AI Is Key Smartphone Buying Factor for 82 Percent of Indian Consumers, Shows Amazon Survey

AI features have become a baseline expectation for most smartphone buyers in India, shows Amazon's latest Best in Tech Survey. The new survey conducted by the e-commerce platform received responses covering major consumer electronics categories. Amazon says that buyers prioritise performance and speed, battery life, and camera quality as the most important factors when purchasing a phone. Battery life is the most wanted feature. The survey also found that one in three smartphone buyers in India is considering spending Rs. 50,000 or more on their next smartphone.

Amazon Survey Shows What Indian Consumers Want From Their Smartphone

Amazon released the findings of the Best in Tech Survey conducted in July this year. The online platform says it has collected more than 40,000 responses across major consumer electronics categories, including smartphones, laptops and tablets, home entertainment and appliances, wearables, and audio.

The survey states that AI features now influence smartphone purchasing decisions for 82 percent of buyers, with contextual, everyday assistance valued most. 25 percent of respondents chose contextual assistance as the most sought-after feature, followed by generative photo editing at 18 percent. The survey found that 17 percent users prefer visual search, while adaptive battery management accounted for another 11 percent.

Best in Tech Survey shows that performance and speed are the top features that influence a purchase, cited by 87 percent of respondents. Battery life came in second, chosen by 79 percent , followed by camera quality, preferred by 77 percent of respondents.

Amazon notes that battery life stands out as both the most-wanted quality and the most common shortfall. Battery life is the feature which most of the users cite as the biggest area they want their current smartphones to improve, with 22 percent citing it as a major shortcoming; camera quality followed at 17 percent, and 12 percent pointed to performance.

Amazon's survey also indicates a growing interest towards premium smartphones. One in three buyers is considering spending Rs. 50,000 or more for their next smartphone. As per the survey, 15 percent is looking at phones priced between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 75,000 and 17 percent is considering devices above Rs. 75,000. Meanwhile, the Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000 segment remains the largest, accounting for 42 percent of respondents. The Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 25,000 band accounts for 19 percent, while just 7 percent are shopping under Rs. 15,000.

The survey also offers a look at the approach of Indian buyers upgrading theIr smartphones. 54 percent respondents said they keep their smartphones for at least two years, while 48 percent plan to upgrade within the next three months. For purchasing decisions, 47 percent consider reviews and ratings crucial, compared to 35 percent for price and deals. 

Amazon confirmed that the findings of the survey will be taken into account to select categories for the second edition of the Best in Tech Awards, scheduled for September 2026.