Pricey phones fail to sparkle

Samsung, OnePlus see sales of premium smartphones fall this festive season as buyers cite lack of innovation

- Shouvik Das

India's premium smartphones market witnessed a surprisingly muted festive period as buyers deferred purchases citing lack of innovation, according to retailers and distributors.

Samsung and OnePlus witnessed the most tepid demand from buyers for smartphones priced at ₹40,000 ($500) or more during the six-week period from mid-September to end-October, said six retailers and distributors across India Mint spoke with.

"Samsung's premium devices saw a clear demand downturn from buyers during the festive period, despite doing strongly in budget 5G smartphones," said Manish Khatri, a partner at Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom.

Most buyers who walked in during the festive period were not too impressed with Samsung's or OnePlus flagship phone features, he said.