Handsets between Rs 5,000-10,000 are most sought after: The Mobile Indian survey

The price-sensitive consumers in India still prefer to look out for mobile phones in the price bracket of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, suggests the second edition of The Handset Hotlist survey (August 2011).

The Handset Hotlist, based on a survey of online preferences, is brought out by The Mobile Indian (www.themobileindian.com), and will be released every month.

The Mobile Indian, one of the fastest growing websites in the country, lists the 25 most-searched mobile phones. The objective of The Handset Hotlist survey is to give marketers a monthly insight into the changing consumer preferences.

The list is based on the surfing patterns of 7.5 lakh unique visitors who visited the website in July 2011, and searched for and viewed information about mobiles on the site's Handset Guide, which lists more than 1,100 models.

Nokia, followed by Samsung, continues to dominate the second edition of The Handset Hotlist. The Finland-based handset maker has 12 models on the list, as opposed to eight from its South Korean rival. The remaining slots in the Top 25 list are shared by Micromax and Sony Ericsson -- each with two models -- with the last slot going to the iPhone.

Among the models that have entered the list for the first time, the most dramatic rise has been that of Samsung Star II Duos C6712, which stands at No. 2. The Duos C6712 is a Java-based touch screen phone with a 3.2 inch screen, and is priced at Rs 6,000.

Nokia C5-03 maintained its Numero Uno position as the most-searched handset in July.

Five notable handsets from the last Handset Hotlist, which failed to make it to the Top 25 list this time are the Nokia X2, Nokia C7, Dell XCD 28, Samsung Champ Duos C67812, and HTC Wildfire S.

Top 10 Indian Challengers

This month, The Mobile Indian has also introduced the Top 10 Indian Challengers list, a monthly ranking of the 10 most exciting handsets from Indian marketers, based on the preferences of the visitors on the website.

Commenting on the new sub-list, Sreekant Khandekar, director, The Mobile Indian, says, "The idea of Top 10 Indian Challengers is to go beyond the dominant international names and capture the undercurrent of change in the Indian market. Some of these names could well be the leaders of tomorrow."

The Top 10 Indian Challengers list is led by Micromax A70, followed by Micromax X560. The Intex IN 6660 V.DO Touch Wi-Fi comes in at No. 3 on the list. Spice Mobiles has three handsets on the Challenger list, and iCube has one.

Differences between the two lists:

• Handsets featuring in the Top 10 Indian Challengers list are priced lower than those in the Handset Hotlist. Half the phones in the Top 10 Challengers list are priced at Rs 5,000 or less, as compared to only 20 per cent in the latter.

• Only two of the 10 handsets are 3G-enabled in the Top 10 Challengers list, while in The Handset Hotlist, the figure is 56 per cent.

• In the Challengers list, visitors have shown a keen interest in Wi-Fi functionality, as seven out of 10 handsets support it.

• A good camera seems to be a lower priority in the Challenger choice; half the phones have a lens of 2 MP or less.

Both lists suggest that touch screens are a must-have in the most preferred handsets, and the typical screen size, too, is roughly the same at about three inches.