The best Android phones you can buy now [January Pick]

If you choose one of the best Android phones from the list below, you’ll get a proficient new smartphone. Although the prices and features of these smartphones differ, they are all at the top in their respective classes.

The most premium Android phones cost up to nearly N650,000, but you’ll get the most up-to-date and powerful hardware for that money. Conversely, the cheapest phones, which range in price from N50,000 to N100,000, offer less but can still compete with flagships in one or two aspects.

There are several good Android phones available at a range of budgets, from low-cost phones to high-end flagship phones. We took a thorough look at each one and selected a few of our favorites. All of these phones feature excellent cameras, displays, battery life, or a combination of the three. We also took into account features like 5G and wireless charging. Continue reading to discover our top selections for the best Android phones, as well as our buying recommendations. 

To help you make a buying decision, we’ve rated our choices based on different categories and given an overview and specs list for each, as well as an at-a-glance look at their pros and cons.

Whether you’re looking for the top camera, display, most powerful Processor, or longest battery life — or something completely different — these are the best Android phones in Nigeria to consider this December.

OVERALL BEST ANDROID PHONE

SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA

The S21 Ultra is Samsung’s high-end flagship for 2021, and its premium quality is obvious in almost every way. Beginning with the display, it sports a large 6.8-inch screen that is capable of simultaneously operating a Quad HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate – something just a few devices can achieve. This implies you’ll get ultra-smooth animations P.S Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED screen technology provides gorgeous colors.

The Snapdragon 888 chipset is at the heart of the S21 Ultra, which comes with either 12 or 16GB of RAM. In practice, this means the Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the fastest smartphones available. Other features worth mentioning are the 5,000mAh battery, up to 512GB of storage, an IP68 water/dust resistant rating, and a bigger in-screen fingerprint sensor that’s considerably faster than the competition.

A 108MP sensor in the main camera and delivers incredibly detailed and vivid images. The 8MP ultra-wide lens delivers excellent results. The two telephoto cameras, with zoom lengths of 3x and 10x, provide some of the greatest zoom images.

There’s no disputing the S21 Ultra’s display, camera, and power prowess, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have flaws. Samsung removed expandable storage and MST for Samsung Pay, two features that had previously been hallmarks of Galaxy phones. The Galaxy S21 Ultra experience is certainly a phone with zero compromises

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.8-inch AMOLED, 1440 x 3200, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) OR Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
RAM	12/16GB
Storage	128GB/256/512GB
Cameras	108 MP Wide 10 MP Periscope telephoto 10 MP Telephoto 12 MP Ultrawide
Charging	25W wired, 15W wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	IP68
Dimensions	165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
Weight	227g
Price	Starts from N650,000

REASONS TO BUY

+The best camera zoom

+Mesmerizing design

REASONS TO AVOID

–Expensive at any level

–No microSD card slot

OVERALL BEST BUDGET ANDROID PHONE

SAMSUNG GALAXY A52 (5G)

Samsung’s A-series, which began as a line of low-cost phones but has since progressed into a mid-range line and this made the A-Series territory evolve in confidence. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is the latest phone in the A-series, with some amazing specs to please most users.

To be honest, the design of the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is possibly its major selling point, as it features a similar design as the Samsung Galaxy A32 which is pretty new but one down sight is the drab-looking plastic back. 

The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 750G 5G chipset, which is a mid-range processor. The A32 5G is a fantastic performer. When running apps or playing games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Sonic Dash, you will never experience any app crashes, screen freezes, or stuttering. There is also support for 5G connectivity, which is future-proof.

With such an average battery capacity of 4,500 mAh, it should come as no surprise that the device can still last for a day, but for average use. This is not something that can be said for several phones as most of the phones now have huge battery sizes that can last for a day even with the most intense activities. To be clear, this is not the best choice for consumers that are after long-lasting battery life. There is a reason why we choose this as our overall best Android phone in the budget segment.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.5-inch sAMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm)
RAM	6/8GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide 12 MP Ultrawide 5 MP Macro 5 MP Depth
Charging	25W wired, No wireless
Battery	4500mAh
Water Resistance	IP67
Dimensions	159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm
Weight	189g
Price	Starts from N210,000

REASONS TO BUY

+5G connectivity

+Elegant design with IP rating

REASONS TO AVOID

–Chipset could have been better

–15W bundled charger

BEST ANDROID PHONES UNDER N250,000

INFINIX ZERO X PRO

I got a refreshing sense when I first pulled the Zero X Pro out of the package. Rather than launching a phone with every edge and corner curved, the Zero X Pro sits midway.
Part of this is due to Infinix’s decision to employ a flat AMOLED display on the Zero X Pro rather than the curved glass we’ve seen on other phones.

The phone features a 108-megapixel wide-angle camera, as well as an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and an 8-megapixel periscope telephoto lens. Regardless of the final findings for the camera tests, it was reassuring to see a company make a genuine effort to build a reliable camera system.

The Zero X Pro, which is powered by MediaTek’s Helio G95, isn’t going to win any prizes for being the world’s most powerful phone. However, we never experienced any latency when using the device, even while jumping back and forth between apps or playing games for a short time.

The Infinix Zero X Pro’s huge 6.67-inch display is undoubtedly one of its most appealing features. You get a FullHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, which works out to a decent 395 pixels per inch. In-person, the display appears to be bright and clear.

The Infinix Zero X Pro is more than simply an AMOLED phone. It’s also a 120Hz unit with 240Hz touch sampling.

The battery on the Infinix Zero X Pro is a decent 4,500 mAh. The battery capacity isn’t nearly as large as the 5,000 mAh cells seen on the Infinix Note 11 Pro and Note 10 Pro, but it’s still impressive.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.67-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm)
RAM	8GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	108 MP Wide 8 MP Periscope telephoto 8 MP Ultrawide
Charging	45W wired, no wireless
Battery	4500mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	164.1 x 75.7 x 7.8 mm
Weight	193g
Price	Starts from N200,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Great battery life with support for 45W fast charging.

+Good camera

REASONS TO AVOID

–No 5G connectivity

–Average Helio G95 Chipset.

–Bloatware

TECNO PHANTOM X

Tecno hasn’t scrimped on the build quality and has attempted to set itself apart from the competition by offering major design improvements.

The back is without a doubt the most striking design aspect. It features a textured finish and is built of Gorilla Glass 5.

In this price bracket, the Phantom X has a display to brag about. It has an attractively curved design, a 90Hz refresh rate, an OLED display, and a big 19.5:9 aspect ratio with 1080 x 2340px resolution. However, there is one serious difficulty with the display that we encountered. The two front-facing cameras have a very large cutout, which is the most noticeable.

The Phantom X is packed with a 4,700 mAh battery. Yes, the phone only beats most of its rivals by a couple of hours, but it’s still progress. The Phantom X is powered by the MediaTek Helio G95 processor.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.7-inch sAMOLED, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm)
RAM	8GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	50 MP Wide 13 MP Telephoto 8 MP Ultrawide
Charging	33W wired, No wireless
Battery	4700mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	163.5 x 73.8 x 8.7 mm
Weight	201g
Price	Starts from N220,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Sleek and premium design.

+Great battery life and fast charging.

+Good camera

REASONS TO AVOID

–No stereo speakers

–Display could have been better especially the brightness

ONEPLUS NORD CE 5G

The Nord CE 5G features a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution and a refresh rate of 90Hz, which is a good thing.

The device features a triple-camera setup on the back which consists of a 64MP (f/1.8) main lens, an 8MP (f/2.3) ultra-wide lens with a 119˚ field of view, and a 2 MP (f/2.4) depth sensor. Selfies are handled by the 16MP (f/2.5) lens.

Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm) processor is under the hood and it is 5G capable (supports Sub-6GHz but not mmWave) coupled with 6/8/12 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of internal memory which can be expanded via an SD card.

Great to see the Nord CE 5G packing the OxygenOS 11.0.5.5 UI. It’s based on Android 11 but features OnePlus’ new exclusive UI upgrades. Additionally, the device comes with a 4500mAh battery and supports 30W fast charging.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.43-inch fluid AMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
Processor	Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm)
RAM	6/8/12GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide 8 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	30W wired, No wireless
Battery	4500mAh
Water Resistance	N0
Dimensions	159.2 x 73.5 x 7.9 mm
Weight	170g
Price	Starts from N230,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Compact and lightweight design

+Bright AMOLED display

REASONS TO AVOID

–No stereo speakers.

–No microSD card slot

SAMSUNG GALAXY M52 5G

The Galaxy M52 5G feels really good in the hand because of its ultra slender 7.4mm chassis. Normally, no matter how impressive their specs are, Galaxy M smartphones appear and feel like inexpensive handsets, but that isn’t the case here. The back and sides are still plastic, so you don’t get the luxury feel of glass and metal, but it doesn’t subtract from the overall value.

A 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with a 120Hz refresh rate come equipped on the Galaxy M52 5G. It’s a fantastic display, as you’d expect, with all the benefits of AMOLED technology, such as vibrant colors, deep blacks, and trouble-free reading in bright sunlight. Thanks to the fast refresh rate, you can enjoy smooth animations similar to what you’d see on Samsung’s top phones. This is mostly because of the Snapdragon 778G Chipset, which has plenty of horsepowers to handle the increased refresh rate.

The Galaxy M52 5G’s camera layout is typical, but there’s one difference: there’s no depth-sensing camera on the rear. At the back, there’s a 64MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP macro camera, with a 32MP selfie camera.

Not only is the Galaxy M52 5G is speedy, but it also has long battery life. Unlike previous Galaxy M smartphones, this one lacks a 6,000 mAh or 7,000 mAh battery, but don’t let that deceive you into believing you’re missing anything at all. With even heavy use, the M52 5G can last all-day

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.7-inch sAMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm)
RAM	6/8GB
Storage	128GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide 12 MP Ultrawide 5 MP Macro
Charging	25W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	IP67
Dimensions	163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm
Weight	210g
Price	Around N240,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Stylish design with IP67 water resistant rating

+Capable cameras

REASONS TO AVOID

–Pricey

–Bloatware

BEST ANDROID PHONES UNDER N150,000

XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 10S

There’s a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel, f/2.2 wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel depth camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It’s not bad at all. It shoots well-balanced shots with a stunning splash of color in good outdoor conditions, assuming you’re careful with the “AI” option.

The Redmi Note 10S has a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display but lacks the Redmi Note 10 Pro’s 120Hz refresh rate. It offers good brightness outdoors, with a peak brightness of 1000nits. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protects the screen.

The Redmi Note 10S is powered by a MediaTek G95 processor with a 12nm architecture, which is uncommon considering that most of Xiaomi’s recent smartphones use Snapdragon Chipsets. It has a Mali G76 MC4 GPU.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.43-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm)
RAM	4/6/8GB RAM
Storage	128GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide 8 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Macro 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	33W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	IP53
Dimensions	160.5 x 74.5 x 8.3 mm
Weight	178.8 g
Price	Around N115,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Impressive long-lasting battery with support for fast charging.

+Elegant premium design.

+IP53 certification and gorilla glass 3 protection.

REASONS TO AVOID

–Screen has regular 60Hz refresh rate

–Mediocre chipset

TECNO CAMON 17 PRO

First and foremost, the Tecno Camon 17 Pro is a reasonably large phone. It features a huge 6.8-inch FHD IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2460 x 1080px, pixel density of 395ppi, and a max brightness of 500 nits. Its single front camera is housed in a punch-hole on the top-center, which isn’t annoying in the least.

The display has a 90Hz refresh rate which is often important for a silky experience. It may not be as good as an AMOLED display, but it does have a noticeably smoother experience.

The Tecno Camon 17 Pro is a decent budget phone with good features, but the camera is where it really attracts users. Tecno has done everything possible to include a camera module that competes not with other budget phones, but with midrange phones costing nearly twice its price.

A 64MP main sensor, an 8MP for ultrawide, a 2MP monochrome lens, and another 2MP lens for depth sensing make up the quad-cam configuration. A LED flash is located beside the ultrawide lens. Tecno decided to balance a high-resolution 64MP main camera with an ultra-wide-angle 8MP camera for pictures.

It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 Octa-core CPU with 86GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.8-inch IPS LCD, 1080 x 2460 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm)
RAM	8GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide 8 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Depth sensor 2 MP Monochrome sensor
Charging	25W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	168.9 x 77 x 9 mm
Weight	201g
Price	Around N125,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Excellent battery life.

+Good Stereo speakers

+Decent camera

REASONS TO AVOID

–LCD display

–Average performance

INFINIX NOTE 11 PRO

The Infinix Note 11 Pro is a well-built phone with a polycarbonate back panel. It’s a little heavy, but that’s due to the 6.95-inch screen and 5,000 mAh battery. The device got 120Hz IPS LCD HD display panel as compared to the 90Hz we saw in Note 10 Pro. To be honest the display lacks brightness and it is difficult to use it outdoors, but it is large and extremely smooth due to the high refresh rate. It’s very immersive thanks to the “punch hole” notch.

The huge size of the display makes watching movies and playing video games on the Infinix Note 11 Pro a pleasurable experience. Overall, there are sharper, brighter displays with a 90/120Hz refresh rate in the price segment, but the Infinix Note 11 Pro boasts the largest display of them all.

The MediaTek Helio G96(12nm) chipset is at the heart of the device, along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Helio G96 is a tried-and-true chipset that has appeared in a slew of smartphones over the past month. It was introduced in July 2021.

128GB of storage should be good news for anyone looking for a low-cost phone: that’s a lot of storage for the money.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.95-inch IPS LCD, 1080 x 2460 pixels , 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio G96 (12 nm)
RAM	8GB
Storage	128GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide lens 13 MP Telephoto lens 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	33W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	173.1 x 78.4 x 8.7 mm
Weight	209g
Price	N130,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Great battery life

+Solid plastic design

REASONS TO AVOID

–LCD Display

–Average performance

SAMSUNG GALAXY M32

The M32 has many similarities to the Galaxy A32, such as a 90Hz Super AMOLED Full HD+ display, MediaTek Helio G80 Chipset, and 64MP main camera, but there are a few differences. Two major aspects have been enhanced by Samsung: Even though the package comes with a 15W charger, you receive a bigger battery (6,000 mAh) and support for 25W fast charging.

What isn’t so great is the amount of latency you have to deal with while playing games and doing even the most basic tasks, such as switching between two apps. And only receive a 15W charger in the box, despite the M32’s compatibility for 25W charging.

My expectations were reasonable given that the Galaxy M32 is a cheap smartphone. Despite this, the phone’s Mediatek Helio G80 processor underwhelmed me with its performance.

The Galaxy M32 sports a quad-camera array with a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor, a 2-megapixel macro, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Pixel binning is used to create 16 MP images from the 64 MP main camera.

The phone’s battery is a whopping 6,000 mAh, which comfortably lasts over a day and a half on a single battery charge. In comparison to other phones in this category, this is outstanding. 

While the phone’s large battery capacity means you won’t run out of power very frequently, the 15 W charger will take nearly three hours to charge it from zero to 100 percent.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.4-inch Super AMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm)
RAM	4/6/8GB
Storage	64/128GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide 8 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Macro 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	25W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	159.3 x 74 x 8.4 mm
Weight	180g
Price	Around N150,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Good-looking design

+Capable camera

+Good display

REASONS TO AVOID

–Average performance

BEST ANDROID PHONES UNDER N100,000

NOKIA G20

With a 48-megapixel primary camera, a 5-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth camera, the Nokia G20 quad-camera system is decent. However, having more cameras does not always imply that the photographs will be of higher quality. As long as you’re in the right environment with appropriate lighting, the Nokia G20 will shoot some good photos.

Even though the Nokia G20 has a slight chin and a teardrop notch, it still has a large 6.52-inch display that takes up most of the front of the phone. The display is adequate but not outstanding. It’s a 720p LCD display that becomes bright enough for most indoor applications. It’s possible that you won’t be able to read text on the screen in direct sunshine.

The Nokia G20 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G35 Chipset and comes with 4GB of RAM. It’s hardly a powerhouse, and the phone lagged frequently even in everyday use. Multitasking worked Oh alright, however if you have more than two or three apps open at the same time, you’re going to have some troubles. But it’s not all horrible.

The phone’s battery, luckily, is a redeeming feature. The device has a massive 5,050mAh battery that can easily last you a whole day of even moderate use, as well as far into the next day.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.52-inch IPS LCD, 720 x 1600 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate
Processor	MediaTek Helio G35 (12 nm)
RAM	4GB
Storage	64/128GB
Cameras	48 MP Wide 5 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Macro 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	10W wired, No wireless
Battery	5050mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	164.9 x 76 x 9.2 mm
Weight	197g
Price	N80,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Excellent battery

+Good camera

REASONS TO AVOID

–No fast charing

–Mediocre display and performance

XIAOMI REDMI 10

One of the phone’s attractions seems to be the camera setup. The quad-camera setup on the back consists of a 50MP (f/1.8) wide lens, an 8MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide-angle lens with 120˚ FOV, a 2MP (f/2.4) macro lens, and a 2MP (f/2.4) depth sensor. It sports an 8MP lens on the front for taking selfies.

Instead of offering an AMOLED screen, Xiaomi has opted for an LCD screen with a 90hz refresh rate.

The 6.5-inch Full HD+ display comes with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a pixel density of 405PPI, and a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for extra protection. The device has a display that is ideal for binge-watching Netflix and playing video games.

The MediaTek Helio G88 (12nm) is under the hood and it is coupled with 4/6 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded via an SD card.

The device has a 5,000 mAh battery that will comfortably last for one day of moderate use. An 18W fast charger is included in the box. Similarly, the device comes with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12.5 UI and it is based on the Android 11 operating system. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.5-inch IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 90Hz refresh rate
Processor	MediaTek Helio G88 (12nm)
RAM	4/6GB RAM
Storage	64/128GB
Cameras	50 MP Wide 8 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Macro 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	18W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	162 x 75.5 x 8.9 mm
Weight	181g
Price	Around N80,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Cameras are quite good

+Solid battery life

REASONS TO AVOID

–Slow charging speed

–Average performance

SAMSUNG GALAXY A12

The A12’s design isn’t very striking. On paper, its plastic frame and textured back appear cheap, yet I found it to be rather pleasant in my hands. The A12 has a strong unibody construction with a matte surface that helps prevent fingerprints smudges.

The Samsung Galaxy A12 has a 6.5-inch PLS IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1,600 pixels and 264 pixels per inch. Even with the huge display, it looks wonderfully sharp in day-to-day use, even if it falls short of Full HD experiences available for the price.

Instead of using a low-end Snapdragon chipset or one of its Exynos chips, Samsung has chosen Mediatek’s Helio P35 to power the A12. Although this isn’t the first time Samsung has employed this processor in an A-series phone, for whatever reason, this one failed to keep up with my expectations. Some components can be overlooked, such as dropped frames while opening and closing the notification panel. That’s not something you want to see right away on a phone, but it doesn’t hinder the whole experience.

The Galaxy A12 sports a 48-megapixel primary camera with a 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 2-megapixel depth camera , and a 2-megapixel macro camera on the back.

The 48MP back camera is exceptional for a phone in this price bracket. Photos taken in daylight are crisp and have a strong dynamic range, although color reproduction can be incorrect at times, making objects appear less vibrant than they are.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.5-inch PLS IPS, 720 x 1600 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate
Processor	Mediatek Helio P35 (12nm)
RAM	2/3/4/6GB
Storage	32/64128GB
Cameras	48 MP Wide 5 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Macro 2 MP Depth
Charging	15W wired, No wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	164 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm
Weight	205g
Price	Around N70,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Impressive Quad-camera setup.

+Long lasting battey

REASONS TO AVOID

–Slow charging

–below average display

–Underpowered chipset

OVERALL BEST PHONE UNDER N50,000

TECNO SPARK 7

The design of Tecno phones is one place where the company does so well. The Spark 7 is next on the list. Before you even hold the phone when it is on display in the store, it appears to be attractive and well-designed. The phone has a pleasant feel, thanks to the soft gloss on the back and the gem-cut texture. The phone is glossy, but Tecno hasn’t overdone the glossiness, which is why it isn’t as susceptible to stains and fingerprints.

The Tecno Spark 7 has a 6.5-inch IPS HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. The screen has a dot-notch camera cutout, which is a common feature in most Android phones.

The Tecno Spark 7 has a 16MP dual camera on the back panel. The UI of the camera app is close to that of the previous Tecno phones.

In daylight, the primary sensor performs admirably for a low-cost phone. In general, the pictures are vibrant with a hint of saturation. Given the price, it’s understandable that focusing on the phone is slow.

The MediaTek Helio A25 (12 nm) octa-core in the Spark 7 is clocked at 1.8 GHz. It also has 3 GB of RAM and 32/64 GB of storage that can be expanded with a microSD card.

The phone is fuelled by a large 6,000 mAh battery, which is good for a day’s worth of backup.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.5-inch IPS LCD, 720 x 1600 pixels
Processor	MediaTek Helio A25 (12 nm)
RAM	2/3GB
Storage	32/64GB
Cameras	16 MP, AF Secondary unknown camera
Charging	10W wired
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	164.8 x 76.1 x 9.5 mm
Weight	–
Price	Around N45,000 – N50,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Best value

+Outstanding battery

REASONS TO AVOID

–Average performance

–Below average display

–Below average photography

OVERALL BEST FLAGSHIP KILLER

ONEPLUS 9 PRO

The OnePlus 9 Pro’s physical design is the sleekest and beautiful that the company has ever created. It features a 6.7-inch screen that extends from edge to edge.

The flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor is combined with eight 8GB RAM on the 128GB variant of the OnePlus 9 Pro. There’s also a more pricey variant with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.

The unique charging technology of the OnePlus 9 Pro is the most notable feature. The phone comes with a 65W charger that charges it really fast. The phone’s 4,500mAh battery is divided in half, allowing for faster charging. The battery lasted a full day of moderate use.

The OnePlus 9 Pro has a 6.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1440 x 3216 and a pixel density of 525ppi. OnePlus, like Samsung, has upgraded to an LTPO OLED display, which is more power efficient and gives the company greater control over the refresh rate.

Based on what’s going on the screen, the screen may run anywhere from 120Hz to 1Hz. The touch response rate on the screen has been dubbed “Hyper Touch” by OnePlus, and it is clocked at 360Hz for select games.

The primary camera is a 48-megapixel lens using a Sony IMX789 sensor developed in conjunction with Sony. There are other three more cameras, including a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a Sony IMX766 sensor.

There’s also an 8MP telephoto shooter with up to 3x optical zoom, as well as a 2MP monochrome shooter for higher-quality black-and-white images.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.7-inch AMOLED, 1440 x 3216 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
RAM	8/12GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	48 MP Wide 8 MP Telephoto 50 MP Ultrawide 2 MP Monochrome
Charging	65W wired, 50W wireless
Battery	4500mAh
Water Resistance	IP68
Dimensions	163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm
Weight	197g
Price	Starts from N450,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Great display

+Excellent fast charging

+Standard camera

+Excellent performance

REASONS TO AVOID

–Expensive at any level

–Battery performance not so good

BEST FLAGSHIP PHONE WITH GREAT VALUE

GOOGLE PIXEL 6 PRO

The screen on the Pixel 6 Pro is the main selling point. It is a 6.7-inch screen that has a higher resolution and a 120Hz variable refresh rate. The latter is an important feature that allows the Pixel 6 Pro to compete with considerably more expensive phones such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra. 

The new 120Hz screen, like the one on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, makes scrolling through apps seamlessly, and generally navigating around the interface feel incredibly fast. The display is an LTPO OLED with a stunningly sharp QHD+ (1440 x 3120) resolution which is ideal for watching movies.

The 6 Pro features Google’s first completely innovative camera. The camera won’t disappoint and it competes with the likes of the iPhone 13 Pro Max. On the back, there is a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP 4x optical zoom telephoto camera, as well as a front-facing ultrawide 11.1MP selfie camera.

Simply put, the main 50MP camera is one of the best. It effortlessly captures a spectacular amount of detail in a variety of good and difficult lighting conditions, with an appealing level of vibrancy.

Unlike most Android smartphones, which are powered by Qualcomm chips, the Pixel is powered by Google’s first-ever self-made Tensor chip. The chip provides excellent performance and contributes to the Pixel’s long battery life.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.71-inch AMOLED, 3120×1440, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor	Google Tensor
RAM	12GB
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	50MP Wide 12MP Ultra-wide 50MP Telephoto
Charging	30W wired, 23W wireless
Battery	5000mAh
Water Resistance	IP68
Dimensions	163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm
Weight	210g
Price	Starts from N480,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Excellent camera

+Excellent display

+Excellent user interface

REASONS TO AVOID

–Not readily available

–Battery life is not up to expectation

OUR BATTERY KING

TECNO POVA 2

On the rear of the Tecno Pova 2, there is a 48MP primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture. There are three more 2MP back cameras featured.

The 12nm MediaTek Helio G85 SoC in the TECNO POVA 2 is paired with 4/6GB of RAM and 64/128GB of expandable storage. This, together with the 180Hz touch sampling rate, results in a pleasant gaming experience.

The large 7,000mAh battery is ideal for users who enjoy playing multiple games or binge-watching on their gadgets. The 18W fast charger takes just two hours to charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent. A fast-lightening charger would have been preferable, but the provided charger is enough for this price range

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.9-inch IPS LCD, 1080 x 2460 pixels
Processor	MediaTek Helio G85 (12nm)
RAM	4/6GB RAM
Storage	64/128GB
Cameras	48 MP Wide 2 MP Macro 2 MP Depth sensor 2 MP Depth sensor
Charging	18W wired
Battery	7000mAh
Water Resistance	No
Dimensions	173.3 x 78.8 x 9.6 mm
Weight	185g
Price	Around N95,000 – N100,000

REASONS TO BUY

+Long lasting battery

+Big screen

REASONS TO AVOID

–Poor camera

–Lots of Bloatware

OVERALL BEST GAMING ANDROID PHONE

ASUS ROG PHONE 5

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is a fantastic gaming phone. Its strengths come from a Snapdragon 888 processor paired with up to 16GB of RAM, as well as a screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz and a touch sampling rate of 300Hz – both of which are greater than most phones. High refresh rates and touch sampling are useful for gaming and this is why these features are buffed!

The screen is also quite large, and it’s accompanied by twin front-facing speakers. The Asus ROG Phone 5 also includes a large 6,000mAh battery, allowing you to play for extended periods of time, and with 65W charging, you won’t be out of action for long.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display	6.7-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2448 pixels, 144Hz refresh rate
Processor	Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
RAM	8/12/16GB RAM
Storage	128GB/256GB
Cameras	64 MP Wide lens 13 MP Ultrawide 5 MP Macro
Charging	67W wired
Battery	6000mAh
Water Resistance	–
Dimensions	172.8 x 77.3 x 10.3 mm
Weight	238 g
Price

REASONS TO BUY

+Inspired gamer’s design

+Excellent display

+Robust gaming experience

+DTS:X stereo speaker

+Excellent perfomance

REASONS TO AVOID

–Basic camera

–No IP rating for water resistance

–No microSD card slot