With the aim of understanding the dynamics of the Indian smartphone market, we at 91mobiles recently concluded our annual Smartphone Buyer Insights Survey 2026. With the final reports in, the survey sheds light on smartphone buyers’ preferences, changes in brand ownership, consumer behaviour when purchasing a phone, and more. While several brands experienced positive gains, Google, a premium-focused brand catering to the high-end-to-premium segment known for Pixel smartphones, stood out for growth in customer retention, loyalty, and ownership share. With inputs from over 15,000 participants, here’s a close look at Google’s performance over the past year:
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Google tops the brand loyalty charts, making its userbase the most loyal towards Pixel phones
- Per the 91mobiles survey report, 71.5 percent of Google smartphone users are likely to stick with the brand by going for a Pixel phone the next time they upgrade.
- While such a loyalty rate is impressive in itself, what’s more interesting is that the brand has managed to outgrow the likes of Apple and Samsung, which hold customer retention shares of 70.2 percent and 50.3 percent, respectively.
- Google’s current generation of Pixel smartphones comprises five models: the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and Pixel 10a, the latter going on sale starting March 6th.
Google’s smartphone ownership share has tripled over the past year
- In the pursuit of determining the precise distribution of smartphone brands owned among the survey respondents, we found that the number of people owning Google smartphones has tripled over the last 12 months.
- Per the report’s data, Google currently holds an ownership share of 3.3 percent among the survey takers as of January 2026, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to January 2025.
- During this period, Google struck several high-profile partnerships with major organisations, such as the International Cricket Council (ICC), to promote its consumer-focused brands like Pixel and Gemini. The American tech giant came into collaboration with ICC in August 2025 to boost the visibility of its products during the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 and the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
- An increase in Google’s ownership share may also have resulted from major seasonal and festive sales. For instance, during the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2025, the Pixel 9 was offered starting at Rs 39,999, down from Rs 79,999, providing users an easier entry point into the signature Pixel UI experience, tons of AI features powered by Gemini, and Google’s computational photography capabilities.
Google could add a decent share of new users to its existing market
- As a result of increased brand loyalty, Google’s ownership share may rise by 4.7 percent compared to last year. This puts it right behind Apple, which could see the highest growth in ownership percentage among all smartphone brands.
- Offerings like the Google Pixel 10a, which aims to deliver a similar software and hardware experience as its elder siblings at more affordable price points, could go a long way in improving the brand’s presence in India.
- On similar lines, the Google Pixel 10a is also the top mid-range smartphone respondents were most looking forward to. With around 11 percent of enthusiasts picking it over other given options, such as the OnePlus Nord 6 and Apple iPhone 17e, the handset boasts a compact-sized 6.3-inch P-OLED display, the flagship Tensor G4 chipset, 48MP primary camera, and a 5,100mAh battery.
Google is the fifth most sought-after brand
- When asked about their smartphone brand preference, 8 percent of the survey respondents claimed that they would purchase a Google smartphone, with Samsung leading the way with 20.5 percent share, followed by Apple at 16.4 percent.
- It appears that even though Google has a long way to go, its consistent efforts in promotions, brand collaborations, and discount offers during major sale events are starting to yield results.
