Smartphones have become a need for everyone not just for communication but it’s a need for information, learning skills, and a lot more things.

In early 2024, India had 659 million smartphone users and 751+ million internet users and the report also says smartphone users are expected to rise by 1.5 billion in 2040.

Source – Statista, datareportal

In this report, I have covered almost all the important data that a marketer needs to make a data-driven marketing strategy.

I have explored the latest statistics on smartphone usage including habits, Android vs IOS bifurcation, and a lot more fascinating data.

Summary (Highlights)

• Smartphone market size
• Ratio of Android vs iPhones
• Brands’ share in the market
• Demographics Split
• Time spent on smartphones
• Data consumption

Highlights (in Detail)

• Smartphones Market Size Expected to rise by $59 billion in 2028.
• Android is leading the Indian market with a 97.98% share followed by IOS with 4.02%.
• Xiaomi is leading the Indian market with a 20.54% share followed by VIVO with 18.17%, Samsung with 13.8%, Real Me with 13.04%, and Oppo with 11.52%.
• 25 to 34 are the age group who have more smartphones with 37.6% share, followed by 18 to 24 with 30.8%, 35 to 44 with 24.8%, 45 to 54 with 6%, and 55 to 64 with 0.8%.
• The average Indian spends between 4 to 5 hours daily on mobile.
• Average monthly mobile data consumption is expected to reach between 28 – 30 GB Per month in India by the end of 2024.

Indian Smartphones Market Size (2024)

According to recent data of 2024, the Indian smartphone market size is expected to reach $44.6 Billion (US) and the demand will not only stop there, it’ll rise exponentially by $59 Billion (US).

An interesting fact is in 2018, the numbers were almost half compared to 2024, which is $27.5 Billion (US).

Research estimates the annual growth of market size is 7.25%, compared to China which is 5.58%, it’ll grow more by 1.67%.

Although compared to actual numbers China is the number one country of smartphone market size which is expected to reach $105.5 Billion (US) in 2024, followed by the United States with $60.8 Billion (US).

Summary – India is expected to be the third largest country to have a huge market of smartphones.

Source – Statista

Android VS IOS Share in India – 2024

According to recent data of 2024, it is found that 95.98% of users in India are Android users only 4.02% are IOS users.

Summary – This means India is an Android market, it could be because of the low to medium price range, and also because iPhones are more premium than Android the price gap between a good Android phone and the latest iPhone is still huge and it is not wrong to say that iPhone is still an aspiration for a lot of people even after a lot of easy to pay options and discounts.

Source – statcounter

Market Leaders in the Smartphone Category in India

According to recent data of 2024, Xiaomi is leading the Indian market with a 20.54% share followed by VIVO with 18.17%, Samsung with 13.8%, Real Me with 13.04%, Oppo with 11.52%, Unknown Brand with 6.78%, OnePlus with 4.5%, Apple with 4.02%, Motorola with 2.04%, Infinix with 1.64%.

Summary – This diversified market share in Android proves the previous data that the Indian market is for Android especially players who create smartphones in the low to the medium price range that’s why Xiaomi is a market leader in the space because they understand the mentality, challenges, income, lifestyle, and behavior of the majority of Indians.

Source – statcounter

Demographic Split of Smartphone Users in India

According to recent data of 2024, 25 to 34 are the age group who have more smartphones with 37.6% share, followed by 18 to 24 with 30.8%, 35 to 44 with 24.8%, 45 to 54 with 6%, and 55 to 64 with 0.8%.

Summary – The majority of the age group between 18 to 34 have smartphones, and this is the main age group who are highly active in almost all online and offline purchasing activity.

Source – Statista

Average Indian Time Spend on Mobile – 2024

According to the recent data of 2024 from different research, It is found that the average Indian spends between 4 to 5 hours daily on mobile.

Summary – An average Indian spends almost one-third of their productive time on mobile phones if I minus 8 hours of sleep. It could be because of work, entertainment, shopping, communication and more.

But this also means that people are becoming addicted to phones every year. This could be good for marketers because they can advertise better but not for the individual’s health.

Source – Data.ai & Inmobi

Data Consumption on Mobile in India – 2024

According to recent data of 2024, An Average Indian is expected to consume between 28 to 30 GB of Data Per Month by the end of 2024.

Summary – This means, soon the budgets of advertisers will rise because of the high consumption of data and time on mobile. 

Source – Nokia 2024 Report

Conclusion (Beneficial for Marketers and CEOs)

Demand for smartphones, and a rise in average time spent, and data consumption would be beneficial for all the brands because it will give them a larger opportunity to increase their reach and target frequency (target multiple times) which will end up in recall rates for their brands and sales.