[Tech] Phones To Avoid If You Live In Nigeria - Phones

Nigeria has a lot of Nigerians in it. So many (179 million) that if you took half of them out of the country, Nigeria would still have the highest population of any African country.
The Nigerian phone market in recent times has become saturated with fake phones and many unsuspecting buyers have been scammed into buying fake phones for the price of an original one. Fake phones especially Android phones have become so rampant that one wonders if phone dealers are deliberately taking advantage of their customers.

I noticed that most of the fake phones in the market are the so called ‘UK or London Used Phones’ and fairly used phones, there are also fake new phones but they don’t seem to be as many as the used phones.

Most of these fake phones match the original phones almost exactly in design and since most phone buyers are not tech savvy, they are very easily deceived. Many people do not know they bought a fake phone until after a while when they probably meet someone with the original version of the phone and find huge differences between their phone and the original. Even small phones popularly called ‘Torchlight phones’.
Before you hurriedly buy or upgrade to a new phone, here are some things to consider:

By Ayodele Efunla

Buying phones from roadside sellers or unauthorised outlets goes with a lot of risks as experiences of many patrons of such unregistered dealers have confirmed.

Complaints of overheating, battery malfunctioning and many more are on the increase. Some, including very expensive smartphones, break down irretrievably almost immediately after purchase.

Therefore, before you buy phone, here are some things to consider:

1. Don’t buy phones which parts are not readily available in Nigeria.

2. Avoid buying used or second-hand smartphones either from the roadside or from an unregistered outlet. Failure to exercise this caution may lead to regret. You may also be unknowingly buying a stolen phone. Buying a new smartphone will ensure that you know the phone’s history and it comes with a battery that has long lifespan.

3. Don’t buy a phone you cannot afford its parts in case you want to repair. Don’t let competition or peer pressure push you. Live within the boundary of your income .

4. Don’t rush to buy a newly introduced phone. If you wait for a few months, you would discover that the price will crash.

5. Avoid phones that are not designed for the Nigerian weather.

6. Phones which the operating system will no longer be supported in 2020, such as Blackberry phones, iPhone running iOS 8 or older ones, should be avoided.