In a surprising turn of events, Xiaomi is now apparently ranked as the most preferred smartphone brand for Indian Android users looking to upgrade their smartphones in 2017, as per a recent report. Research firm Strategy Analytics notes that Xiaomi topped the preferred brands chart for the next smartphone purchase with 26 percent share, followed by Samsung and Apple.

Samsung and Apple are at par with each other by gaining 12 percent preferred market share. Micromax impressed the least amount of people by gaining only 2 percent of votes. Interestingly, Motorola attracted 7 percent votes, and Lenovo and OnePlus both got 6 percent votes.

These research results are based on questions asked to an Android panel by the analytics firm. The research note also says that the panel preferred network speeds and processor over camera, screen size and resolution as purchase drivers. This is the first time Xiaomi has topped the charts as the most preferred choice for Indians while upgrading. Xiaomi entered India in 2014, and has since then made waves with its unique flash sale models, and competitive prices.

Vendor Share Android Panel % Preferred Brand for Next Smartphone Xiaomi 16% 26% Samsung 18% 12% Lenovo 11% 6% Motorola 11% 7% Micromax 9% 2% Apple ~ 12% OnePlus 2.40% 6% Source: Strategy Analytics Inc.

The firm claims that the company has grown 125 percent year on year, a significant momentum for any smartphone company. This is because Xiaomi mainly made smartphones affordable and qualitative in the country, something that was missing before. The report also notes that the Indian premium smartphone segment (above Rs. 35,000) remains small at only 6 percent of potential buyers with over half of Indian smartphone buyers likely to spend between Rs. 10,000-20,000 only, something that Xiaomi caters to very well.

However, David Kerr, Senior Vice President at Strategy Analytics feels that with Nokia re-entering the market, things may see a shift again. “Clearly a pool of dissatisfaction exist which One Plus, Xiaomi and others are stepping in to address. With Nokia re-entering the market this month, a powerful emotive brand will be added as an option to those dissatisfied with the current status quo. Micromax as well as Sony, LG, Lenovo and Motorola have cause for concern,” Kerr said in a statement. Kerr adds that it is “striking how poorly Micromax is rated in terms of purchase consideration relative to its position in the market.”

Rajeev Nair, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Xiaomi for the first time since it started operations in the Indian market was ranked among the top three vendors in Q4 2016. The vendor grew a whopping 125 percent YoY and 17 percent QoQ and captured 10 percent of market share in India in the quarter.”

Nokia is said to launch the Nokia 3310 (2017) this month, followed by the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6. On the other hand, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4 launched last year has crossed one million in sales in India, and the Redmi 4A launched last month, garnered record numbers in first sale.