New Delhi, Feb. 5 -- India's smartphone market has changed, and one of the most pronounced shifts is in the way people look at buying top flagship phones. Today, the smartphone buyer is looking for premium options that last over three to four years, and thanks to affordable financing options, these are now no longer just 'aspirational'.

The size of their market is ever-growing: at the end of last year, premium smartphones priced about Rs.50,000 accounted for one in every five phones sold in India-that's over 2.5 million flagship and premium phones sold in India each month.

It is, therefore, no surprise that Samsung, Apple and Google have each gone all out to market their most expensive smartphones in India right now. To do so, each has ...