The average price of smartphones has declined by 19 per cent to $95 in two years, a latest report by Nigeria Mobile Report by Jumia has shown.
According to the report, this trend is largely driven by entry of affordable phones from China into the market.
In 2016, the average price of smartphone in the country was $117 while in 2016, the price was estimated at $216.
“The average price of smartphones continues on a downward trajectory, as it dipped to $95 in 2018, from US$ 117 in 2016, and US$ 216 in 2014,” the mobile report said.
The report stated, “This development is laudable as again, the major driver of this trend is attributed to the influx of Asian brands specifically targeted for the Nigerian market.
“Asian brands have consistently enjoyed massive patronage because of their Africa-specific strategy of introducing lower price point smartphones into the Nigerian market.”
The top five phones brands that gathered the patronage of Nigerians, according to the report, are Fero Mobile, Samsung, Nokia, Infinix and Tecno.
In particular, analysts at Jumia said Nokia emerged among the top five due to its previous record of durability in the country.
In 2018, Fero, Samsung, Nokia, Infinix, and Tecno remained the customers’ favourites and the top selling mobile brands on Jumia.
“It is interesting that a one- time king of mobile phone, Nokia is gradually returning to the limelight, riding on its durability claim. Infinix continues to lead the pack, year on year,” it added.
Findings of the study showed that Lagos had the highest number of mobile phone orders in 2018, followed by Abuja, Rivers, Edo, and Delta.
According to Jumia, the mobile phone category still remains one of the top selling categories on the Jumia website.
Jumia predicted that about 700 million new mobile subscribers from various countries across the world would push the total number of global mobile subscribers to six billion between now and 2025.
According to the report, Nigeria has been identified among these countries, with others being India, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, USA, and Brazil.
It said, “It is predicted that Nigeria will contribute four per cent of the estimated 700 million new global mobile subscribers,making it the only country in Africa marked with a significant contribution to increasing mobile penetration in the world.”
Source: Punch
