itel's strong brand trust among consumers is driven by trendy technology (42 per cent), value for money (44 per cent), and localised marketing approach (42 per cent), according to a CMR survey.

"Consumers in Tier-II and Tier-III cities seek latest trendy specs at the right price-points. Smartphone brands that are able to understand the consumer pulse and are able to deliver the latest innovations for value conscious buyers, win big," said Satya Mohanty, Head- Industry Consulting Group (ICG), CMR.

itel rules the sub-Rs 5,000 smartphone segment with 26 per cent using currently and 42per cent users going to consider in their next purchase.

In terms of brand advocacy, itel has highest net promotor score or NPS (52 per cent) followed by Samsung (48 per cent) and Xiaomi (45 per cent).

The CMR survey covered 2,123 smartphone users in 11 Tier II and Tier III cities.

"itel's leadership can be attributed to its strong understanding of Aspirational India, its robust product portfolio, focus on innovative and localized marketing approach backed with reliable after-sales," said Shipra Sinha, Analyst- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.

In Tier II and Tier III cities, 41 per cent of those surveyed purchased smartphones online, whereas a significant 51 per cent bought the phone at the local store.

While comparing advocacy, Net Promoter Score (NPS) of Samsung was the

highest (52 per cent) followed by itel (49 per cent) and Xiaomi (49 per cent).

City-wise, Samsung scored highest in Varanasi (56 per cent) and Ludhiana (54 per cent) whereas itel scored highest in Siliguri (53 per cent) and Nashik (51 per cent).