Has the Budget Smartphone Segment in India Reached Its Peak?

India as a country is quite unique for a variety of reasons. One of them is our obsession with the best and the will to get only the best and nothing else. This mentality trickled down to the smartphone segment with the initiation of Redmi or Xiaomi in India back in early 2013. Seven years down the line, the entire market has gone through a plethora of changes, for better or for worse.

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There was a time when mid-rangers were often the best deals (in the 20-40k segment), with OnePlus leading the charge in the same segment. Budget smartphones were decent, but they lacked the raw power one might require. Flagships were in a class of their own, with only brands such as OnePlus and, at times, Xiaomi breathing down their neck.

What Changed In The Market?

While there is no proof based on numbers, it is my belief that the change was ushered in with the launch of the Poco F1. A product under Rs 20k that offered a flagship processor, certain exclusive features and a decent set of cameras? Was I dreaming? Thankfully not. To date, there has been a lack of any product that had its name on the consumer’s mouth as there had been for the Poco F1.

Down the line, Poco failed to bring another strong contender to the segment, with a spiritual return in early 2021 in the form of the Poco X3 Pro. However, I am of the understanding that the Poco F1 got other brands thinking.

What if the companies could provide stronger specifications for a minor hike in prices? Would that result in higher sales? The Realme 6, to me, was an example of this.

The company catapulted from a mediocre 5-series of devices to the Realme 6 series, which offered a 90Hz display, a good set of cameras, a decently sized form factor and a proper gaming chipset. The sales that followed were further proof of my belief.