In 2017, India’s mobile market grew by more than 30%. According to Counterpoint Research, Chinese brands captured 54% of the market up from 34% the previous year. However, Indian brands like Micromax and Lava did perform well.  Xiaomi registered a staggering growth of 259% last year followed by Vivo (115%) and Oppo(104%). Further, $150-$230 was the fastest growing segment with 52% market share driven by strong perfomance of Xiaomi. Another achievement of Xiaomi was that it dethroned Samsung to be the leading brand in the CY 2017.

Here’s a list of the best selling smartphones in India for CY 2017 ( courtesy Counterpoint Research)

1.  Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Rank 1)

2. Xiaomi Redmi 4

3. Samsung Galaxy J2

4. Oppo A37

5. Xiaomi Redmi 4A

6. Samsung Galaxy J7 NXT

7. Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime

8. Samsung Galaxy J2 2016

9. Vivo Y55L

10. Vivo Y53 (Rank 10)

Thus, it can be seen that Xiaomi & Vivo  took two spots in the Top 10 while Samsung took 4 spots in the Top 10.  The Indian mobile phone market continues to grow at a staggering rate. One of the most noticeable things I saw in the Indian mobile market is the use of mobile data. With Reliance & Airtel giving great data packages to it’s customers, Indian mobile phone market  seems promising.

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Every person today is in a dilemma of which Phone is better Apple or Android. It is not that simple as both offers the same features and they may seem the same other than the brand and price. However, a closer look shows some key difference between an Android & iPhone.

1.Hardware : Only Apple makes iPhones, therefore it has extremely  tight control over how the hardware and software work together. Google offers software to many phone makers including Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola and all the companies that are a part of the OpenHandsetAlliance. And that makes Android Phones vary in quality, size, weight and features. Most premium priced Android devices have good hardware quality. However,  low priced Android Devices have lower hardware quality compared to Apple phones.

2. Operating System : In general Apple Phone users always have the latest version of OS. This is because Apple OS is usally updated for all phone weeks after its release. But Android makers are slow to update their phones.   For example, when iOS11 was released it was updated in more than 50% of the phones weeks after release. This was not the case when Android’s Oreo was released.  Android users were still using the older versions weeks after release.

3. Apps: The Apple App store offers lesser apps than Google (2.1 million Vs 3.5 million as of 2018) and overall this isn’t an important factor. Apple is very strict for the App it allows but Googles criteria for Apps are lax. While Apple’s criteria are strict it also prevents situations like people downloading a version of  fake app.   Another challenge in developing Apps for Android is the distributed ecosystem. Since Android is present in various devices, developers have to design the App that fits into a multitude of device. This makes it costly for developers.

4. Gaming: iPhone has emerged as one of the great devices for gaming. Previously gaming was limited to Nintendo’s 3DS and Sony Playstation’s Vita but iPhone changed that. The loose integration of hardware and software has made it difficult for Android to make it’s platform sutiable for high end gaming. While Android has it’s share of gaming, Apple is a clear winner.

5. Support: Both the smartphone platforms usually work well. However, if any support is required Apple is a winner. You can simply take your device to the nearest Apple store and  a trained specialist solves the problem. In case of Android phone this is not the case. Some Android phonemakers may give specialist support and some may not.

6. Intelligent Assistant: The next smartphones will led by technologies driven by Artificial Intelligence. And Google is a clear winner in this category. Google Assistant is an artificial intelligence assistance which uses everything Google knows about you to make life easier. Siri is Apple’s answer to Google’s assitant. It’s improving with every iOS release but it’s functionalities are quite limited.

7.  Battery Life: Most iPhone in the early days had to be recharged daily. But today’s iPhones can go days without recharge. Battery situation is complex in Android. Android battery comes in different shapes and sizes. But if you don’t mind carrying a little extra weight Android devices can offer a much longer lasting battery.

8. Peripheral Compatibility: A smartphone can be used in different ways. For example, smartphone can be connected to a speaker to listen to loud music and so on. In this scenario Android phones have the advantage. This is because Android phones uses USB ports which are available almost everywhere. On the other hand Apple uses propreitory lightening port. However, lightening ports are not widely compatible.

9. Security: If you care about safety and security there is only one choice: iPhone. More than 95% of malaware is found in the Android phones. In general iPhones are less prone to attacks by Malware and Viruses.

10. Screen Size: Some people aren’t much comfortable with a small screen size. If you are looking for a large or very large screen size Android phone is the best choice. For example, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has a 6.3 inch screen size which is not available with iPhones.

11. Price: Android wins the price war at all price points. From low end to high end Android has a myriad of phones. However, the lowest available Apple Phone is iPhone SE which starts at $349. The highest price for both Android and Apple phones  can go above $1200. However, the average cost of an Android Phone is lower than an Apple’s iPhone.

12. User Maintainence: User upgrades are difficult in case of Apple. Apple phones are elegant and simple but it’s quite challenging when it comes to replacing a battery or upgrading storage. Android on the other hand gives flexibility to the user to change battery and expand it’s  storage capacity easily. (without much technical help)

The decision to buy an Apple’s iPhone or an Android phone will depend on the preference of the user. Some user will want to have a great hardware while some users might want greater peripheral compatibility. Both platforms are good choices depending on the need of the user. You have to decide what platform best suits you and then purchase the smartphone of your choice.

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