The Indian smartphone market is teeming with handsets from various leading brands. According to various reports, India is the second-largest smartphone market globally. In 2021, the country had around 750 million smartphone users – more than twice the number of smartphone users in the United States, which was ranked third. Thus, it is no surprise that more than a dozen smartphone brands are offering mobile phones in India. Additionally, because of the Make in India initiative, there has been an uptick in the number of local manufacturers offering mobile phones over the last 3-4 years.
Smartphone penetration is projected to increase in the coming years. A recent report by Deloitte estimated that India will have one billion smartphone users by 2026. The Indian government has also been doing its part to increase smartphone penetration in rural India, launching plans such as the BharatNet program. Thus, the Indian market is a proverbial goldmine for smartphone OEMs, and all the mobile phone brands are vying to tap into the country’s potential.
Among the myriad mobile phone brands in the country today, a few have managed to outpace the others. If you’re currently thinking about purchasing a new mobile phone, you will benefit from knowing the best mobile phone brands in the country. In this article, we take a look at the top five smartphone brands in the country today.
Samsung
The South Korean juggernaut has been offering excellent handsets for nearly two decades and popularised smartphones in India. The Samsung Galaxy smartphones set the benchmark when smartphones were slowly finding their way into the country. The scenario hasn’t changed much, as Samsung continues to set the standards in the smartphone industry. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S22 range contains some of the best premium smartphones available today. Moreover, Samsung extends the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4 – two futuristic luxury smartphones, and the brand has created a design blueprint that other brands can follow.
Xiaomi
Once christened as the most disruptive brand in the industry, Xiaomi has now cemented its place as the most popular smartphone brand in India. Topping the sales charts almost every quarter, Xiaomi offers the most cost-effective handsets that boast the best price-to-performance ratio. The brand continues to dominate almost every segment. Whether you want a budget handset, a solid mid-ranger, a mid-premium device, or a premium smartphone – Xiaomi has you covered. Today, the battle for market supremacy in India involves Samsung and Xiaomi.
Realme
Realme is one brand that continues to defy the odds in the Indian smartphone industry. The Chinese OEM has carved its own niche in the market, rivaling Xiaomi as the most dependable and value-for-money brand. The Narzo and X-series from realme offer incredible handsets in the budget, mid-range, and premium segments, while realme focuses on the all-around performance of the handset. The hardware and software of these phones are optimised to deliver class-leading performance.
Vivo
Yet another Chinese brand that has managed to capture the imagination of Indian consumers is vivo, and the brand has been able to do that by offering chic and camera-centric handsets. Besides offering excellent performance, vivo smartphones also come with elegant designs and mesmerizing colours. The vivo V23e 5G is a perfect example of the company’s fine craftsmanship, while vivo’s premium handsets flaunt cameras co-engineered with ZEISS. These camera phones can give any DSLR a run for its money.
OnePlus
With its first smartphone in India, OnePlus inherited the ‘Flagship Killer’ monicker from Xiaomi. Since then, however, the brand has primarily focused on mid-premium and premium segments. However, OnePlus altered its strategy two years ago, and now offers phones in the mid-range segment. OnePlus phones are some of the best in the business, as they carry incredible specifications while the phone runs on Oxygen OS – one of the most popular Android skins around.
Apart from these brands, OEMs such as Apple, OPPO, Nokia, Motorola, and Google also offer highly sought-after smartphones. While Samsung and Xiaomi continue to tussle and vie for the number one spot, realme has been the fastest-growing brand in the country. OPPO, vivo and OnePlus are the other companies that consistently find themselves in the ‘top 5’ lists in terms of market share.
Whether you want to purchase a OnePlus 5G phone, such as the OnePlus 10 Pro, or the Samsung Galaxy S22, all phones from top brands are well within your grasp.
