Representational photo.

CHENNAI: Indian users are opening up to specialist gaming handsets, which are slowly creating their own space in the smartphone market. Global makers of niche phones — including Black Shark , Nubia and Asus’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) — report rising adoption by Indian users, and are bullish about the region as they plan more launches.

As mobile versions of popular games like Fortnite, PUBG, Call of Duty and others attract millions of players, the action is shifting to mobiles from traditional PCs and consoles. PUBG Mobile, for instance, has more users playing it on mobiles in India compared to other platforms.

High performance processors, a great battery life and special cooling systems are a few features that set gaming smartphones apart from peers. Accordingly, the prices of such models rival (and sometimes exceed) those of premium flagship models like the OnePlus 7 and iPhones.

Shenzhen-based Black Shark entered India in March, and gamers could buy the Black Shark 2 device from June. Shipments of niche gaming handsets have been on the rise since the fourth quarter of 2018, with Black Shark recording brisk sales. “In India, our products have received a very positive response from early buyers, and the Black Shark 2 was the highest-rated gaming smartphone on the Flipkart platform in the first month of its launch with a rating of 4.7/5,” Black Shark global VP David Li said.

Counterpoint Research analyst Prachir Singh said the segment may be less than a percent of the total market in India currently, but has the potential to turn into a separate category in the near future. “Many smartphone vendors are today using gaming as a way to build a buzz around their launches, and that shows strength of the user segment,” Singh said. Oppo, for instance, was a key sponsor for the first PUBG Mobile tournament in India.

Another Chinese player Nubia launched its Red Magic line-up in India in December 2018, and said the release of a new variant is on the cards for Indian gamers before end of the year. “Mobile gaming has been gradually producing players with serious intent. Gaming smartphones could possibly reach 6.5% of the total smartphone market by 2021 and Red Magic will aim to be a leader in the segment,” Nubia India marketing director Dheeraj Kukreja said.

A spokesperson for Flipkart said sales for gaming smartphones — including BlackShark 2, Red Magic 3 and Asus ROG — has been rising on their platform, with purchases from tier-2 and -3 cities in addition to urban areas.

However, the devices face stiff competition from premium smartphone makers such as OnePlus, Huawei and others, who have looked to capitalising on the gaming boom. With many specs of flagship models such as OnePlus 7 Pro and Huawei P30 on par with gaming smartphones, value-chasing Indian users too lean toward multi-purpose devices. “While phones made specifically for gaming might cater to a niche audience, we believe the majority is still looking for a smartphone with a great overall user experience and a highly optimised gaming mode,” OnePlus India product lead Szymon Kopec said.

Huawei recently rolled out its GPU Turbo 3.0 tech on its popular devices to enhance gaming performance without eating up battery life.

