CMR: Survey on Indian Consumers’ 5G Mobile Phone Preferences

CMR released the results of a new consumer survey to understand Indian consumers' preferences for 5G mobile phones, key motivators and expected benefits of 5G, and willingness to spend, etc. Indian smartphone users, especially gamers, are increasingly using 5G phones to experience the performance of 5G phones.

Mobile gaming has grown rapidly in India as consumers have been forced to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic, and players believe 5G will enable better gaming experiences, such as making multiplayer gaming more refined.

For most smartphone users, especially gamers, branded chips play a key role in smartphone purchasing decisions and are as important as the smartphone brand itself. Among the major chip brands, MediaTek has recently made key inroads in consumer awareness, performance, and satisfaction. Consumer satisfaction with MediaTek chips is high in terms of 5G performance and gaming. CMR Smartphone Tracking shows that MediaTek has made inroads into the mid-range 5G smartphone segment (INR 7001-24999), while Qualcomm dominates the premium 5G smartphone segment (above INR 25000).

In addition, 5G will also accelerate the adoption of smart home IoT devices, with smart TVs (29%) seeing the biggest benefits, followed by smart health systems (21%) and smart speakers (17%).

Here are the main findings:

• The top three expectations for 5G phones are faster response times (70%), faster connection speeds (67%), and cost-effective data plans (66%).
• Indian smartphone users believe 5G will enable higher-quality video calls (70%), higher-quality content (63%) and more immersive experiences thanks to AR and VR (54%).
• 5G is expected to lead to consumers watching more streaming video on their smartphones (81%). Similarly, consumers believe 5G will lead to an increase in mobile gaming (74%).
• Gamers believe that 5G-enabled mobile games will enable high-quality graphics (82%), multiplayer mobile gaming (68%), and faster downloads (68%), among other things.
• MediaTek is well received by Indian consumers. Seven out of eight smartphone users are aware of MediaTek Super Engine gaming technology, and 92% of consumers are satisfied with the performance of MediaTek Super Engine.
• When considering chipsets that offer 5G technology, Qualcomm scored highest for industry leadership (93%). 86% of respondents were aware of Qualcomm Elite Gaming, and the vast majority were satisfied with its performance.
• 81% of respondents are aware of the Apple Bionic chip, and 84% believe that Apple is a visionary brand.