We at MySmartPrice have analyzed top 15 mobile phones for each month in 2012 from our user data (based on 20 million users who visited our mobiles category) to figure out the key trends of past year. To know more details about those top 15 mobile phones, you can refer this spreadsheet.
Key Numbers
Key Trend #1 - Samsung most sought after brand, Micromax gaining popularity with the new Android releases
With most hit models of the year, Samsung gained #1 spot as it ate away everyone’s sales while Nokia slipped down. There were popularity spikes for individual flagship product launches from Apple and HTC which later died down but Micromax has been able to generate continuous gain in popularity with models such as A100 (Canvas) and A110 (Canvas 2).
Key Trend #2 - Mobile phones above INR 10,000 are leading the way
Generally, the popularity of phones priced above the Sub 10K price range saw a boost in their popularity. As the year started, most of the popular phones were under the INR 10,000 as the year ended, most of the popular phones such as Samsung Micromax A110, Galaxy S Duos and Galaxy S3 which are all priced above the 10K price range, saw huge gains.
Key Trend #3 – Consumers are opting for larger screen size
There has also been a change in consumer taste with most of them wanting bigger and bigger screens. As the cost of technology is going down, we are seeing phones with larger than 4 inch screen size at cheap price such as Micromax Canvas. The demand for phones with QWERTY keypads and screen size lesser than 3 inches has died down.
Key Trend #4 – Dual-SIM smartphones are most popular
The year 2012 in general, saw the rise of Dual SIM Android smartphones. A a majority of Indian subscribers have prepaid connections and are not tied down to contracts, so they are willing to spend a little extra to buy the dual SIM versions of smartphones. Among almost all the online stores, the Samsung Galaxy S Duos is one of the best selling model.
Top Hits of 2012
The popularity of Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 can’t be missed as Samsung managed to create 2 flagship phones in 2012. Nokia’s most selling phones were from the below 6K price range such as Asha 311 and the Samsung Galaxy Y was the preferred choice of the first-time smartphone buyers.
Top Misses of 2012
The duds of 2012 were mostly from Nokia, Sony and HTC. The Nokia Lumia series failed due to their high price and had no significant advantage over competitors. Sony missed out on one or other important feature in each of their models which turned off the consumers and pushed them back from buying. The HTC One X was defeated by Samsung Galaxy S3 in its price range and consumers don’t want anything other than the best when they are already spending so much money.
Predictions For 2013
As we bid a farewell to 2012, the next year can be bring forward some interesting trends.
- Nokia might just bounce back with their Windows Phone 8 devices if released in Rs. 10K - 12K price range.
- Lenovo may target Indian brands like Micromax, Karbonn and Celkon with their budget Android devices and may end up being in the top 5 mobile brands.
- Tablets to give a stiff competition to budget Android phones as consumers may opt for a combination of cheap feature phone and a tablet with 3G connectivity.
- 2013 might just be the year of high-end dual SIM smartphones.
