In May 2013, ZTE Telecom India, in collaboration with Calyx Telecommunications, made its debut in the Indian handset space. The telecom equipment major launched six smartphones priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, and plans to sell over 1 million handsets over the next year.

Shortly thereafter, Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Panasonic announced its plans to re-enter the Indian smartphone space after nearly a decade. In line with this, it recently launched the P51 smartphone. The handset features a 5 inch screen and is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. It runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system (OS) and is priced at Rs 26,990.

These developments are indicative of the rapidly increasing popularity of smartphones in the country. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, India overtook Japan as the third largest global smartphone market in the first quarter of 2013, with shipments nearly tripling year on year.

Smartphone shipments in India touched the 10 million mark in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to 3.8 million in the corresponding period in 2012. The country?s share of global shipments nearly doubled from 2.5 per cent to 4.7 per cent, placing it behind China and the US.

With regard to the global average, India is witnessing a fourfold growth in this segment. Global smartphone shipments witnessed a 39 per cent increase in the first quarter of 2013 over the corresponding period in 2012. In comparison, India witnessed a 163 per cent increase in shipments during the same period. This growth is being driven by the increasing demand for data services and declining smartphone prices.

The key brands in the Indian smartphone market include Samsung, Apple, Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. Domestic brands, in particular, are growing rapidly, at 200-500 per cent annually.

tele.net takes a look at the various smartphone devices available in the market?

Samsung

According to industry reports, the company shipped over 4 million devices in the first quarter of 2013. It has an estimated share of 32.7 per cent in the Indian smartphone market.

Over the past few months, the company has been focusing on expanding its successful Galaxy S4 range of smartphones. It currently offers 14 smartphones in this portfolio, priced between Rs 5,240 and Rs 40,300. Going forward, it expects the Galaxy S4 range to account for 15-20 per cent of its smartphone sales by end-2013.

The handset major recently added the Galaxy S4 Mini device to its portfolio, which functions on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS. It has a 4.3 inch screen, 1.5 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. The Galaxy S4 Mini is powered by a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor and supports dual cameras (an 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.9 megapixel HD front camera).

It also launched the Galaxy Star smartphone that is based on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. It packs in a 3 inch screen, supports dual SIM cards and a 2 megapixel camera. Its other features include 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 32 GB using a microSD card. The smartphone is priced at Rs 5,240.

Apple Inc.

Its global success notwithstanding, Apple Inc. has faced an uphill task in gaining ground in India, primarily owing to the high price of its devices. Its latest release in India ? the iPhone 5 ? was launched last year at Rs 45,500.

To encourage product uptake, the company started distributing its smartphones via telecom operators, distributors and retailers to ensure easy availability. It contracted Redington and Ingram Micro to distribute its smartphone to retailers. Further, it offered a zero per cent EMI and exchange scheme for the base model of the iPhone 4. The price of the device was reduced from Rs 26,500 to Rs 19,000. As a result of these measures, between October and December 2012, iPhone shipments to India nearly tripled to 250,000 units from 90,000 in the previous quarter.

For the iPhone 5, the company introduced various EMI schemes, with an upfront payment of Rs 5,056. The company?s efforts seem to be paying off. While announcing its quarterly results recently, Tim Cook, chief executive officer, Apple Inc., said that iPhone sales in India increased by over 400 per cent to more than 200,000 units in the quarter ended June 2013.

Micromax

Micromax, which entered the Indian smartphone space in March 2008, has become one of the leading players in the country, garnering a market share of 19 per cent in the first quarter of 2013.

The company?s product portfolio comprises over 60 devices including dual-SIM phones, 3G Android smartphones and tablets. In terms of revenue, feature phones and smartphones accounted for an equal share while in terms of volumes, smartphones accounted for a 40 per cent share and feature phones constituted the remaining share. The company?s products are in the Rs 1,999-Rs 18,999 price range. Going forward, Micromax plans to launch Microsoft Windows phone-based smartphones.

Its latest offering, the Canvas Doodle A111 smartphone functions on the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS. It has a 5.3 inch screen and supports dual cameras (an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera). The device is priced at

Rs 12,999 and has an internal memory of 1.22 GB, which is expandable up to 32 GB using a microSD card.

Karbonn Mobiles

The company has come a long way since it made its entry in the Indian handset market in 2009. As per industry reports, its market share stood at 11 per cent in the first quarter of 2013.

The company recently launched the A39 Kommunicate 3G tablet, priced at

Rs 8,990. The device packs in a 7 inch touchscreen and functions on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS. It is available on the e-commerce portal, infibeam.com.

Another offering from the home-grown player is the Titanium S5 smartphone, which functions on the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS. The handset features a 5 inch screen and is powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. It also has 1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM and an 8 megapixel camera, and is priced at Rs 11,990.

S Mobility Limited

The company has a market share of 4-5 per cent in the Indian handset space. It was the first company to launch Android-based smartphones, touchscreen personal digital assistants and dual-SIM phones on the GSM, CDMA and triband platforms. The Spice D 88 was India?s first dual-SIM device, launched in 2007.

Recently, the company unveiled the Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi 535 smartphone. Priced at Rs 14,990, the device supports dual SIM cards and functions on the Android Jelly Bean 4.2 platform. It has dual cameras (a 5 megapixel front camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera), video recording facility, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB of internal storage and Wi-Fi tethering facility.

The company has also launched the Spice Coolpad MI-515 quad-core smartphone as a part of the Spice Coolpad device series. The handset functions on the Android Jelly Bean OS and is priced at Rs 9,990. It packs in a 5 megapixel rear camera, 4 GB ROM, 1 GB RAM and 3G video calling facility, and supports Bluetooth 3.0 technology.

Nokia

Nokia, once a leading handset major, held a market share of 6 per cent in the Indian smartphone segment during the first quarter of 2013.

To regain lost ground, the company has been focusing on expanding its Lumia range of handsets, with the launch of the Nokia Lumia 610 and the Nokia Lumia 808 PureView. The Lumia 610, priced at Rs 12,999, is the most affordable in the series and introduces the Windows OS to first-time smartphone users. The touchscreen device packs in 8 GB of internal memory and a 5 megapixel camera. The Lumia 808 PureView, on the other hand, is a high-end smartphone priced at Rs 33,899. Its most notable feature is its 41 megapixel camera. The device also has a 512 MB RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, and is powered by a 1.3 GHz ARM11 processor.

Net, net, smartphone uptake in the country has increased significantly with growing device availability and affordability, and this trend is likely to continue going forward.  The segment is expected to register a compound annual growth rate of 63.4 per cent with smartphone shipments crossing 77.5 million units by 2015.