platforms, use cases, and most importantly, the excitement around upcoming flagship smartphones. Let’s dive into the insights to see what we’ve been able to find out, on the basis of over 10,000 responses we received.
We queried users about upcoming smartphones expected to launch in the next couple of months, asking them to choose the one that excites them the most, and should come to India. Based on the responses, it’s clear that smartphones like the OPPO Reno 7 and the Realme GT Neo have garnered a lot of user interest. Quite a few respondents are also interested in the Sony Xperia 1 III, which is a phone that won’t be coming to our shores at all, given that the brand exited the Indian market years ago. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE seems to be quite high on the list though, and with almost 20 percent votes, occupies the second spot in the list of most favoured upcoming smartphones. It’s the OnePlus 9RT however, that wins with over 50 percent votes. Clearly, OnePlus has managed to build a lot of hype for a phone that was launched exclusively in China.
The next question in the survey was a follow-up to the previous one, wherein we asked users to choose one exciting aspect about their favourite upcoming smartphone. While high-resolution cameras and fast charging both got high votes, the aspect that topped the list was “powerful flagship processor” with over 50 percent votes. This doesn’t really come as a surprise, since the most preferred upcoming smartphone turned out to be the OnePlus 9RT, and as we know, the brand is known to equip its smartphones with high-performance SoCs. And the flagship from OnePlus comes powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC, which is currently the top-end mobile chipset from Qualcomm. Basically, one can be sure that the OnePlus 9RT will be packing lots of power.
Next, we asked respondents about Android skins they prefer, and in keeping with the general scheme of things so far, it was OxygenOS that got the highest number of votes at 36 percent. OnePlus’ custom Android platform is known for the ease of use, flexibility and customisation features it offers, and is favoured by both newbies as well as power users for these reasons. What’s interesting is that the second most favourite platform wasn’t Pixel UI (which is almost like stock Android), but Samsung’s OneUI which got 28 percent votes. There’s no denying that OneUI has come a long way since the brand’s TouchWiz era. Pixel UI was in third place with 20 percent votes, and Xiaomi’s MIUI was chosen by 17 percent of respondents.
We turned our focus on use cases next. A smartphone, of course, is an all-rounder of a gadget that can accomplish quite a few tasks. Over 12 percent of survey respondents chose content consumption, which is a use case that has become even more important in recent times. Over 32 percent chose gaming, and this is yet another aspect of a smartphone that has become vital for a large number of people in recent times, given that many of us have been spending more time indoors. And serious gamers covet powerful specs too… a point that works well in favour of the OnePlus 9RT and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. The use case that turned out to be the most important, however, is photography, with almost one in two respondents voting in its favour. Photography has always been a crucial aspect for smartphones, and also a key differentiating factor over the years. Our recent survey highlights how important it still is. Speaking of photography, the OnePlus 9RT’s triple-camera setup is headlined by a 50MP shooter, so it surely holds a lot of promise in the imaging department.
The final aspect of our brief survey involved a question on gaming. We asked users about the aspect they look for in a flagship smartphone that could promise a smooth gaming experience. Of course, a large chunk of the respondents voted for a powerful processor with a high-end GPU. This aspect alone got almost a quarter of the votes. Over 15 percent voted for a high refresh rate AMOLED display, while almost 7 percent voted for a hardware-based cooling system. Almost 54 percent of respondents however, voted for all of the above. Clearly, most people want their next smartphone to be an all-rounder, and when it comes to buying one that boasts flagship specs and can promise a smooth gaming experience, a combination of all the factors should do the trick. And once again it highlights why users are eagerly waiting for the OnePlus 9RT to launch in India, considering it ticks all the boxes including a hardware-based cooling system.
That wraps up the insights from our user survey. Going by the responses, it seems that devices like the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and the OnePlus 9RT have a lot riding on their shoulders. The OnePlus 9RT in particular has piqued user interest and there seems to be a lot of excitement around it. We hope the brand takes notice of the user anticipation, and brings its smartphone to the Indian market soon.
This survey has been done in association with OnePlus.
