7 Things to Consider Before Buying a New Phone in Nigeria

Smartphones have taken over the world of phones, and you don’t want to be left out. If you look around, you’ll see different variants of smartphones, ranging from gaming phones, waterproof phones, camera phones, Android-powered phones, iPhones, and more. We are not here to talk about the wide range of smartphones in the world but to show you things to consider before buying a new phone.

Before getting that new smartphone, here is a list of things you should never ignore, or you will regret buying that phone. Do not overlook the pointers below.

Smartphone Buying Guide in Nigeria

1. Your Pocket (Budget)

You want to buy a new phone but don’t have enough cash in place for it. There’s a need to align your target with what you can afford at that moment.

Another way to buy your desired phone is to wait for some months after launch, phones don’t appreciate but depreciate. What this means is that its price would likely drop from its initial launch price.

Two Quick Tips:

1. In situations where the dollar rate isn’t stable, the prices of phones can change immensely. Be quick to get a device so that it won’t become a burden to buy later.
2. You should look out for promo deals and wait for the right time to strike perfect deals on Jumia and Konga online shopping sites, they usually have breath-taking discounts on these online stores.

Buying Guide:

• Phones Under 20000 Naira
• Phones Under 25000 Naira
• Phones Under 30000 Naira
• Phones Under 40000 Naira
• Phones Under 50000 Naira
• Phones Under 60000 Naira
• Phones Under 70000 Naira
• Phones Under 80000 Naira

2. Specifications, Features and Review

This is a very important aspect of phone pre-purchase tips. Let it be known to you that it is very risky not checking out if a phone fits the bill before purchase; this mistake could go a long way toward haunting you.

Reviews are in-depth assessments of this device by people who have purchased it from you or have access to this phone. They check for faults, errors, and every other thing that might be wrong with it, and then give positive or negative reviews about it.

Finally, check out the specs in the aspect of screen size, Android OS, camera pixels (front & rear), battery capacity, network type, processor speed, RAM, storage capacity, etc. You can check out my previous post on 11 Android specifications to look out for before buying a new phone. In addition, the availability of a Quick Charging (flash charge) feature, Face ID, a fingerprint scanner, a cooling system for heavy gamers, an OTA update, and more is critical.

So here’s my advice for you: before buying a phone, make sure you’ve checked its specifications and probably reviewed it online to make sure this device is what they portray it to be.

Useful Buying Guide:

• List of Bezel-less Smartphones | Best Full-screen Phones
• Top 10 Best Smartphones (Latest High-end Phones)
• 10 Best Battery Life Phones
• 10 Best Waterproof Phones
• Cheapest 4GB RAM Android Phones in Nigeria (Budget-friendly)
• Best Gaming Phones | Top Smartphones for Playing Games

3. Warranty

Make sure there is a minimum of a 1-year warranty attached to this device. This is very good for phones if they happen to develop random software issues or faults that weren’t inflicted by you.

Free repairs, maintenance, or even replacement will be covered by the warranty for the warranty time frame. Warranty is normally attached to brand-new phones and not second-hand devices. You’ll most likely get a warranty when you buy new smartphones from stores such as Jumia, Xiaomi stores, Konga, CarlCare, etc.

4. Repair Centre

This is a very important reason that a lot of individuals ignore. People don’t consider whether their desired phone manufacturers have repair centres in their state or country.

It hurts me when people living as far as north-eastern Nigeria travel down to Lagos to repair their phones. Why on earth would you even buy such a device in the first place?

Ensure that the phone you’re buying next has a repair centre very close to your locality. That’s a turn-off for me. I’d rather buy phones from less popular brands as long as there’s the availability of repair centres in Nigeria.

5. Availability of Spare Parts and Accessories

For those of us who enjoy shopping for gadgets in foreign online markets. It’s cool, yeah, I know, but the downside is, when these device gets damaged, be ready to ship their parts and consider the time frame before your products get to Nigeria. I’m sure you understand the point I’m trying to make!

This is a very time-consuming process; in the worst cases, you might not even get some of these parts delivered when needed, or they could be unavailable when requested.

To avoid this, make sure the phone you’re buying next has a repair centre/phone accessory store where you can get all the spare parts and accessories you need. You must have easy access to these places.

Two Quick Tips:

• The availability of phone parts is one; knowing how much they cost is another. Even if you have your favourite brand’s accessories and replacement parts readily available in your locality, are they affordable? Some brands have more expensive parts when compared to others. For example, most flagship Samsung phones have really expensive screens in comparison to their competitor, the iPhone.
• Smartphone parts are extremely cheap on AliExpress, but only if you can wait. It takes a long time for items to be delivered, but this can be sped up if you opt for a shipping company such as DHL.

6. Best Internet Subscription

A phone without the internet is like a man without a conscience. The internet is what gives life to a phone; without it, your device is as good as dead! Most Android, iPhone, and Windows users can attest to this. So before going for your next phone, make sure you check out the best, cheapest, and most stable internet provider in Nigeria, depending on your locality and preferred mobile network.

Also, take note of the network connectivity; that is, some networks provide 4G and 5G internet connection in certain regions of the country. So when purchasing that device, you might as well make having phones with 4G or 5G a priority.

NB: Make sure you study network signal strengths in your locality before subscribing.

There are a few cheap data plans to use when you finally get your phone. The plans below are cheap, fast, and affordable.

List of Data Plans in Nigeria:

• Airtel Data Plans
• Glo Data Plans
• MTN Data Plans
• GLO Data Plans
• Spectranet Data Plans
• Cheapest Data Plans

7. Electricity

This is coming last on the list, but neither of us can deny that electricity in major parts of the country is nothing to write home about. Most Android and other smartphones have seen a major increase in their battery capacity, and this is due to the huge processes running simultaneously on these smartphones.

Recently, phones have begun to come with chargers with higher wattages. What this means is that these kinds of phone chargers would charge up quicker than regular chargers. I have already shared a post to help you with the best battery-life phones; you’ll find it very useful.

Useful Guide:

• Phones With 4000mAh Battery Capacity in Nigeria
• Phones With 5000mAh Battery Capacity in Nigeria
• Phones with 6000mAh Battery Capacity in Nigeria

Conclusion:

These are just 7 things to consider before buying a new phone. These pointers are solely my opinions and what I feel you should look out for. If you follow the above tips, I am convinced your next phone won’t be a disappointment whatsoever; you’ll be very satisfied with it. I wish you luck buying that mind-blowing phone. Kindly let us know if there are other important things one should consider before getting a new phone today. Share your thoughts via the comment box below.