With iPhone 6, Apple joins a queue to feed craze for large-screen smartphones in India

A survey conducted in June this year across nine emerging markets, including four in Asia – India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines – found that a majority of people would pick a screen size of 5 inches or more for their next smartphone. In India, which has seen a smartphone explosion in the last two years, watching movies and playing games were the main reasons people gave for wanting larger screens – although 18 percent of those polled by market research firm Jana said they would stick with the 4-inch screen for its portability.

Samsung was the first to take advantage of the growing demand for large-screen smartphones that were perceived as a necessity more than a luxury. Homegrown phone makers Micromax, Karbonn, and Xolo were quick to jump on to the bandwagon. And just recently, the Lenovo-acquired Motorola and new age Chinese phonemakers Xiaomi and Oppo have captured the imagination of Indian consumers with big screens and cool displays.

Apple has been pushed further and further to the periphery of the smartphone buzz in India because its iPhones stuck to a 4-inch screen during a period when people were shifting in droves to larger screens. From 2007 – when the first iPhone was launched – to now, the average smartphone screen has grown from 2.59 inches to 4.86 inches. The two variants of the iPhone 6 coming out tomorrow with predicted screen sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches will attempt to correct the imbalance.

But it will not be as straightforward as all that. Gone are the days when Apple led a committed following among the smart set, who would automatically upgrade from one version of the iPhone to the next. Consumers are spoilt for choice now, and cool phones like the Moto X (Gen 2) and the upcoming Mi 4 will be aggressively priced, too.

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Besides the specs and prices, the Android ecosystem has been gaining ground over the iOS which powers Apple devices. Market research firm Kantar reported last month that the iOS share of the US market has fallen by 12 points to 31 percent in the last one year, whereas Android rose to 63 percent. As for India, 90 percent of the market runs Android, and those users will need some compelling reasons to switch to the iOS ecosystem. So if Apple has visions of reaching out beyond the premium segment to where the smartphone action is concentrated in India and China, it will need something more than a larger screen for its reimagined iPhone. Perhaps the iWatch or a mobile wallet to go with the iPhone will be what proves irresistible. We shall see when the much anticipated launch convenes.

(Top image: Flickr user Terry Johnston)