MOST POPULAR BRANDS OF PHONE IN NIGERIA MARKET

Nigeria – the most populated country in the Africa continent has the largest mobile phone user base in Africa with over 100 million active lines and over 167 million phones at present (Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC). It is predicted that these numbers will double in the nearest  (Ericsson mobility report June 2014).

These reports further state that majority of Nigerians subscribe to more than one telecom provider using a dual SIM phone or two mobile phones. This is due to the protracted unreliable network service of telecom providers in the country.

Technology has evolved over the last four decades, with the most recent decade witnessing the most significant improvement. Man has continued to develop existing platforms and systems, and these systems are controlling almost every aspect of human endeavor. Currently, everybody is tilting towards Cloud based service, because the world is becoming increasingly integrated each day and there is need to gain access to valuable information anywhere and anytime.

Ever since the introduction of mobile telecommunication in Nigeria, the country has witnessed massive improvement in the field of commerce and telecommunication. We are now able to reach out to people, love ones, business partners, irrespective of the time and distance.

Nigeria is a hub for telecommunication in Africa; in fact, we have the largest, most dynamic and most robust mobile market in Africa. Many Smartphone manufacturers have realized this and are battling each other for market shares in Africa’s largest economy. According to recent statistics released by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), Nigeria currently has over 167 million phone owners with 142 million active lines. This data supercedes those provided by most European countries.

There are now much improved, computerized mobile phones known as Smartphones that have the ability to multitask and manage our daily activities efficiently. Currently, smartphones are making the rounds in the media as well as the mobile market. Some of the major manufacturers of feature phones and smartphones include Apple, Samsung, Blackberry, Nokia, LG and many more.

MOST POPULAR BRANDS OF PHONE IN NIGERIA MARKET

The mostpopular brands include:

 Given the aforementioned, phone manufacturers are in competition for dominance of the Nigerian mobile market. They constantly introduce new products into the market. This has complicated decision-making process for buyers looking to buy phones and smart devices.

NOKIA

Nokia is a world renowned brand when it comes to consumer electronics and telecommunication. Some Nigerians believe Nokia is only into the production of smartphones, but in reality they manufacture other products like TVs, machinery, personal computers, capacitors and many more. By far, its most successful business unit still remains the telecommunication unit.

Nokia is a world class producer of smartphones and other electronic gadgets. Their phones have a strong reputation when it comes to ruggedness and quality. The quality of the batteries featured on most of their mobile and smartphones makes them suitable for the Nigerian market, primarily because of the epileptic nature of power supply in the country. According to statistics from the NCC, 41.1% of Nigerian phone owners use Nokia. Another major reason the average Nigerian loves Nokia is its affordability, not many people can go for high end products. Although Nokia has some high-end products, their marketing policy has been largely tailored to cater for low income earners in this part of the world.

 SAMSUNG

 Samsung is the king of smartphones in the Nigerian mobile market. Samsung Android smartphones have dominated the smartphone market especially with their galaxy series. The versatility and functionality of the Samsung Android smartphones are quite impressive.

Samsung, not wanting to be left out of the cake, comes fourth in the list of top mobile brands used in Nigeria. Samsung is seriously responding to market threats coming from Tecno and other Smartphone manufacturer by unveiling a broad array of low end devices. Samsung has both the high and Low end products, which gives it a strategic advantage that appeals to the various social classes in the Nigerian society. According to statistics emanating from the NCC, 8.2% of Nigerian Smartphone users own a Samsung phone. This percentage is quite fair, considering the recent influx of low end smartphones into the country.

IPHONE

 IPhone is definitely the most costly smartphone brand in the Nigerian mobile market.

The brand is beginning to gain acceptability and acceptability amongst high networth people in our society.

TECHNO

 This brand has gone completely viral in Nigeria and sub-sahara africa. The Tecno wave is sweeping across the land in a country where the major of populace live largely below 1$ a day. This Smartphone maker is basically known for its broad range of low-end mobile devices that appeals to the lowest strata of the Nigerian society. It has given most Nigerians a say in a world dominated by premium Smartphone manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, HTC, and LG. According to recent statistics released by the NCC, 26.1% of Nigeria phone users own a Tecno phone. Most of these phones were largely smartphones, and their feature phones (non smartphones) are being phased out as we speak. The major advantage going for Tecno is that it has succeeded in controlling the low-end mobile market with smartphones capable of running the Latest Android Operating System. Their Smartphones are quite durable and are giving the Top-dogs a run for their money.

 

Techno F7

Tecno is giving Samsung a run in the Nigerian mobile market. Tecno’s popularity has seen the image change from “China phone” to smartphones. Now people do not discriminate about the Tecno brand, people have come to accept it. Tecno’s ascendance to glory stems from their affordable mid-range smartphones like the N3, D5, P3, M3, N7 and F7 smartphone series

BLACKBERRY

BlackBerry

Black Berry

Surprisingly, Blackberry comes third in the list of top mobile brands used in Nigeria. At first, Blackberry’s entry into the Nigerian mobile market was welcomed by the elite and was largely used as the unofficial benchmark for standard of Living in Nigeria. In the past, you were perceived as rich or at least influential, if you own and use any of the Blackberry brand. The Nigerian market contributes a huge chunk to Blackberry’s global sales and profit, because we tend to attach so much importance to foreign luxurious smartphones, and it smacks of inferiority complex on our part. According to statistics release by the NCC, 12.1% of Nigeria phone users own a blackberry. That percentage may seem small, but the numbers may well run into millions, taking into cognizance the number of phone owners in the country

While the sale of Blackberry smartphones may be dwindling in other countries, same cannot be said to be in Nigeria as phone users still purchase Blackberry smartphones. The drop is as a result of the emergence of other smartphone brands like Tecno with their cheap mid-range smartphones, and other Android smartphone brands.

Other Brands

Other smartphone brands like HTC, Infinix, Solo, Huawei, Sony etc These products are beginning to penetrate in the mobile market.

 Conclusively, these are the top brands used by average Nigerians. Clearly, Nokia has a foot hold of the Nigerian mobile market, but Tecno is speedily stepping in to over take Nokia as Nigeria’s number one choice. However, the fortunes of Blackberry are dwindling in recent times. nevertheless, many people still respect them for their brand. Samsung is doing quite well in the Nigerian market, but will have to go the extra mile in other to occupy, at least, any of the first two positions.