The smartphone industry was pretty exciting in the year 2015 with the launch of countless devices with various specs, some made were ushered in with so much anticipation, thereby making headlines across news platforms while some were silently getting themselves into the hands of the consumers.
Stiff competition made smartphone makers became more dynamic with product design and marketing strategies with the objective of reaching out to more market and customers’ appeal. It was the year some of the Android smartphone makers selling in Nigeria started to push better products, we had fingerprint scanners debut on phones from TECNO and InnJoo alongside impressive specifications on design and battery department
But what phones made the Top 5 Android smartphones in Nigeria with respect to popularity, appeal they gather with people as well as slug of features? Here is a list of 5 devices that got Nigerians talking.
No 5: TECNO Camon C8
The introduction of this smartphone was a redefining moment for TECNO turned many people into believers of the brand. It is a great phone that appeals to people who love to take pictures and capture beautiful moments. This is also complemented with a vivid display, good design/finishing and great price.
Although it is a 1 GB of RAM phone and doesn’t have finger print scanner, it is a winner nonetheless. The beautiful pouch that comes with it as well as the fact that it is dual SIM makes it the ideal phone you want to take while travelling. It just stands out in the affordable smartphone category, knocking out competition.
No 4: BlackBerry Priv
BlackBerry has not hit it big with old and new users in Nigeria for some time in a long while. Determined to reclaim a market where they were once the preferred choice of smartphone users, the company released a smartphone in 2015 that is 100% running on Android—The BlackBerry Priv.
With a combination of touch and physical keyboards, what it has going for it is a slug of features. Though it looks bulky, it is not heavy to use. It is also the best Blackberry ever. It has 3 GB of RAM with 32 GB of internal storage, expandable storage up to 200 GB, 18 MP rear camera with OIS—optical image stabilization—and auto face detection. The awesome features are a lot.
BlackBerrys are the best phones for email services in the world, there is no contest about that especially with its encryption features, this makes BlackBerry appear on this list. Even though they have not been appearing in any list of phones to buy in a while, owing to the gradual shift from the Blackberry to Android devices, Itobviouslyl made way into our list.
No 3: HTC One M9
With design not far off from its predecessor which makes it difficult to spot the difference between the M8 and the M9. Most of the changes on the One M9 is much on the inside.
Why is the One M9 on this list?
Glossy premium metal finish and pleasant design has made HTC stand out over time. The previous One M8 has one of the best 1080p display and the One M9 bears a quad HD LCD display with great colours. It still boast of the best speakers in any smartphone, has Dolby surround sound.
Like most Android phones that were released in 2015 it spots a 3 GB of RAM internal memory, with expandable storage up to 200 GB. The rear view camera is 20 MP and can record video up to 2160p (4K video). This makes everything on the phone to be snappy and zippy. Overall the battery life is descent. A pretty good phones you’d want to be seen with as people still admire the HTC brand, even though they are not having a large market share like they used to.
No 2: TECNO Phantom 5
This was arguably the most anticipated smartphone in Nigeria in 2015 and TECNO’s first foray into a truly premium smartphone. The Phantom 5 screams premium at sight—coming in Champaign Gold and Space Grey, with a superior 5.5 inch full HD display that is sweet to hold and flaunt. The hardware performance, OS upgrade potential, shiny metallic build will get people talking to you, with a slug of features that are packed into it.
One thing that stands out with the Phantom 5 is its responsive fingerprint scanner which can be used to unlock the device from sleep mode by placing the registered finger without having to reach for the power button, that’s solid and fast. An important feature to mention is the improved camera on the Phantom 5, you can be rest assured of taking quality pictures even under low light conditions. The camera technology is well improved such that it allows more light to come in through the lens to deliver good image quality. The front camera is also blessed with a flash which permits an express gateway to taking selfies 24/7.
The phone is a bargain. However, with other flagship products, you’ll have to break the bank to buy them—especially those that have similar premium feel and features that the Phantom 5 has. TECNO Phantom 5 costs only N69,900 in phone retail stores.
Click to here to read the review of the Phantom 5
No 1: Samsung GALAXY S6 Edge
This phone is an all-round winner and one of the best smartphones in the world. It wins with its design. There is no other phone in the world right now that has this curved edge display at both sides (except for it’s PLUS). Samsung is bold with this feature and its gets people’s attention. The gold version of the S6 Edge is a beauty to behold.
This curved/edge display isn’t just aesthetic but also adds up as features such as Edge lighting, People Edge and as an information stream. An update to the GS6 Edge opens up tons of other features as seen on the Edge Plus and the Galaxy Note 5, such feature is the YouTube livestreaming that allows you record with your phone and stream directly to YouTube.
However, the battery is not as impressive. If you are out and about, you may want to go with a power bank.