Of the 25 most viewed handsets in India, 14 come with rear camera of 8 megapixels or more resolution.
Of late, smartphones are increasingly being used as a default camera, replacing the traditional digital cameras. In the past 18 months, we have rarely come across a decent smartphone or feature phone that doesn't have a camera. Digital camera manufacturers have also said it on record that their businesses have taken a hit because of the rise of phones with camera capabilities.
This is also reflected in 'The Handset Hotlist Survey' of July, which was conducted by The Mobile Indian.
As per the survey, which is based on a study of online preferences of over one million people who visited the website (http://www.themobileindian.com) in July this year, out of the 25 most searched mobile phones on The Mobile Indian, 14 have 8 megapixel or more camera resolution, and are based on Android operating system.
As per the Handset Hotlist survey, Micromax Canvas 4 is the most searched smartphone in the country. The phone was launched in July and comes with an interesting unlock gesture - you have to blow at the phone or shake it to unlock it.
Also, after a long time, Nokia launched a new phone under the Asha series - Nokia Asha 501. This phone also made it to the list and bagged the second slot in the handset hotlist.
Commenting on the survey, a spokesperson of The Mobile Indian says, "Many people love to capture things as they happen and then upload to popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Nothing can better a mobile phone to accomplish it."
The spokesperson further adds, "Since Android based handsets are available in different price brackets and have plenty of choice options, it is no surprise that it grabs the maximum attention from consumers."
Of the 25 most searched handsets, eight were from Micromax, seven were from Samsung, two each from Nokia and Xolo, and one each from LG, Karbonn, Apple, Sony, Intex and iBerry.
As compared to last month, three handsets from Micomax Canvas 2, Canvas 3D and Canvas HD lost 7, 13 and 16 positions respectively and one handset from Samsung, the Galaxy Grand, lost 16 positions. Also, 10 new handsets made it to the Handset Hotlist this month, out of which two were from Micromax and Samsung, and one each from Nokia Intex, Xolo, Sony, iBerry and LG.
As for the Relative Score for grabbing consumer interest, there was close competition this month from positions No. 6 to 17. So much so that slot numbers 7 to 10 and slot numbers 11 to15 had 20 and 19 relative scores, respectively.