Appeal for the first time Smartphone user: Though Indian market for Smartphones is growing, the penetration is very low. As the IDC report points out, Q2 saw over 9.3 million Smartphone shipments in India with phablet shipments growing 17 percent. Compare this to China, which shipped 97 million units in Q1 of 2013 alone. According to Meeker’s 2013 report, India currently has 67 million Smartphone subscribers which is a mere 6 percent of the total mobile users in the world.

So when people want to shift from feature phones to Smartphones, Indian brands offer fairly decent specs at a low-cost, making it a sensible option to go with.

Price and features: The Indian market is highly cost conscious.

Micromax became one of the first brands to offer a 5-inch screen phone with a quad-core processor for under Rs 14,000 with Canvas HD. Karbonn too launched Smartphone with a 5.5-inch full HD screen, a quad-core processor and a 13 megapixel camera, called as Titanium S9 at Rs 19,990. Compare this to a Samsung Galaxy S4 mini with a hefty price tag of Rs 27,900, but a dual-core processor. Quad-core processor with low price turn out to be a sensible choice for users.

The stigma of the cheap Indian brand is over: Karbonn and Micromax are now keen to move beyond the ‘cheap option’ image. The choice also explains why the Titanium S9, Canvas 4 and Canvas Doodle 2 were priced above Rs 18,000. While the firms haven’t yet launched a Smartphone that is above 20, 000, there is no doubt that they wish to be perceived as a brand that offers high-end Smartphones as well.

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