Artificial intelligence is moving closer to becoming a standard smartphone feature, but it has yet to displace the fundamentals that have traditionally shaped buying decisions, according to Amazon India's 'Best in Tech' survey. Among more than 40,000 respondents surveyed in July 2026, 82 per cent said AI features influence their smartphone purchase decisions. However, performance and speed remained the top consideration at 87 per cent, followed by battery life at 79 per cent and camera quality at 77 per cent. As reported by Business Standard, Zeba Khan, Consumer Electronics Director at Amazon India, noted that AI features are now a baseline expectation for customers, showing up across price bands, while performance and battery life continue to be the primary judging criteria.
Among AI capabilities, buyers are looking for features that provide practical assistance rather than simply adding AI branding to a device. According to the survey findings, contextual assistance was the most sought-after AI capability at 25 per cent, including features that understand what a user is doing and offer an action, such as searching content on the screen or suggesting a reply. Generative photo editing was the second-most preferred AI feature at 18 per cent, followed by visual search at 17 per cent. Adaptive battery management accounted for another 11 per cent, highlighting the overlap between AI capabilities and the core smartphone experience.
The survey points to growing interest in higher-priced smartphones, with 42 per cent of respondents considering the ₹25,000 - ₹50,000 segment for their next device, while one in three is considering a smartphone priced at ₹50,000 or more. This includes 15 per cent looking at ₹50,000 – ₹75,000 devices and 17 per cent considering phones above ₹75,000. Only 7 per cent are considering smartphones priced below ₹15,000. The trend mirrors the broader premiumisation of the smartphone market, with Counterpoint Research finding that smartphones priced at $600 and above accounted for a record 29 per cent of global smartphone sales in the first half of 2026, up from 25 per cent a year earlier.
Despite the growing importance of AI, the survey shows that consumers continue to prioritise established smartphone specifications. Battery life emerged as the biggest pain point with existing smartphones, with about 22 per cent of respondents saying it was the aspect they most wanted their current phone to improve, ahead of camera quality at 17 per cent and performance at 12 per cent. This indicates that while buyers may be interested in AI-powered features, they are still looking for devices that can reliably meet basic everyday requirements. The findings suggest that consumers are becoming more comfortable with AI, but continue to judge a smartphone on how well it performs everyday tasks.
Consumers are taking a more research-led approach before upgrading, with more than half of respondents (54 per cent) saying they keep their smartphones for two years or longer, while 48 per cent plan to upgrade within three months. At the point of purchase, reviews and ratings were cited by 47 per cent as an important consideration, ahead of price and deals at 35 per cent. This could make the upcoming festive sales period particularly important for smartphone brands and retailers, especially as buyers increasingly weigh premium devices against their overall value. As reported by Business Standard, Khan noted that customers across Bharat choose the Amazon Great Indian Festival to upgrade their smartphones, with the largest selection and deals from brands and sellers on premium as well as value products.
