2024 has been a tough year, as the prices of goods and services in Nigeria, have kept jumping up. This has included smartphones as well. Our curated list of the best budget phones for ₦200,000 – more accurately, for around ₦200,000 – will help you narrow down your options and get the best fit device for you.
Because each individual’s primary needs differ, we have used a classification based on different popular needs – performance, design and looks, 5G Internet, display, battery and charging, and lastly camera.
Table of Contents
Best Budget Phone: Performance
So, you want the best performance possible for your hard-earned money and you have only ₦200,000 to spend on a smartphone. The phone to get is…. itel P55 5G.
This phone has a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chipset, which is more capable and scores higher than the Helio G99 chipset found in many of the top ₦200,000 smartphones of this year. And it is one of the most affordable budget phones you can buy for around ₦200,000 in the market today.
How much is it? A nice ₦178,000 and as high as ₦225,000 at some locations. If you are interested, have a look on Jiji where a number of independent retailers have it in stock.
Best Budget Phone: Design & Looks
Performance is not everything and some people just want the best-looking smartphone possible on their budget. What is the best-looking budget smartphone you can buy for ₦200,000 in 2024? That honour falls on the itel RS4, a phone being pushed for its focus on gaming.
The itel RS4 has a design that is quite tasteful and cool. The 720p screen with 120Hz refresh rate is not as fantastic as we would love, but the tastefulness of the phone’s design cannot be argued. It sells for ₦186,000.
Best Budget Phone: 5G Internet
Most ₦200,000 smartphones are 4G LTE devices. Is there anyone that offers 5G internet? This is an easy answer: the same budget smartphone that took the cake for performance takes the cake for 5G Internet. The itel P55 5G sells for ₦178,000 to ₦225,000, depending on the vendor and location.
Best Budget Phone: Display
Most phones in the ₦200,000 price range come with a 720p display. What we are looking for is one with a 1080p display. Infinix Hot 40 sports a 1080p 6.78″ LCD screen with 90Hz refresh rate. It is the best display that you will find for this budget. Price? ₦203,000 only.
Best Budget Phone: Battery & Charging
5000mAh is the largest power capacity in the ₦200,000 price range. What is not common is extremely fast charging; most of the smartphones in this category have 18W wired charging. But not the itel RS4. Instead, it has a whopping 45W fast wired charging, which means that it leaves the competition in the dust.
Coupled with a 5000mAh battery, its 45W charging is kilometres faster at charging than everyone else. The itel RS4 costs ₦200,000.
Best Budget Phone: Camera
If we are being honest, without samples from each phone to compare, it is difficult to name one smartphone as the best camera phone in its class. But we have to provide you with an informed decision. We looked to see what reviewers have said about the cameras of these smartphones.
The itel S24, with its 108-megapixel camera, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage, takes the cake in terms of photography and video recording. What does it cost? ₦196,000 to ₦215,000.
For selfies, it is a different game, we recommend the Infinix Hot 40 which has a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. The itel S24’s 8MP selfies camera pales in comparison.
Last Words
Is it any surprise that the best budget smartphones you can buy in Nigeria in 20204 are all from Transsion brands, most especially itel Mobile? itel has honed the art of making value budget smartphones to an art, and it is good to see them making models that beat the competition in this price range.
The itel P55 5G, itel S24, Infinix Hot 40, and itel RS4 are the best budget smartphones you can buy today for performance and 5G internet, for camera, for display, and for battery and charging, respectively.
NB: Lastly, if what you are looking for is the cheapest smartphone to buy in Nigeria as of today, have a look at the itel A18s (YouTube video). It sells for around ₦60,000.