Mobile phone landscape: India 2014Launch and search trends

The #1 Gadget Research Website in India

Nitansh Rastogi, Correspondent

91mobiles is the leading research and

comparison website for mobile phones &

gadgets in India

The 91mobiles catalog contains over

20,000 devices launched since the

website’s inception in 2010; includes

practically every mobile phone launched in

India over the last 3 to 4 years

Over 40 million people visited 91mobiles

in 2014 and made over 100 searches for

mobile phones

This report provides insights pertaining to mobile phone launches in 2014, their specifications,

search trends seen on 91mobiles, and an outlook for 2015

2

About 91mobiles and this report

The year saw the Indian smartphone industry turn around on its head >

2014:A LANDMARKYEAR

1,137Total phone

launches in

2014

95 brands in India

64 Indian brands | 31 International brands

~19% growth

957Total phone

launches in

2013

4

Number of phone launches grew ~20% in 2014

New and resurgent brands such as Xiaomi, Motorola and

Lenovo grew sharply in popularity

8%

12%

22%

27%

31%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

New brands: Motorola, Xiaomi, ASUS, OnePlus

Resurgent brands: Lenovo and Huawei

5

Share of popularity* of devices by new / resurgent brands in 2014

*Popularity as measured by searches

Some of these brands adopted the online-only sales model,

which accounted for 20% of all searches by Dec’ 14

4%

12%

17%

20%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Moto G launched

Xiaomi Mi 3 launched

Redmi Note, OnePlus One,

Nexus 6 launched

Moto E launched

6

Share of popularity* of devices that are selling exclusively online in 2014

Xiaomi Redmi 1s

launched

*Popularity as measured by searches

All this put top brands under pressure, with most witnessing

a decline in relative mindshare

20.1%

12.3% 12.3%

7.8%

4.9%

16.5%

11.2%10.7%

6.9%5.7%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Samsung Nokia Micromax Sony HTC

2013 2014

7

% of searches for devices from the top five brands in 2013 and 2014

New brands mainly targeted the budget segment (Rs 5k-

15k)

Number of devices launched in 2014 by new entrants

2

4

4

5

2

10

1

2

2

3

32

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Motorola

Xiaomi

ASUS

OPPO

Obi

Some other brands that entered the Indian market in 2014: Acer, HP, Philips, OnePlus, vivo and AOC among others

8

5k – 15k

15k – 25k

25k – 35k

Above 35k

Below 5k

Note: Motorola re-entered the Indian market in 2014

Popularity of devices based on different price segments in 2014 vs 2013

9

With a surge in value-for-money devices, the budget

segment (Rs 5k-15k) grew substantially in popularity

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2013 2014

<5k 5k-15k 15k-25k 25k-35k >35k

46%

20%

6%

23%

4%

59%

20%

4%

15%

1%

As a result, the average selling price of smartphones fell by

19% over the course of the year

Rs 8,118

Rs 8,417

Rs 8,099

Rs 6,579 Rs 6,603

6,000

6,500

7,000

7,500

8,000

8,500

9,000Average selling price of smartphones purchased* in 2014

10

*purchased on major ecommerce stores via 91mobiles.com

Moto E, Micromax

Unite 2 launched

Xiaomi Redmi 1s

launched

Moto G launched

Xiaomi Mi 3, ASUS

Zenfone range

launched

However, the Android One initiative had limited success, with only the

Canvas A1 getting meaningful recognition

Popularity of smartphones below Rs 8,000 September 1st onwards

The Android One initiative was launched in September 2014; Other Android One devices (Karbonn Sparkle V

and Spice Dream UNO) weren’t even on the list of top 100 products basis popularity on 91mobiles.com

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

SamsungGalaxy Core 2

Xiaomi Redmi1s

MicromaxUnite 2

Moto E MicromaxCanvas Fire 2

MicromaxCanvas A1

SamsungGalaxy Star

Advance

Nu

mb

er

of

sear

che

s in

th

ou

san

ds

Note: The Samsung Galaxy Core 2 received a price cut in September, bringing it under Rs. 8k

11

Powerful specs trickled down into the budget realm: now

available in a smartphone under Rs. 10k

12

Karbonn Titanium S7

Rs 14,999

Intex Aqua Octa

Rs 19,999

Champion

Trendy 531

~Rs 13,000

Videocon A47

Rs 5,500

Micromax Canvas

Turbo

Rs 19,990

2014

Cheapest Full HD phone

Cheapest quad-core phone

Cheapest octa-core phone

Cheapest phone with 2GB RAM

Cheapest phone with 13MP

camera

Spice Mi-549

Rs 7,999

iBall Andi 5K Panther

Rs 7,200

Karbonn

Titanium S25 Klick

~Rs 7,500

Lava Iris 352 Flair

Rs 3,500

Xiaomi Redmi Note

Rs 8,999

2013

Despite the smartphone segment being abuzz, feature phone launches

kept growing

391

566

446

691

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Feature phones Smartphones

2013 2014

Feature phones and smartphones launched in 2014 and 2013

13

2014 saw a bevy of phone launches and entry of new brands >

MARKETWATCH

Smartphones launched by Indian & international brands in 2013 and 2014

15

Indian brands continued to dominate the number of

smartphone launches

384476

182

215

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2013 2014

Indian International

32%

60%

40%

68%

32%

16

13

264

202

15

219

150

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

15k-25k

5k-15k

<5k

2013 2014

Price-wise distribution of smartphone launches by Indian brands in 2013 vs 2014

Indian brands grew in the sub-15k range, but felt the heat from

international names in the 15k+ segment

35% growth

21% growth

13% decline

60%

40%

68%

32%

17

27

18

50

104

13

18

18

31

80

52

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

>35k

25k-35k

15k-25k

5k-15k

<5k

2013 2014

-75% decline

30% growth

Price-wise distribution of smartphone launches by Indian brands in 2013 vs 2014

International brands virtually vacated the entry-level segment (below Rs

5k) and shifted their focus to higher-range devices

61% growth

50% growth

18

Top brands by number of smartphone launches in 2014

5149 48

39

34 33

25 24

1916

Karbonn Intex Micromax Lava XOLO Spice Celkon IBall Samsung LG

Karbonn & other Indian brands led the charge with the

maximum number of smartphone launches in 2014

Top brands by number of smartphone launches above Rs 15,000 (in 2014)

19

International brands dominated when it came to launches

priced above Rs 15,000

12 12 12

10

7 76 6

54

Samsung LG HTC Sony Apple OPPO Gionee Lenovo Micromax Huawei

All storage variants of a device are considered as a separate launch. Apple launched three storage models for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, along with iPhone 5c 8GB version in 2014.

Samsung focussed in the above 25k segment, and reduced

launches in all segments below 25k

2

8

4

3

4

8

11

8

0

5

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Below 5k

5k-15k

15k-25k

25k-35k

Above 35k

2013

2014

Price-wise distribution of phone launches by Samsung in 2013 vs 2014

20

HTC, on the other hand, shifted its focus from premium segment to the

affordable (Rs 5k-15k) and mid-range (Rs 15k-25k) segments

0

4

6

2

3

0

2

3

3

5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Below 5k

5k-15k

15k-25k

25k-35k

Above 35k

2013

2014

Price-wise distribution of phone launches by HTC in 2013 vs 2014

21

Sony put more emphasis on the mid-range segment (Rs

15k-25k)

0

5

5

1

4

0

4

2

2

3

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Below 5k

5k-15k

15k-25k

25k-35k

Above 35k

2013

2014

Price-wise distribution of phone launches by Sony in 2013 vs 2014

22

Nokia also focused on the voluminous budget territory (Rs

5k -15k)

7

11

1

1

1

8

7

4

1

1

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Below 5k

5k-15k

15k-25k

25k-35k

Above 35k

2013

2014

Price-wise distribution of phone launches by Nokia in 2013 vs 2014

23

The list also includes the Lumia 535 and Lumia 638, which were launched under the Microsoft branding

Micromax started moving up the value chain from feature

phones to smartphones

31

33

5

0

0

35

18

2

0

0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Below 5k

5k-15k

15k-25k

25k-35k

Above 35k

2013

2014

Price-wise distribution of phone launches by Micromax in 2013 vs 2014

24

Popularity of brands & devices

based on over 100 million searches

on 91mobiles.com >

2014REPORT CARD

Most popular brands in 2014: the table-toppers maintained their

positions; Motorola gained an entry

26

S. No. Brand Percentage of searches

in 2014

1 16.53%

2 11.22%

3 10.71%

4 6.92%

5 5.74%

6 4.23%

7 4.04%

8 4.01%

9 3.41%

10 3.19%

Tracing Samsung’s journey in 2014: saw highs ahead of its

flagship launches

1000

1050

1100

1150

1200

1250

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of

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27

Galaxy S5

launched

Galaxy Note 4

launched

Galaxy Core 2

received price cut

Popularity of Samsung devices in 2014 based on number of user searches

Tracing Nokia’s journey in 2014: going downhill, with the

only saviour being its surprise hit, the Nokia X series

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

Nu

mb

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of

sear

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ds

28

Nokia X launched

Nokia XL launched

Popularity of Nokia devices in 2014 based on number of user searches

Tracing Micromax’s journey in 2014*: ended the year on a

higher note than it started

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

850

900

950

Nu

mb

er

of

sear

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s in

th

ou

san

ds

29

Unite 2 launched

Canvas Nitro,

Canvas A1 launched

in September

Popularity of Micromax devices in 2014 based on number of user searches

Tracing Sony’s journey in 2014*: good start to the year, but

felt pressure from new brands towards the end

300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

Nu

mb

er

of

sear

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s in

th

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san

ds

30

Xperia Z2 launched

Popularity of Sony devices in 2014 based on number of user searches

Tracing HTC’s journey in 2014: climbing steadily upwards

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Nu

mb

er

of

sear

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31

Desire 816

remained

popular

Desire 616

launchedDesire 816

launched

Desire 816

remained

popular

Desire 820

launched

Popularity of

Desire 820

and 816G

Popularity of HTC devices in 2014 based on number of user searches

Tracing Apple’s journey in 2014*: compensates for the whole year

within a month, when it launches the new iPhone(s)

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Nu

mb

er

of

sear

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s in

th

ou

san

ds

32

Apple iPhone 6, 6

Plus introduced

Popularity of Apple devices in 2014 based on number of user searches

Nokia XLLaunched in:

May 2014

#1 #2

#3 #4 #5

33

Most popular phones in the budget range

(Rs 5k-15k): Samsung rules the segment

On the basis of popularity on 91mobiles.com

SamsungGalaxyCore 2Launched in:

Jul 2014

Moto ELaunched in:

May 2014

Micromax

Unite 2Launched in:

May 2014

SamsungGalaxyS DuosLaunched in:

Sept 2014

34

Most popular phones in the mid-range segment (Rs 15k-

25k): a mixed lot spanning different brands

SamsungGalaxy Grand 2Launched in:

Jan 2014

#1 #2

#3 #4 #5

On the basis of popularity on 91mobiles.com

SonyXperia C

Launched in:

Oct 2013

Xiaomi

Mi 4Yet to launch

Blackberry

Z3

Launched in:

May 2014

SamsungGalaxyGrand NeoLaunched in:

Mar 2014

35

Most searched phones in the high-end segment

(Rs 25k-35k): old remains gold

Samsung

Galaxy S4Launched in:

Apr 2013

#1 #2

#3 #4 #5

On the basis of popularity on 91mobiles.com

HTC One

Launched in:

Apr 2013

Sony

Xperia ZLaunched in:

Mar 2013

Google

Nexus 5

Launched in:

Nov 2013

SamsungGalaxyS5 MiniLaunched in:

Sept 2014

Most devices in

this list are former

flagship devices

that retained, or

grew in popularity

long after their

launch by virtue of

price drops.

36

Most searched phones in the premium segment (above Rs

35k): Samsung and Apple rule the roost

Apple iPhone 6

Launched in:

Nov 2014

#1 #2

#3 #4 #5

On the basis of popularity on 91mobiles.com

Samsung

Galaxy S5Launched in:

Apr 2014

Sony

Xperia Z2

Launched in:

Apr 2014

Samsung

Galaxy

Note 4Launched in:

Oct 2014

Apple iPhone 5s

Launched in:

Nov 2013

91mobiles Critics Awards

37

Read more about 2014’s 91mobiles awards winners and nominees

Best smartphone

from an Indian brand!

Sexiest phone

of the year!

Game-changer of the year!

Tie

Most innovative

smartphone of the year!

91mobiles Critics Awards

38

Read more about 2014’s 91mobiles awards winners and nominees

Phone of the year!Also, best camera phone of the year!

Best value-for-money

smartphone of the year!

Best budget

smartphone of the year!

39

Editor’s picks: those who defied the conventional norms of

price vs specs

Moto G (1st-gen)

Xiaomi Mi 3

ASUS Zenfone 5

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro

OnePlus One

Xiaomi Redmi 1s

Budget segment

(Price: Rs 12,999 / 13,499)

Budget segment

(Price: Rs 9,999 / 12,999)

Budget

segment

(Price:

Rs 6,999)

High-end

segment

(Price:

Rs 32,999)

Mid-range segment

(Price: Rs 21,999)

Budget segment

(Price: Rs 13,999)

Phones continued to become more powerful in 2014 >

THE NUMBERMANIA

53

88

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Number of devices

2013 2014

Phablet launches in 2013 vs 2014

*Phablets are defined as devices with screen size more than 5-inches and less than 7-inches

41

Going big: Phablets constitute ~60% of all devices in the

super-premium segment (above 35k)

59%

41%

Phablets Normal devices

Split between phablets and normal devices

in super-premium segment in 2014

42

Power in the pocket: 60% of all smartphones launched in 2014 were

powered by quad-core and above processors

60%40%

Smartphones launched in 2014 split by

processor type

129

371

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Quad-core

3

38

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Octa-core

2013 2014

Devices with

Quad-core

processors and

above

Devices with

single and

dual-core

processors

Phones launched with quad-core and octa-core

processors in year 2013 vs 2014

43

Power in the pocket: over 60% of devices above Rs 5k

packed in a gigabyte or more of RAM

Phones launched with different RAM sizes in the year 2014

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Below 5k 5k-15k 15k-25k 25k-35k Above 35k

Below 1GB 1GB and 1.5GB 2GB 3GB

97%

3%

39%

55%

6%

75%

23%

2%

28%

61%

11%

22%

45%

33%

3% 6%

90

205

180

43

166

156

0 50 100 150 200 250

13MP and above

8-13MP

5-8MP

2013 2014

Megapixel count of smartphone cameras in year 2013 vs 2014

23.5 % growth

111 % growth

15.3%growth

44

Phone meets camera: smartphones with 13-megapixel and

above registered massive growth

45

Sharper displays: HD resolution became a norm, especially

in the budget segment

# of smartphones launched with different

high-def resolutions in 2013 vs 2014

22

43

18

97

10

27

14

31

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

>35k

15k-25k

25k-35k

5k-15k

2013 2014

Smartphones launched with HD resolution

or more in 2013 and 2014, segregated by

price segments

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2013 2014

HD Full HD 2K

81 180

212%

growth

28.6% growth

59.3% growth

120% growth

63%

37%

76%

20%

4%

46

Phones are slimming down: 35 phones launched across all price

segments in 2014 were slimmer than iPhone 5s (7.6mm)

8

2

7

18

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Above Rs 35k

Rs 25k-35k

Rs 15k-25k

Rs 5k-15k

Thin devices (<7.6mm) launched by price segment in 2014

47

Selfies: from fad to phenomenon, even in the budget

segment

24

76

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2013 2014

Devices launched in 2014 and 2013 with front

cameras of 5MP and more

4

7

24

41

0 10 20 30 40 50

Above Rs 35k

Rs 25k-35k

Rs 15k-25k

Rs 5k-15k

Devices launched in 2014 with front cameras of

5MP and more, segregated by price segment

Other key trends

Devices with high battery capacities in vogue

61 devices launched in 2014 had battery capacities

of 3,000mAh+ compared to 30 in 2013

4G proliferation begins

Compared to 3 devices in 2013, 20 phones launched

in 2014 were compatible with Indian 4G bands

Android continues to dominate

With more than 90 percent market share, Android

has become a formidable OS, even though 2014

saw the debut of new OSes such as Firefox and Jolla

48

THINNEST SMARTPHONE

4.75mm Vivo X5Max

CAMERA

10X Optical Zoom

Samsung Galaxy

K Zoom

LARGEST BATTERY

5,300mAH battery

Philips W6610

PROCESSOR

Fastest quad-core (2.7GHz)

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

PROCESSOR

64-bit octa-core

HTC Desire 820

49

Spec milestones:

Devices that set new benchmarks

DISPLAY

2K pixels OPPO Find 7

Swivel camera

13-megapixel rotatable camera

OPPO N1

Fast charging

VOOC technology

OPPO Find 7

Laser autofocus

Fast and accurate focus

mechanism

LG G3

50

Feature milestones

Duo Camera

For depth-of-field effects

HTC One (M8)

What this year holds for us >

PEERINGINTO THECRYSTAL BALL

Even though its just an year old brand, it has created a dedicated fan following with its

strategy of offering a powerful smartphone at an affordable price tag.

Entered: Dec 2014, Rank in Dec 2014: 13

After giving tough fight to the likes of Samsung and Nokia, Micromax is gearing up to take

on the new-gen rivals like Xiaomi with an entirely new online-only brand.

Entered: Dec 2014, Rank in Dec 2014: 86

Rumoured to enter the Indian market this year, the brand can be a strong contender in the

newly-formed category of devices that disrupt the price vs specs equation.

Yet to enter the Indian market

The Taiwanese brand forayed into the market just last year, and with its superb devices

and their enticing pricing, it’s set to climb the popularity ranks.

Entered: Jul 2014, Brand rank in Dec 2014: 15

The numero uno PC manufacturer is keen on growing its smartphone share in the Indian

market, and its aggressive pricing strategy will surely help its cause.

Present in the market since couple of years, but became aggressive in 2014, Brand

rank in Dec 2014: 11

52

Top 5 mobile phone brands to look out for in 2015

Read our take on these manufacturers

Seflie snappers

and accessoriesWith powerful camera sensors and even front

LED flashes, manufacturers will make sure

that consumers are able to take high-quality

selfies.

Also, on the rise would be accessories such

as selfie sticks and flash extensions to make

the task easier.

53

Editor’s comments

The value-for-money term

to get a new meaning2014 was just the beginning, and this year we

will be seeing both old and new brands

becoming more aggressive with the pricing of

their offerings.

54

Editor’s comments

Download on the go

While 2014 started the 4G era with the launch

of 20 compatible devices, in 2015 it’s set to

increase manifold. With Reliance JIO’s plan to

roll out 4G across India, mobile brands are

already bracing for next-gen cellular networks

with affordable 4G devices.

64-bit processing

While Apple kickstarted the 64-bit processing

trend, Android devices will not be far behind

as both 5.0 Lollipop and several chipsets offer

support for 64-bit architecture.

Editor’s comments

55

Innovative form

factorsSwivel cameras, curved

screens, bent displays…

those are just a start, we

might see some crazy ideas

being implemented by

vendors this year.

Software as a means to

differentiateWith hardware being almost the same

in similarly-priced devices, brands will

put special focus to software and

services to stand out from the crowd.

YU’s CyanogenMod, XOLO’s Hive UI

are just a few examples.

Size-zero maniaManufacturers will continue

cutting down the excess flab

on their devices to make

them super slim.

Some ifs and buts >

METHODOLOGYAND DISCLAIMERS

Source of data is 91mobiles’ database and user behavior on 91mobiles.com.

All devices made available for sale by an online store are considered as devices ‘launched’ in the

Indian market for the purpose of this report

Different storage and SIM variants of the same device are considered as separate products for the

purpose of this report.

Popularity of devices measured in terms of searches on 91mobiles is indicative, and may differ

from other platforms.

57

Methodology and Disclaimers

List of phone brands considered for the report

Acer Mobile Jolla Samsung

Alcatel Lenovo Sansui

Apple LG Sony

Asus Mercury Xiaomi

Blackberry Microsoft Yota

BQ Motorola Zook

Forme Nokia ZTE

Gionee Obi

Google Mobile Oppo

HP Mobile Panasonic

HTC Mobiles Philips

Huawei Rocker

Adcom Devante Josh MTS Sky Mobile

Alpha Digimac Karbonn OGO Speed

Arise Earth Kenxinda Onida Spice

Atom Fly K-Touch OPlus Swipe

Bingo Hi-Tech Mobile Lava OptimaSmart Vedaee

Bloom HPLLemon Mobiles

Penta Videocon

Byond Tech IBall Lima Mobiles Raeno VOX Mobile

Celkon IBerry Mafe Rage Wham

Champion ICEX Maxcell Reach Wynncom

Cheers Idea Maxx Reliance XOLO

Croma Intex Micromax RK Mobile Zen Mobiles

Cubit i-smart Mitashi Salora Zync

Datawind Jivi M-Tech SICT

Indian Brands International Brands64 31

58