Tecno Should Be Thanked For Android’s Popularity In Nigeria

Opinions expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author and not necessarily those of TechRez as a publication.

Why is Android So Popular in Nigeria?

In the space of less than 5 years, the popularity of Android phones in Nigeria skyrocketed thanks to the efforts of Tecno. The campaign to turn Nigeria from a feature phone country was mainly spearheaded by Tecno with the M3 and P3 devices. Tecno made it easy to buy Android phones unlike the times when Samsung was the major distributor of Android in the Nigerian market. Then, Android was regarded as a luxury item to be used by only wealthy people.



Then came Tecno and their M3 and P3 devices. The so called luxury items could now be bought by every Tom, Dick, Harry with a few thousand Nairas to spend. Android was suddenly now available to the poor man. They no longer cost an arm and a leg to acquire.

The reason though that Android grew so much in such a short space of time was the innovative “touchscreen”. Before then, Nigerians were only used to standard feature phones such as the Nokia C3 which sported T9 buttons and a non-touch screen running the extremely outdated Java ME OS. While the rest of the world was enjoying the benefits of Android and iOS, Nigerians were stuck on Java ME unless they had excess money to splash on Samsung phones.


The advent of Tecno in Nigeria was the event that changed all that. Nigerians were being offered Android with (although low end) usable hardware for an incredibly cheap price. These new Tecno phones didn’t sport the latest SnapDragon processors or the crispiest HD screens but were nonetheless readily accepted by Nigerians. Slowly but steadily, Tecno increased their portfolio of devices to appeal to other demographics such as the gaming fanatics by producing stronger devices with beefed up specs. These devices such as the Tecno R7 were proof that you didn’t need to pay upwards of 60k NGN to get an affordable and powerful device.The Tecno R7 was one of Tecno’s first Premium device

Later on, after gaining an incredible amount of loyal users in a very short span, Tecno introduced their tablet devices also running Android. It was too good to be true. These tablets such as the Tecno N9 quickly displaced the Samsung Galaxy Tab series from the top spot. Gone were the days when a Samsung Galaxy Tab was your only option if you wanted a tablet. Gone were the days where you could only afford a second hand Samsung Galaxy Tab. For the same price of a used Galaxy Tab, You could get a brand new tablet from Tecno.

With an aggressive marketing strategy, Tecno, claimed a soft spot in the heart of Nigerians who wanted something more than Java phones, but didn’t have the required funds. Lately though, it seems Tecno is slowly being dethroned by the emergence of Infinix and Innjoo. Capitalizing on Tecno’s struggle to bring Android to Nigeria, Infinix and Innjoo have cashed in on the existing Android Base cultivated by Tecno. Infinix devices have been the highest selling devices on Jumia Nigeria for the past 2 years. That speaks much for how much Android has grown in the Nigerian market. And to think that 5 years ago, Android was a luxury.

What do you think about Android’s popularity in Nigeria? Share your comments below