• Three in every four smartphone users feel that a chipset is very important while selecting a smartphone brand.
• 5G will accelerate the adoption of Smart Home IoT devices, such as Smart TV (29%), Smart Health Systems (21%), and Smart Speakers (17%).
• 5G-led mobile gaming will enable high-quality graphics (82%), faster downloads (68%) and enable multi-player gaming (68%) with ease.
• MediaTek and Qualcomm are the popular choices amongst consumers when it comes to 5G performance and mobile gaming.

7^th September, 2021 | NEW DELHI. CyberMedia Research (CMR), a leading Indian technology market research and advisory firm, unveiled the results of a new consumer survey, identifying consumer appetite for 5G capable phones, key motivators and benefits expected from 5G, and willingness to spend on 5G plans when it becomes available, amongst others. Indiansmartphone users, especially gamers, are increasingly using 5G capable phones with an intent to experience its performance capabilities as well as  future-proof themselves.

Mobile gaming in India is growing rapidly, driven by consumers staying at home amidst the pandemic. Gamers feel that 5G would enable them to better experience gaming, and enabled refined multi-player gaming experiences.

For a majority  of the smartphone users, especially gamers, the chipset brand plays a key consideration in smartphone purchase, and is as important as the smartphone brand itself. Amongst major chipset brands, CMR’s consumer survey points to MediaTek gaining ground in recent times in terms of consumer awareness, performance and satisfaction. Consumer satisfaction with MediaTek-powered smartphones is high,  when it comes to  5G performance and gaming. Insights from CMR Smartphone tracker point that MediaTek has made in-roads into the value for money 5G smartphone segment (INR 7,001 – 24,999), while Qualcomm dominates the premium 5G smartphone segment (>INR 25,000).

According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, “Whether it be for gaming or for enhanced content creation and consumption, India’s young consumers demand the best-in-class experiences. As 5G capable smartphone offerings diffuse to lower price tiers, and 5G gets more democratized, they make powerful experiences possible for consumers. What’s interesting is the equal importance accorded by consumer cohorts, such as mobile gamers,  to chipset brands, alongside the smartphone brand imagery tself. This is a good leading trend for ecosystem players when it comes to enabling powerful mobile experiences.”

As per the survey respondents, 5G will accelerate the adoption of Smart Home IoT devices. Amongst them, Smart TV will gain most popularity driven by 5G adoption (29%), followed by smart health systems (21%), and smart speakers (17%).

Here are the key survey takeaways:

• The top three expectations from 5G enabled phones are faster response time (70%), faster connection speed (67%) and cost-effective data plan (66%).

• Smartphone users believe that 5G would enable better quality video calls (70%), enable quality content (63%) and more immersive experience with the help of AR & VR (54%).

• 5G is expected to enable consumers to watch more streaming video (81%) on smartphones. Similarly, consumers believe mobile gaming is anticipated to get a boost with 5G (74%).

• Gamers believe 5G-enabled mobile gaming will enable high-quality graphics (82%), enable multi-player mobile gaming (68%), and, faster downloads (68%), amongst others.

• MediaTek scores high for performance amongst consumers. Seven in every eight smartphone users are aware of MediaTek HyperEngine gaming technology, and 92% of the consumers are satisfied with MediaTek HyperEngine performance.

• Qualcomm scores highest in Industry leadership (93%) while considering chipsets offering 5G technology. 86% of those surveyed are aware of Qualcomm Elite Gaming, and an overwhelming majority are satisfied with its performance.

• 81% of those surveyed are aware of Apple Bionic Chip and 84% of those believe Apple is a visionary brand.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted across the top six cities of India, namely, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. The study covered 1184 smartphone users in the age groups of 13 to 48.

For results based on a randomly chosen sample of this size, there is 95% confidence that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3% of what they would be if the entire population had been surveyed.

About CMR

CMR offers industry intelligence, consulting and marketing services, including but not limited to market tracking, market sizing, stakeholder satisfaction, analytics and opportunity assessment studies. Its bouquet of consulting services includes incubation advisory, go-to-market services, market mapping and scenario assessment services. CMR is servicing domestic as well as international clientele in India and few global destinations. The clientele serviced represents SMBs, Large Enterprises, Associations and the Government. CMR’s core value proposition encompasses a rich portfolio of syndicated reports and custom research capabilities across multiple industries, markets and geographies.

A part of CyberMedia, South Asia’s largest speciality media and media services group, CyberMedia Research (CMR) has been a front-runner in market research, consulting and advisory services since 1986. CMR is an institutional member of the Market Research Society of India (MRSI).

For queries, please contact:

Sugandha Srivastava,
Research Manager
CyberMedia Research
ssrivastava@cmrindia.com