Under $100 dollar phones from China are the most wanted handsets in Africa - Latest report

Under $100 dollar phones from China are the most wanted handsets in Africa - Latest report

- Chinese phones that are available for sale under $100 have Africa as their biggest market, a survey has revealed

- Available statistics show that shipment of smartphones to Africa increased by 5.4% to 24.4 million units during Christmas and Black Friday

- The top three manufacturers of such phones are Transsion, Samsung and Huawei

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Africa has been recognised as the biggest market for Chinese cellphones that cost less than $100.

More than half of all smartphones sold in Africa, especially in 2019’s last quarter cost less than $100 and very likely originated from China.

Records available show that shipment of smartphones to Africa increased by 5.4% to 24.4 million units during the Black Friday and Christmas seasons.

Under $100 dollar phones from China are the most wanted handsets in Africa - Latest report
Source: qz.com
Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Monetary Policy Committee of Bank of Ghana reduces policy rate to 14.5%

Shipment of feature phones fell by 2.6% to 34.4 million units but still dominated the market with a 58.4% share because they are affordable.

Transsion, makers of the Tecno, Infinix and iTel brands led the market with a combined share of 40.6% while Samsung took second place with 18.6% and Huawei coming in third with 9.8%.

Qz.com reports that there is a growing demand for cellphones due to upgrades in phones and social media influence.

The reason for the low price is that the members of the urban middle class in Africa generally earn less than $500 and as such to make a $200 or $300 commitment to the purchase of a cellphone is considered a huge investment.

The affordable models, therefore, attract phone users more and this was evidenced in purchases in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Under $100 dollar phones from China are the most wanted handsets in Africa - Latest report
Source: qz.com
Source: UGC

During that period, smartphones priced under $100 attracted 51.2% of the market; an increase from 46.8% for the same period in 2018.

Meanwhile, popular messaging app, WhatsApp, has other versions that are more popular with users in Africa, a new report has revealed.

In Zimbabwe, WhatsApp accounted for about half of the internet data in the country in the year 2017.

However, its popularity has been under-reported as third parties have introduced modified versions, leading to changes in usage amongst African mobile internet users.

Known as “WhatsApp mods”, they are shared from one device to another or downloaded from sources outside official portals.

READ ALSO: Collapsed microfinance institutions have received almost GHC800 million - Finance Minister

Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Playstore now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

One on one with the young Ghanaian genius Angela Tabiri who has a Ph.D. in Mathematics |

Subscribe to watch new videos

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now!

Source: YEN.com.gh

Online view pixel