Smartphones have come to stay and they are an integral gadget in our daily lives. Most people would prefer affordable Android smartphones as it strikes a balance between price and quality. $100 is around 55,000 naira using the current exchange rate so many can afford this.

You should bear in mind that Smartphones within this budget are mainly entry level devices and cannot offer you a premium experience no matter how their adverts appears. They can help you with your day to day smartphone functions like make calls, take normal photos and run some standard apps or games.

There are many smartphones across many good brands that you can buy for $100 or below. However, I came up with just 3 out of a swarm of brands. They’re more of a personal suggestion than an outright best pick out of the bunch. So you have a wide range of options.


My criteria for selecting them includes:

Global availability: They’re popular and have a global presence. You can buy them across major online stores like Amazon, Aliexpress and Jumia. You can also get them in physical offline stores in major cities.

Functionality:
Like I said, they won’t give you a premium experience but can serve you well. I set a benchmark of 2gb ram and 32gb Rom, a decent processor, fairly good camera, Android 9 or above and 3000mah or above battery capacity.

Culled from
https://wildwolf.xyz/best-affordable-android-smartphones-within-100-in-2021/

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My 3 preferred picks

1.Samsung galaxy Ao1: An affordable device from global brand Samsung. A summary of features are stated below

Size: 5.7 inches

Resolution: 720 x 1520 pixels, 294 PPI density.

Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 with Octa core cpu and Adreno 505 GPU

OS: Android 10 upgradable to 11 with One UI 3.0

Memory: 2gb ram with either 16gb or 32gb Rom with support for sd card.

Network: 4g enabled with support for 2 Sims.

Camera: 13mp and 2mp back camera setup with 5mp as selfie.

Battery: 3000 mah non removable battery which you can charge via a micro usb 2.0

2. Umidigi A5 pro: This should be the most popular smartphone from Umi. Not as popular as Samsung but they have a global presence due to their mouth watering specs. Features of the A5 pro includes :

Size: 6.3 inches

Resolution: 2280 x 1080, 400 PPI density

Chipset: Mediatek Helio P23, Octacore cpu and ARM Mali G71 GPU.

OS: Stock Android 9

Memory: 4gb ram and 32gb Rom with support for sd card.

Network: 4g enable, 2 SIM support

Camera: Main camera consists of a 16mp,8mp ultra wide and 5mp depth cams. Selfie sports a dual 16mp and 5mp setup.

Battery: 4150 mah non removable battery which can be charged via a type c supporting 10w fast charge.

Favourdesent:
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3. Xiaomi Redmi 9a: Coming from the popular Xiaomi Redmi stable. This is my personal best among the others listed above. Features includes:

Size : 6.53 inches

Resolution: 720 x 1600, 269 PPI density

Chipset: Mediatek Helio G25, Octacore cpu Power VR GE8320 GPU.

OS: Android 10 with MIUI 12

Memory: The 2gb ram, 32gb Rom version falls below $100 and it has support for sd card

Camera: 13mp back camera and 5mp selfie camera.

Network: 4g enabled with support for 2 Sims

Battery: 5000mah non removable battery with 10w fast charge supported.

Another good option is buying used premium smartphones if you can overlook their not up to date software and fair battery life. They offer premium chipsets and a better smartphone experience. The phones below cost $100 or less.

Samsung galaxy S7 and S7 edge

LG G6

Google Pixel 2xl

Culled from
https://wildwolf.xyz/best-affordable-android-smartphones-within-100-in-2021/

The Pop series should be a ruler of this section, cos never has any of their phones been upto 100$

Breastfeed:
The Pop series should be a ruler of this section, cos never has any of their phones been upto 100$

true talk, imagine the recent Pop 5 going for less than 45k

selfdefence:
true talk, imagine the recent Pop 5 going for less than 45k

Attached is the core features of the pop 5
It can't be compared to the phones stated above
1gb ram,16gb rom
Spreadtrum processor
5mp front and back camera

There are better infinix smartphones at the same price range not to talk of other brands.

Gionee s10 lite @N29500 on jumia.
4gb ram
13mp main cam
3100 mah
Front facing fingerprint sensor.
Metal build
IPS lcd display

gammarays:

Attached is the core features of the pop 5
It can't be compared to the phones stated above
1gb ram,16gb rom
Spreadtrum processor
5mp front and back camera

There are better infinix smartphones at the same price range not to talk of other brands.

okay, I get your point, but the pop 5 is still a very cheap device

selfdefence:
okay, I get your point, but the pop 5 is still a very cheap device

Well I won't doubt that But there are better alternatives at the same price range
Check redmi 7a
Umidigi a5
Umidigi a3 pro and other brands

gammarays:

Well I won't doubt that But there are better alternatives at the same price range
Check redmi 7a
Umidigi a5
Umidigi a3 pro and other brands

ok

Gideoniteprime4:
Gionee s10 lite @N29500 on jumia.
4gb ram
13mp main cam
3100 mah
Front facing fingerprint sensor.
Metal build
IPS lcd display

That's a great deal too
Don't know what happened to gionee of late

Umidigi A3 pro and Redmi 7a should be part of this too.

gammarays:

That's a great deal too
Don't know what happened to gionee of late

They stopped the aggressive marketing they were known for,
I was shocked that they silently released the s11, s11 lite, s12, s12 lite without major marketing, they focused on the a series which to me was a big flop... The a series were great devices, but they just couldn't float, they barely lasted 6 months before discontinuation, even their amigo os was a nice ui with stable functionality, i believe if gionee has their one moment of epiphany, they would bounce back and deliver quality phones with affordable price tags.

Gideoniteprime4:

They stopped the aggressive marketing they were known for,
I was shocked that they silently released the s11, s11 lite, s12, s12 lite without major marketing, they focused on the a series which to me was a big flop... The a series were great devices, but they just couldn't float, they barely lasted 6 months before discontinuation, even their amigo os was a nice ui with stable functionality, i believe if gionee has their one moment of epiphany, they would bounce back and deliver quality phones with affordable price tags.

I thought their owner had an issue then
They manufactured affordable phones with good specs then.

A Redmi 7a is still a good buy at this range

Tecno POP 5 series

Breastfeed:
The Pop series should be a ruler of this section, cos never has any of their phones been upto 100$

very true

gammarays:
2. Umidigi A5 pro: This should be the most popular smartphone from Umi. Not as popular as Samsung but they have a global presence due to their mouth watering specs. Features of the A5 pro includes :

Size: 6.3 inches

Resolution: 2280 x 1080, 400 PPI density

Chipset: Mediatek Helio P23, Octacore cpu and ARM Mali G71 GPU.

OS: Stock Android 9

Memory: 4gb ram and 32gb Rom with support for sd card.

Network: 4g enable, 2 SIM support

Camera: Main camera consists of a 16mp,8mp ultra wide and 5mp depth cams. Selfie sports a dual 16mp and 5mp setup.

Battery: 4150 mah non removable battery which can be charged via a type c supporting 10w fast charge.

Good day boss.

Pls how much is this phone and how can I get it?

selfdefence:
okay, I get your point, but the pop 5 is still a very cheap device

is anybody saying it isn't?

selfdefence:
true talk, imagine the recent Pop 5 going for less than 45k

Breastfeed:
The Pop series should be a ruler of this section, cos never has any of their phones been upto 100$

selfdefence:
true talk, imagine the recent Pop 5 going for less than 45k

we know as e de go, make post, and login another moniker to reply yourself.

meanwhile, why dont you compare your abominable 1gig ram spreadtrum device with all the phones the op listed, before calling the abomination "ruler of them" (did you smoked crack to have come up with this )

if them call you tech illiterate now, you go begin vex, but na only you de take your hand fry yourself shade for showglass.

sonsomegrigbo:



Good day boss.

Pls how much is this phone and how can I get it?

50k plus or even more because of the exchange rate

gammarays1:
50k plus or even more because of the exchange rate

Thanks so much

It's tecno pop series for me.

hoilakes:
Tecno POP 5 series

how much is this pop 5 sef

Gideoniteprime4:
Gionee s10 lite @N29500 on jumia.
4gb ram
13mp main cam
3100 mah
Front facing fingerprint sensor.
Metal build
IPS lcd display

na the battery spoil am

Hmmm...these phones are quite good. But tecno pop series too are below $100

We're checking some benchmarks
1gb ram doesn't fit in.

Jacku:
how much is this pop 5 sef

it's about 40-45k