Flipkart: 89% of buyers want AI

Smartphones in India are starting to get sold on a different promise. Not raw specs alone. Not just camera megapixels or chip names. The new pitch is AI — and Flipkart and Counterpoint Research are arguing that this has moved from marketing garnish to a real purchase driver. Their Smartphone Insights Report 2026, unveiled on April 29 at Flipkart’s India’s Favourite Smartphone Awards, says 89% of buyers now let AI features influence the decision. (stories.flipkart.com) ### What changed here? The big shift is from spec-led shopping to experience-led shopping. Buyers are no longer treating a phone like a checklist of RAM, storage, and processor speed. They’re asking what the device actually does for them every day — better photos, faster search, voice to(stories.flipkart.com)t first-time smartphone adoption. (stories.flipkart.com) ### Why does “AI” suddenly matter so much? Because AI on phones is no longer one flashy trick. It’s becoming the layer that touches everything. Camera enhancement is the obvious example, but buyers are also seeing AI in writing tools, content creation, voice assistance, and search. Once (stories.flipkart.com)port says nearly 9 in 10 users care. (stories.flipkart.com) ### Is this really about AI, or just better phones? Basically, both. The report doesn’t say old factors disappeared. Price and value for money still matter for 60% of buyers. Brand trust matters for 57%. Online reviews matter for 56%. So this is not a world where shoppers ignore cost and chase buzzwords. It’s a world where AI joins the shortlist of must-have qualities, alongside reliability and affordability. (moneycontrol.com) ### What’s the “AI tax”? This is the catch. AI features often need better chips, stronger NPUs, more memory, and tighter hardware-software tuning. That can push prices up. Flipkart’s framing is that buyers are willing to pay more — but only if the AI feels useful and durable. If a phone costs extra because it is “AI-ready,” shoppers expect it to stay relevant longer. That is why the report pairs AI demand with a longer replacement cycle of 3 to 5 years. (stories.flipkart.com) ### Why does a longer replacement cycle matter? Because it changes the whole market. If people keep phones for 3 to 5 years, brands need to sell longevity, not just launch-day excitement. Software support matters more. Battery life matters more. Sustained performance matters more. AI also has to keep working offline or on-device in ways that still feel useful two or three years later. A flashy demo is not enough if the buyer plans to live with the phone for half a decade. (stories.flipkart.com) ### Are buyers still price-sensitive? Very much so. The report says affordability remains central, and EMI financing is part of the story, with 33% of buyers using EMI options. That tells you something important: demand for AI is real, but it is being filtered through monthly budgets. In other words, consumers are not saying, “Give me any AI phone.” They’re saying, “Give me AI that feels worth financing.” (letsdatascience.com) ### Who uses these features most? The report sketches a generational split. Gen Z leans toward AI for content creation. Millennials lean more toward productivity. That matters because phone makers can no longer market AI as one generic blob. The same label covers very different use cases — editing reels, summarizing notes, improving photos, or speeding up daily tasks. (moneycontrol.com) ### Bottom line? The interesting part is not just that 89% of buyers say AI matters. It’s that AI is getting folded into value-for-money thinking. In India’s smartphone market, AI is becoming less of a luxury badge and more of a durability test — if buyers pay the premium, they expect the phone to earn it over years, not weeks. (stories.flipkart.com)