Top 5 mid-range smartphones for African consumers

Mobile phones have almost become somewhat of an extension of ourselves. These devices, that we rely so heavily upon, can come at quite a hefty price. Not everyone can afford the almost astronomical price that you have to pay to buy premium flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the recently released iPhone X, which will retail for $1000. There is, however, a number of mid-range devices that will be able to offer consumers a quality device that will have a number of different features while not breaking the bank in the process.

Many African’s have looked to take advantage of this selection of devices in order to allow them to keep up with the latest technological trends at an affordable price.

With this in mind, IT News Africa has identified the 5 smartphones that top that mid-range category.

Here are the top 5 mid-range smartphones:

Huawei P10 Lite
The first device to feature on this list is the Huawei P10 Lite. The P10 Lite is Huawei’s answer to the mid-range category, it offers many of the same functions as the flagship device, the P10, but at an affordable price. This is due to cuts being made in certain areas such as build quality and computing power, but don’t get me wrong the P10 Lite is still a more than an adequate device and has proved to be extremely popular among consumers. The device retails for $374 and is considered by many as one of the top mid-range devices on the market.

Specs:

Display: 5.2-inch FHD LCD screen
CPU: Kirin 658, 16nm Octa-core (4 x 2.1GHz + 4 x 1.7GHz) + i5 co-processor
Operation System: Android 7.0 Nougat
Memory: 3GB RAM+ 32GB ROM
Camera rear: 12MP, 1/2.8 inch sensor and 1.25 um single pixel
Camera front: 8MP
Dual Sim: Nano-SIM card slot
Battery: 3000 mAh

Nokia 5
The second phone that makes it onto this list is the Nokia 5. Before releasing their flagship device, the Nokia 8, Nokia released a number of mid-range smartphones which the Nokia 5 ranks among the best. The device features a number of impressive features. This smartphone retails for around $274 and proves to be real value for money within the mid-range category of smartphones.

Specs:

Display: 5.2″ IPS LCD 1280 x 720 pixels
CPU: Quad-Core 1.4GHz
Operating System: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Memory: Internal: 16GB, RAM: 2GB
Camera rear: 13MP
Camer front: 8MP
Sim: Nano-Sim
Battery: 3000 mAh

OnePlus 5
As with many other device manufacturers, Chinese manufacturer OnePlus decided to build on their success of the OnePlus 3 by skipping the 4 and moving straight to the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 3 was an impressive phone and somehow the device has become a distant memory with the release of the 5 which comes with a seriously packed spec sheet but at a slightly higher price. The OnePlus 5 retails for around $420 and is a top choice when looking for a device in the mid-range category.

Specs:

Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, Octa Core, 2.45GHz, 64bit,GPU Adreno 540
OS: Android Nougat ,
Memory: 6GB RAM + 64GB
Rear Camera: 20mp dual camera
Front Camera: 16mp
Sim: Dual Nano SIM card
Battery: 3300mAh battery

Tecno Phantom 6 Plus (A9)
The Tecno Phantom 6 Plus is not only the successor to the Phantom 5 but is also Tecno’s first attempt at building a phablet-sized smartphone. This has resulted in a phablet-sized phone which fills the gap in the mid-range device category. The device is also jam-packed with some great specs and with it retailing for only $363 it is certainly one of the best mid-range phones available on the market.

Display: 6.0″ FHD LTPS (1920×1080)
CPU: 2.0 GHz Deca-Core
Operating System: Android Marshmallow 6.0
Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM
Rear Camera: 21MP
Front Camera: 8MP
Sim: Hybrid Dual SIM
Battery: 4050mAh

Samsung Galaxy A7

The Samsung Galaxy A7 was launched in January 2017 and joined a long list of Samsung devices in the smartphone market. The device was the first one to be released after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco so best believe that Samsung took extra care when developing this device. The A7 is Samsung’s answer to the mid-range market and offers a durable device packed with great features. The device retails for around $390 and rounds up this list of the top mid-range smartphones for Africans.

Specs: