Last month, Google launched its first fully self-branded Pixel smartphones worldwide as well as in India. The unique and the distinguishing factor about these smartphones from the earlier Nexus series is that these smartphones are premium in terms of features as well as the price tag. Pixel phones have been pitched by the search giant as direct competitors to Apple's iPhone and if latest report by research firm Counterpoint is anything to go by, Google might have a strong case in its favour.

As per the latest report by Counterpoint Research, Google's Pixel smartphones have already captured 10 percent share of the Premium Smartphone segment in the month of October in India, since their launch the same month. However, the report says that Apple still maintains a clear lead in this segment, with around 66 percent of the overall market share, followed by Samsung with around 23 percent share.

"Google is aggressively trying to take advantage of the lack of competition in this segment and does not want to miss-out on the opportunities. The company is leaving no stones unturned with heavy spend on marketing, there are exchange and cashback offers also available for the new entrant. A refreshing and feature packed Pixel is making for a good proposition against the incumbents Apple's new iPhone and Samsung's [Galaxy] S7 smartphones," Counterpoint Research said in an emailed statement.

Considering the advertisement spend by the company for its smartphones, Pixel will be able to maintain its market share if not extend it in future, the research firm said.

It is hard to judge whether the Pixel smartphones would have performed similarly if Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 debacle would not have taken place. However, it is safe to say that Google's smartphones definitely got a performance boost due to the premium Android smartphone's failure.