The best budget smartphones of 2018 and 2019

It has been an exciting year in smartphones. We have looked at our archives and come up with a list of the best budget smartphones of 2018. These are not the cheapest or the most powerful. Instead, they are the budget smartphones that offer the best bang for buck.

There are legions of budget smartphones that were released during the year. Picking the best is no easy feat, but someone has to do the job. Below are two models that made a superb impression on us. And having compared their specs with the competition, we are convinced that these are the best budget smartphones to pick if you want the best value for your money.

The best budget smartphones of 2018

Itel P32

If we got a naira for all the times that we recommended the P32 this year, we’d be richer than Apple Inc. This is a smartphone that is easy to love for what it offers. A big screen, solid build, good battery life, fingerprint scanner, and optimized software for N27,000 (about $77).

The only thing it lacks at that price point is 4G LTE. But it is not as if there are any phones at that price that offer 4G along with all the other features of the P32. For example, most lack a fingerprint scanner. This is unarguably one of the best budget smartphones of 2018. We say it is the best. Check out our itel P32 review.

Soda Fire

If you must have 4G at roughly the same price as the P32 and with similar features, this phone by a relatively unknown brand takes the cake. You get a slightly smaller display smaller battery capacity. The software is also not as optimized as what the P32 offers.

Specs of the Soda Fire include a 5.3-inch display, 5-megapixel front Camera, 5- megapixel rear camera and a 2,300 mAh battery. It has a fingerprint scanner too. This whole package costs around N25,000 only. The Soda Mobile brand is new, but what we hear about them is that they have been traditionally involved in building smartphones for other brands and have now come out with a phone brand of their own.

In all, the Soda Fire is a good bargain for the price and is one of the best budget smartphones of 2018. For other alternatives, see our list of the cheapest 4G smartphones in Nigeria in 2018. Like the itel P32, the Soda Fire has only 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB internal storage for your videos, photos, and documents. These are entry level smart phones after all.

The best budget smartphones of 2018: February 2019 update

Soda Fire has recorded a significant drop in price and now sells for NGN 20,000. So while it was one of the best budget smartphones of 2018, it is now of even greater value for your money in 2019. There are not many 4G smartphones that cost N20,000 out there.

Where to buy the best budget smartphones of 2018 and 2019

You can purchase the itel P32 and Soda Fire online from stores like Slot, Jumia, Konga, and others, as well as from brick-and-mortar stores around Nigeria. 

Residents of other countries like Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, and others around Africa will find the itel P32 to buy in local stores, as well as on their countries’ Jumia websites. We are unable to confirm the availability of Soda Fire outside of Nigeria at the moment. As soon as we have word, we shall update this page.

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Author: Mister Mobility

Master storyteller and founder of Mobility Nigeria, Mister Mobility, has used and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001.