What is the Best 5G Phone in Nigeria? I Can Help

Being a prolific mobile phone reviewer has its perks. I get to experience multiple devices and observe things about them that most other people never will. There are some things you will never notice unless you have placed two to three devices side by side, or used them at the same spot. Which is why I can help you in your search for the best 5G phone in Nigeria.

Let’s be clear what I want to address first. When I say, the “best 5G phone in Nigeria” here, I do not mean the overall best phone that has 5G. I mean the phone that handles a 5G connection the best. I don’t care if its camera is not the best, if battery life is not the best, if it isn’t the shiniest, or if its sight makes you cry and want your mama. Shey you get? I’m after the smartphone that handles 5G connections the best.

Obsessed With 5G

I have been obsessed with 5G since its launch in Nigeria, just like I was obsessed with 4G when that was launched, and before then I was obsessed with 3G when that was launched too. It is in the nature of my love and work to be obsessed with new movie technology. I am not called Mister Mobility for nothing, you know.

Anyway, you now get the premise and focus of this article: I just want to help you find the best 5G phones possible in God’s own country, Nigeria. No more, no less.

Now, obviously, I have not reviewed every 5G smartphone available in the country. I couldn’t have, and there is no way I ever can. Even if, by some amazing superhuman power, I was able to do it, would you be able to read all those reviews? Aha! Aha! You wouldn’t either. Anyway, that’s beside the point.

The point is that I have reviewed a handful of 5G smartphones and tested them on the same network and at the same location. I assure you, my good men and women, that the things I observed will shock you to your bones. Let me start with a list of the 5G phones I have reviewed.

Some 5G Phones I Have Reviewed

• Nokia G60 5G review. This costs about ₦225,000 now. Check.
• Apple iPhone SE 2022 review. It sells for ₦389,000 now. Check.
• AGM G2 Guardian review. Costs ₦899,000. Check.
• Samsung Galaxy S23 review. It has a ₦755,000 price tag. Check.
• Infinix Note 30 VIP. Price tag: ₦289,000. Check.
• TECNO Camon 20 Premier 5G. Price is ₦339,000. Check.

Looking at the prices and brand names, if you were asked to pick which one would be the best 5G performer on that list, I’d bet a whole year’s salary that you would pick the Samsung S23 or the iPhone SE 2022. Don’t lie. I will make you sit and take a lie detector test if you push it. You are a Nigerian and probably as classist as the next person.

If you picked either of those two (because well they are a Samsung and an iPhone), you would have picked the worst 5G performers on the list. Those two are faaaaar from being the best 5G phones in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, in every scenario where I tested and compared them with the other guys, the Nokia, AGM, Infinix and TECNO locked on to 5G many times when the Samsung and the iPhone stayed making out with 4G. This is true for both MTN and Airtel 5G networks.

I am not making this up. I kept running these 5G tests over a period that has spanned almost a year, and the results were consistent in showing that the premium flagship Samsung S23 was the worst performer, followed by the iPhone SE 2022. So, which was the best 5G phone of the lot?

That honour goes to the AGM G2 Guardian. But you are not likely to buy that chunky beast. It is built like a tank for outdoor rugged use and isn’t even on sale in Nigeria at this time. So, go for any of the other models on the list; they all performed admirably well. It is the premium guys that fell hand again and again. Shame. Someone might be thinking now, “So, Mister Mo, after all this story, tell us, what is now the best 5G phone in Nigeria?” I knew you would get to that point. So, let’s get it over with.

My Verdict On The Best 5G Phone In Nigeria

I don’t know. That my answer. I don’t know what the best 5G phone in Nigeria is. I do know, from the tests that I have run, that just because a phone is made by a big name and costs a kidney and a liver does not mean it is the best at anything. In this case, I wouldn’t trust Samsung or Apple to give me the best 5G experience. I have listened to other reviewers complain of some of the same issues I experienced with those two shiny heads.

I can tell you something though: some brands have consistently proven to handle 5G better than done others. Brands like Nokia, TECNO, and Infinix. That has been my experience and the experience of other reviewers I follow. I have also asked questions from a number of regular users. If 5G performance is important to you and my experience is anything to go by, that’s all I can tell you.

My 5G experience with the iPhone and the Samsung were so annoying that I wrote an article calling them premium crap. Don’t get me wrong, though; I love those two phones for other features and reasons. But not their 5G abilities.

Nokia, TECNO, and Infinix do not ask you to wait for a software update to enable 5G on your phone; you buy the phone, out in your SIM card and if you are within coverage, the 5G icon pops up on your screen. Also, in areas of fringe coverage, the average 5G smartphone from TECNO, Infinix and Nokia will lock on to the 5G network and provide you a more stable experience than the shiny pair of Apple and Samsung.

I am not sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but this has been my experience. But 5G is not everything. You want other things; right? Your wants are valid, good people. Now, go buy whatever 5G smartphone catches your fancy. No-one really cares about the best 5G phone in Nigeria. I just wanted to talk about this.

Update: After I published this article, a colleague and friend reached out to me to ask if I have tested the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE. He is convinced that it is the best 5G phone in Nigeria, and that wouldn’t surprise me. Why? The feedback I have gotten about the 5G capabilities of Xiaomi phones has been stellar and it is listed as one of the best 5G Xiaomi phones to buy. I will attempt to get my hands on the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE and then update this article with my findings.