The Cheapest Smartphones You Can Buy in 2024, for Those On a Tight Budget

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 going below the ₦100,000 mark.

A look at the market shows that the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria now cost ₦50,000 and above. To help you in your search, I am keeping the phones I include in this list within the ₦50,000 to ₦80,000 price range.

Which brands make the cheapest smartphones in Nigeria in 2024?

The brands behind the most affordable smartphones in Nigeria at this time are iMose and itel. That’s it. Forget Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, Infinix, and the others. If you want a smartphone that costs between ₦50,000 and ₦80,000 right now, those two brands are your best bets.

The cheapest smartphone in Nigeria right now

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.

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. Hmmmm. But I digress. Lots of people still use them; I’m just the alien.

Its sibling, itel A18s, has 2GB RAM and costs just a little more than the A18. Have a look at the video review on my YouTube channel.

Other low-cost smartphones to consider

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. The Imose Gidi II is one of them.

The variant with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM (that’s internal storage memory) costs ₦62,000. Having twice the RAM as the itel A18 might not sound like a big deal, but it is. Your apps will run smoother, all other things being equal. But then, you get half the storage memory. Wahala. Again, you can get extra storage by using a memory card in it.

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 costs ₦71,000.

It was released in 2023, so it is quite up-to-date.

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 few.

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.