Nigeria: Top-selling mobile phones below ₦5,000

As smartphones become ever more complex and increasingly expensive, there are times mobile phone users want a device not made of glass and will not cost a fortune to replace or insure.

Whether you are off to a music festival, going on a camping holiday, or work in environments hostile to devices, a simple, old-school, feature phone can offer an excellent alternative.

There is the added advantage of super-long battery life, and prices that make them relatively affordable as a spare or secondary handset - one to leave in the car perhaps in emergency situations.

A mobile phone user seen with a smartphone.

Although phones are now quite expensive, but the author has taken out time to visit Computer Village, Nigeria’s biggest tech market, to bring you five mobile phones that come with retail prices under ₦ 5,000

In no particular order, Technology Times present to you the five top-selling ‘dumb’ phones out of Nigeria’s biggest tech market.

NOKIA 105 | ₦4,900

If you are after a very basic device for texting and making or receiving calls, then you will be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Nokia 105. This compact handset features a simple, clean design that belies its relatively inexpensive pricing.

Nokia 105

"If you are after a very basic device for texting and making or receiving calls, then you will be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Nokia 105."

The 1.8 inch display is bright and large enough to display the minimal information required for a phone of this type, and the island-style keyboard makes it easy to type out texts without fumbling over your fingers.

With better call clarity and audio that is louder than its predecessor, the new Nokia 105 4th edition gives you excellent call quality in noisy environments. And with space for 2000 contacts and up to 15 hours of talk time, you have everything you need to get the most out of your mobile calling experience.

The Nokia 105 mobile phone Rear view of the Nokia 105 mobile phone Front view of the Nokia 105 mobile phone

Use the built-in FM radio to listen to the news or tuned to FM. And with 2 free games (Bubble Bash 2, Snake Xenzia), your mobile entertainment needs are also minimally-covered. The new Nokia 105 has a built-in flashlight, a micro USB charging port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the battery life is good at up to 19 days of standby time.

Itel 2171 | ₦ 4,300

With a price tag of ₦4,300 the Itel It2171 packs 32MB of internal storage and is equipped with a dedicated slot for extending its storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB using Micro SD card.

Itel It2171

"The 1.77 inch display is serviceable rather than spectacular, and the 2G network connection delivers texts and calls while limiting Internet experience to only the most essential."

The 1.77 inch display is serviceable rather than spectacular, and the 2G network connection delivers texts and calls while limiting Internet experience to only the most essential.

While this is a simple phone that is mainly meant for taking calls, it does include a basic 0.3MP camera with a flash that can also function as a torch.

The Itel It2171 mobile phone The Itel It2171 mobile phone The Itel It2171 mobile phone Itel It2171

The Itel It2171 phone offers a 1000 mAh battery that offers up to 30 days of standby. It also has the following features: Calculator, Stopwatch, Calendar, Alarm and comes bundled with an inbuilt Facebook app.

SICCOO S5022 | ₦ 3,900

The SICCOO brand is not a particularly popular brand in the Nigerian telecoms market, but the S5022 comes with some exciting specs that one can find in a feature phone.

SICCOO S5022 mobile phone

"This basic phone doesn’t have any type of Internet connectivity. No browser, no email, nothing."

With a standby time of 30 days, and up to 16 hours of continuous talk time, this phone has a battery life of 1150mAH.

Call quality is decent, not great, but good enough for a phone of this price. You do have the option to connect a headset using the 3.5mm audio jack.

There’s a speakerphone option also, which is a bit quiet as well. The speakerphone is good enough for indoor use, but not loud enough to use outside in a noisy environment.

This basic phone doesn’t have any type of Internet connectivity. No browser, no email, nothing.

The SICCOO S5022 does support texting, but there’s no predictive input (T9). You input letters the old-fashioned way, by pressing the number pad keys up to 3 times.

SICCOO S5022 mobile phone

An MP3 player is included, and you can use your MP3 . Other features include alarms, a file manager, a calculator, a voice recorder, and one game.

An FM radio is included, and it works well even when you don’t have any headphones or headset connected. Most phones require you to connect some headphones so they can use their cable as an antenna, but this one has great reception all by itself.

SICCOO S5022 has a dual SIM slot that allows you to use the phone with two different numbers. For example, you can use one domestic and one international number, or alternatively, work and home phone numbers.

TECNO T301 | ₦ 3,200

The Tecno T301 basic phone has many features which will make you consider buying the device.

Tecno T301 mobile phone

"This small phone is enabled for dual sim cards. So, if you have two major phone numbers for calls and text messages, this phone is just right for you."

First, this small phone is enabled for dual sim cards. So, if you have two major phone numbers for calls and text messages, this phone is just right for you.

The battery capacity of this small phone is 1150mAh which has up to 24 days of standby. And just to alleviate the boredom that may come with using a basic phone, the Tecno T301 makers decided to include an FM radio as well. With this phone, you can listen to any radio channel of your choice at home or on the move.

Tecno T301 mobile phone Tecno T301 mobile phone Tecno T301 mobile phone Tecno T301 mobile phone

The only disadvantage is that this phone has a 4MB RAM and 4MB ROM which is quite small for a basic phone. So, you might not be able to save many phone numbers because of the memory space limitations. But if you don’t mind this drawback, this is a great phone to own.

GIONEE IE2167 | ₦ 2,90

The Gionee IE2167 is a small phone you will love once you finish reading this review. It has a 1000mAh battery capacity which according to the manufacturers, can give about 10 hours talk time on a single charge.

Gionee IE2167 mobile phone

"It has a 1000mAh battery capacity which according to the manufacturers, can give about 10 hours talk time on a single charge."

In addition to this, the phone has a camera that lets you capture long-lasting memories.

What's more, the Gionee IE2167 has an FM radio you can listen to and a Bluetooth connectivity function. So, you can transfer music files to your phone for your entertainment pleasure.

The Gionee IE2167 mobile phone

It has a 32MB storage which is expandable to 32GB with a Micro SD memory card. So all you have to do is sit back and listen to your favourite music for as long as you want.