The cheapest smartphones in Nigeria today cost in the range of ₦100,000. If that is your budget, which one will you be able to buy?
Once upon a time, the cheapest Smartphones in Nigeria cost around ₦20,000. With that amount in hand, you would walk home with a smartphone that has 1GB RAM and 32GB storage. If you are wondering whether you can still find smartphones around that price, I don’t have good news.
EyeBeeKay, responding to an article the other day, questioned the use of the word “affordable” in relation to gaming smartphones that cost around ₦300,000. He has a point. While I acknowledge that affordable is relative, such phones are certainly not affordable for most Nigerians.
We have statistical evidence that, a few years ago, most Nigerian smartphone users spent no more than ₦100,000 on their devices. As such, I thought to do an article pointing out the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria, and that would mean targeting the ₦100,000 mark. Why? The cheapest smartphones in Nigeria today cost in the range of ₦100,000.
Table of Contents
Budget vs Entry-level phones
There is a constant mixing up of the terms, “budget” and “entry-level”. Let me clear things up. Budget is usually used to describe affordable smartphones that are above entry-level, with entry-level being the most affordable or the cheapest devices in the market.
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So, I have come up with the list of the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria today, and we are talking about brand-new devices, not used.
The cheapest smartphones in Nigeria in 2024
If you have ₦100,000 in your pocket now and need to buy a new phone, which models will you be able to buy? I answer this question and present the list below.
But before I drop the list, I need to say this: entry-level Android phones are not exceptional at anything. They serve only one purpose: to make sure that those who cannot afford to spend more have a phone they can use. The cheapest smartphones tend to be slow/sluggish in use, have poor cameras, have the slowest charging, etc, etc. If you want better anything, you have to be willing to spend close to ₦200,000.
itel A18/itel A18s
That is the itel A18 1GB+32GB. That’s 1GB RAM and 32GB internal storage memory. If we are being honest, 1GB RAM sucks in any modern smartphone. If we were talking about Symbian smartphones from the glory days of Nokia, a 1GB RAM phone was a superstar. But in this current dispensation of bloated operating systems like Android and iOS, 1GB RAM is pretty much a pain to use. It is like driving a Corolla but with a Keke NAPEP engine and internals.
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But it is better than not having a smartphone at all. So, if all you have is ₦50,000, to use Lai Wasabi’s term, you will like the itel A18.
32GB storage is not much either, but you can add a memory card to the phone for extra storage space. Speaking of memory cards, it just occurred to me as I was typing this, that I haven’t seen one in some years. I do not remember the last time I used a memory card. But I digress. Lots of people still use them; I’m just the alien.
The big problem is that of finding this phone to buy now. It has become extremely scarce, as it is out of stock in many places. I reviewed a slightly higher version of it, the itel A18s earlier. That variant has 2GB RAM instead and seems to be even more scarce than the A18, so good luck finding one to buy. PS: The A18s is currently available at Slot for ₦66,600.
Imose Gidi II
The variant with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM (that’s internal storage memory) costs ₦62,000. Imose is not a popular name, but this Nigerian phone brand has been around for some years now. It specialises in making entry-level smartphones.
itel A06
The next most affordable smartphone that you can buy in Nigeria in 2024 is the itel A06 and it comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM (internal storage). The price tag at the time of this article is around ₦77,000.
itel A50C
The itel A50C has 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage and sells for around ₦86,000 right now.
itel A05s
The itel A05s 4G is another low-cost smartphone you should consider if you have some extra cash to spend. The 2GB+32GB variant of this phone initially cost ₦71,000 but now sells for about ₦88,000. It was released in 2023, so it is quite up to date. BUT….it is also going extinct.
itel A50
Next on our list of the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria in 2024 is the itel A50. The base variant is equipped with 2GB RAM and 64GB built-in storage, and that sells for ₦92,800. A higher variant with 3GB RAM and 64GB storage goes for ₦99,000.
itel A70
itel A70 is one of the best entry-level smartphones you can buy in Nigeria today and get fairly good performance. The base variant has 3GB RAM and 64GB storage and a price tag of ₦91,000. A middle variant has 3GB RAM and 128GB storage, with a price tag of ₦93,600. The top variant, which is what you should buy for the best performance, has 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. This one cost ₦98,600. You can check out my unboxing and review video on YouTube.
Samsung Galaxy A05
The only Samsung phone among the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria in 2024 is the Galaxy A05. It has 4GB RAM and only 64GB internal storage. The price tag as at the time of this article is ₦116,400. It doesn’t exactly look like great value for the price, considering that you will find lower-priced phones with similar specs from itel Mobile. But the processor is more capable and that means better performance.
We are finally above the ₦100,000 price mark, and the rest of the devices listed below cost a little bit more, also mostly because they have processors that punch above the weight of the other more affordable ones already listed above.
itel A80
itel A80 has a 6.7-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate, 4GB RAM, and 128GB built-in storage. It sells for ₦118,000 as at today.
TECNO POP 9
Lastly, we have the TECNO POP 9. The base variant brings 3GB RAM and 64GB storage to the table at a price tag of ₦119,000. The other two variants with 3GB RAM + 128GB and 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM cost ₦133,000 and ₦137,000 respectively. Personally, I think these two cost too much to be considered as valid options for this list, but then, the call is yours. If you want one of them, go get it.
Other low-cost smartphones to consider
The above are the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria in 2024 as at September. There are a number of other cheap Android smartphones that would have made this list, but they are all out of stock at the different retailers I checked when compiling the list. They include itel P17 Pro, Nokia C1, itel A58, itel A58 LTE, itel A58 Pro, itel P38, itel P40, among others.
I recommend that you ask for them when shopping: some random retailers might still have one or two lying around in their stores. Currently, there are not a lot of entry-level smartphone options available in the market and you will just have to make do with one of the available options.
Also, if you know of any other cheap smartphone that is available at major retailers, do mention it in the comments section below, so I can investigate and add them to my list, if necessary. As newer models are introduced, I will update this article.
Author: Mister Mobility
Master storyteller and founder of Mobility Nigeria, Mister Mobility, has used and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001.
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