Top smartphones you can buy in Nigeria right now. What are the best smartphones you can buy in 2022? The best phones deliver great cameras, the performance you need to multitask and enough battery life to last the whole day.
Whether you want Apple’s iPhone, a Google Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy, a OnePlus, or another phone, these are the top options you can buy. Naijatechnews guide to the very best phones on the market today in 2022. Discover the best smartphone for you now
There are always upcoming new phones too, with the Samsung Galaxy S22, Xiaomi 12, OnePlus 10 Pro, Oppo Find X5, iPhone SE 3, and more likely to appear in the next few months, so expect this list to keep being updated. Plus, we expect to see an iPhone 14 available in Nigeria later in 2022.
Are you planning to buy a new phone or upgrade your phone? Here is the list of best phones you can buy this year in Nigeria.
1. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Release date: January 2021
- Weight: 227g
- Dimensions: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
- OS: Android 11
- Screen size: 6.8-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3200
- CPU: Snapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100
- RAM: 12GB / 16GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Rear camera: 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 40MP
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is our best smartphone in Nigeria right now: here’s why.
Why it’s the best smartphone: We think the S21 Ultra is a fantastic choice for you with one of the best camera suites, phenomenal power, great battery life, a solid design, and a whole host of other great features. The Galaxy S21 Ultra isn’t a cheap handset with a price that, despite being cheaper than its predecessor, is still costlier than any competing flagship, but if you’re looking for the ultimate smartphone experience in 2022 you will be hard-pressed to do better than this latest from Samsung.
Screen: The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features a top 6.8-inch screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a Quad HD resolution. This is one of the best smartphone displays on the market.
Battery life: The Samsung S21 Ultra’s battery life is solid, and we found it’d often see us through a whole day from a full charge. If you’re playing around with the 120Hz refresh rate, battery life is likely to drain faster, but it’s a top choice if you’re after a long-lasting phone.
Note the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra doesn’t come with a charger in the box though, so you’ll have to use your existing one or buy one separately.
Camera: Samsung’s 108MP camera on the Galaxy S21 Ultra is going to be the highlight for many, and the camera doesn’t disappoint on this phone. Like its predecessor, you can take 100x zoom photography, but it’s far improved here over the Galaxy S20 Ultra with two telephoto cameras working in tandem to do the heavy lifting.
2. Apple iPhone 13 Pro & iPhone 13 Pro Max – The best iPhones in 2022
- Release date: September 2021
- Weight: 204g / 240g
- Dimensions: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.7mm / 160.8mm x 78.1mm x 7.7mm
- OS: iOS 15
- Screen size: 6.1-inch / 6.7-inch
- Resolution: 1170 x 2532 / 1284 x 2778
- CPU: A15 Bionic
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
- Battery: 3,095mAh / 4,352mAh
- Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 12MP
- Front camera: 12MP
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are the best iPhones available at the time of writing, offering more power than ever before, improved cameras, 120Hz refresh rates, and surprisingly good battery life.
Why they’re ranked 2nd: While the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are the best iPhones, they’re slightly topped by the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which has a better design and a more versatile camera, but these phones come very close and are the obvious choice for iPhone fans. With a higher refresh rate than the iPhone 12 range, a new macro mode, and a smaller notch, they aren’t the biggest upgrades but they’re undeniably great.
Screen: Whether you choose the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro or 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max you’re getting a sharp OLED screen with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. The continued presence of the notch is annoying, but it’s slightly smaller this time and easy to ignore, especially once you see the overall quality of the display.
Battery life: Apple has outdone itself with the battery life on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is genuinely great, rather than just being great for an iPhone. The iPhone 13 Pro isn’t quite as good, but it’s still decent and an upgrade on the iPhone 12 Pro’s life.
Camera: The iPhone 13 Pro range includes the same lens types as last year, but with larger pixels and new modes, including an impressive macro mode, and a slightly less significant Cinematic mode. Between all this and their improved low light performance, these cameras are ace.
3. Google Pixel 6 / Google Pixel 6 Pro – The best photo capability
- Release date: October 2021
- Weight: 207g / 210g
- Dimensions: 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9 mm / 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm
- OS: Android 12
- Screen size: 6.4-inch / 6.7-inch
- Resolution: 2400 x 1080 / 3120 x 1440
- CPU: Google Tensor
- RAM: 8GB / 12GB
- Storage: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB (6 Pro only)
- Battery: 4614mAh / 5000mAh
- Rear camera: 50MP + 12MP / + 48MP (6 Pro only)
- Front camera: 8MP / 11MP
The Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro came out in October 2021 to much fanfare over its new Google-designed Tensor chipset, which the company alleged would enable incredible AI software performance. While we were too quick to expect Apple A-series Bionic levels of performance from Tensor – both Pixel 6 and 6 Pro benchmarks are well below iPhone 13 and Samsung S21 levels – the cameras take the most color- and light-balanced photos we’ve ever seen from a smartphone.
Why they’re ranked 3rd: The Pixel 6 phones are a real step up from the Pixel 5, but there are still some things that keep it from the top, like middling battery life and a divisive physical redesign. Both phones have their audience, though: the Pixel 6 at its lowest price (which varies between carriers) is cheaper than the iPhone 13 mini and Samsung S21, while the Pixel 6 Pro has premium perks like a periscope telephoto lens, a QHD screen, and an ultrawide selfie camera, all cheaper than the iPhone 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus. But both phones’ 50MP main camera and Google’s photo software (with even more neat tricks) can’t be beaten.
Screen: The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch OLED screen with Full HD Plus (2400 x 1080) resolution, with a 90Hz refresh rate for smoother app browsing and gaming. The Pixel 6 Pro bumps that up to 6.7 inches with QHD (3120 x 1440) and 120Hz refresh rate for a sharper picture, but you’d only notice if comparing side by side. Colors are rich on the OLED display, and thanks to the dual front-facing speakers, it makes for a handy streaming device.
Battery life: The Pixel 4’s battery woes are gone, but don’t expect more than a day’s battery life out of either phone. The Pixel 6 packs a 4,614mAh battery, while the Pixel 6 Pro has a 5,000mAh battery, but don’t expect too much difference thanks to the larger display. Yes, there are battery-saving settings to eke out more life, and the 30W charger is an improvement over its predecessors, but it’s lower than the 65W chargers that work with the OnePlus 9, for instance. Wireless charging maxes out at a respectable 21W, but only with Google’s first-party charger.
Camera: The Pixel 6’s cameras are its best selling point. The main camera has finally been improved with a 50MP shooter which, combined with Google’s photo software, results in incredibly true-to-life photos. The 12MP ultra-wide feels better aligned with the photo capabilities of the main camera (they take similar photos), and if you opt for the Pixel 6 Pro, you’ll get a periscope telephoto capable of 4x optical zoom for some truly great distance photos. The Pro also swaps the 8MP selfie camera (with an 84-degree field of view) for an 11MP front-facing camera (94-degree field of view) for an ultra-wide effect. The Tensor chipset and AI software have new tricks, like erasing unwanted objects and capturing motion blur around a still subject, along with the best Night Mode we’ve seen.
4. OnePlus 9 Pro – A giant leap for OnePlus photography
- Release date: March 2021
- Weight: 197g
- Dimensions: 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7mm
- OS: Android 11
- Screen size: 6.7-inch
- Resolution: 1440 x 3216
- CPU: Snapdragon 888RAM: 8/12GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Rear camera: 48MP + 50MP + 8MP + 2MP
- Front camera: 16MP
The OnePlus 9 Pro is a top-tier flagship and one that improves on the main weakness of previous OnePlus phones – their cameras. This is a phone that can compete with the other top handsets, and some may even prefer its camera to the other phones on this list.
Why it’s ranked 4th: OnePlus may have focused its attention on the cameras for the OnePlus 9 Pro, but this is an overall incredible smartphone offering top-end power, a great display, and most features you’d expect from any other phone you’ll find on this list. Battery life isn’t the absolute best, and it’s remarkably expensive considering OnePlus’ history in the smartphone market but it has earned its place this high on our best smartphone list because it’s the overall package.
Screen: This 6.7-inch screen has the ability to impress you more than an iPhone for one simple reason: the ‘Fluid Display’ that sets the refresh rate to 120Hz. Not only does it make the game look better, but simply scrolling the web looks smoother. You’ll also find nice upscaling and HDR10+ here.
Battery life: If you need your phone battery to last all day long, the OnePlus 9 Pro achieves that, but it doesn’t offer the absolute best battery life we’ve seen on a smartphone. It features a 4,500mAh battery, and this is set to last you a full day from a single charge but it may not offer that if you’re using the phone an extraordinary amount. It also has great fast charging and wireless charging features.
Camera: Thanks to a new Hasselblad partnership and a ‘freeform’ ultra-wide lens, designed to reduce the distortion at the edge of images, the OnePlus 9 Pro is the best OnePlus camera phone. It isn’t the absolute best camera phone, but it’s a remarkable step up from the company with a great 48MP main camera alongside an 8MP telephoto and 50MP ultrawide.
5. Asus ROG Phone 5 – Best Gaming Smartphone
- Release date: April 2021
- Weight: 238g
- Dimensions: 172.8 x 77.3 x 10.3mm
- OS: Android 11
- Screen size: 6.78-inch
- Resolution: 1080 x 2448
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- RAM: 8/12/16GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Battery: 6,000mAh
- Rear camera: 64MP + 13MP + 5MP
- Front camera: 24MP
The Asus ROG Phone 5 is one of the very best gaming phones, but as an all-around handset, it doesn’t rank quite as high. Still, with its impressive 144Hz refresh rate and 6,000mAh battery, it could appeal to plenty of non-gamers too.
Why it’s ranked 5th: The Asus ROG Phone 5 is laser-focused on being a gaming device, which means it’s a little lacking in some other areas, including the camera. However, that focus also means it’s got a great screen, brilliant battery life, and plenty of power.
Screen: You get a 6.78-inch 1080 x 2448 AMOLED screen with an almost unmatched 144Hz refresh rate, for silky smooth interactions. It also has a 300Hz touch sampling rate – which will benefit gamers in particular. The only disappointment is that the screen isn’t slightly sharper.
Battery life: With a 6,000mAh battery the Asus ROG Phone 5 has better endurance than most flagships, and it sports fast 65W charging too. If battery life is a concern then this is a top choice.
Camera: There’s no telephoto camera here, and in our tests, we found that results from the main and ultra-wide lenses were decent, but not a match for the top rivals. You also get a macro lens, but at 5MP this isn’t anything special.
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