Itel, the leading smartphone brand from Transsion Holdings, has topped the sub-Rs 7,000 smartphone segment on brand trust (42%), ahead of Samsung (39%) in India, a new survey said on Wednesday.

Itel's strong brand trust among consumers is driven by trendy technology (42%), value for money (44%), and localised marketing approach (42%), 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% using currently and 42% users going to consider in their next purchase.

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

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% of those surveyed purchased smartphones online, whereas a significant 51% bought the phone at the local store.

While comparing advocacy, Net Promoter Score (NPS) of Samsung was the highest (52%) followed by itel (49%) and Xiaomi (49%).

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