Posted by The year 2019 is hurtling fast to an end and it is time to look over the year. One of the things we wondered about was which phones would make the best smartphone reviews of 2019. In all, the MobilityArena.com team published 39 mobile phone review articles during the year. We have combed through the statistics for all of them and come out with the top smartphone reviews of 2019 in terms of pageviews.
Before we jump in, what phone reviews do you expect to come out tops and why? Make a mental note of your quick list now, so you can compare after seeing the list.
The 10 best smartphone reviews of 2019
- itel S15 Pro: This itel smartphone is a winner in our books and many of our readers think so too, clearly. A beautifully designed body, optimised software, 4G LTE, triple camera, fingerprint scanner are some of the features that stand out the S15 Pro – all for less than ₦30,000. JHave a look at our itel S15 Pro review.
itel S15 Pro has a beautiful paint job that makes it a serious looker - Soda S2: the Soda S2 made a big splash during the year, coming in second place. The S2 packs so much value into a compact package and a very modest price. It is sad that Soda Mobile has disappeared off the radar. This was a compelling smartphone and many people keep making enquiries about the S2 till now. As far as we can tell, it does not look like there is any more stock of the phone available, so you just might need to move on. Still, you will enjoy reading our Soda S2 review.
The Soda S2 is no-frills but punches above its weight. - Nokia 2.2: The Nokia 2.2 is the best of Android software experience and Nokia hardware in a budget package. If you want an entry-level Android phone that will get updated across 3 years of its lifetime, this is it. See our Nokia 2.2 review for more details.
The Nokia 2.2 runs stock Android OS and will stay updated for 3 years. - Nokia 6.2: The Nokia 6.2 is a mid-range player. Nokia’s game plan is the same across all its ranges of smartphones: offer a solid body and a pure Android software experience along with guaranteed updates. The 6.2 pulls it off nicely. It has an elegant glass shell that whispers pure class and it is lined up to get Android 10 in early 2020. Get all the juicy details in our Nokia 6.2 review.
Nokia 6.2 has a premium glass body, and stock Android, as well as offers software updates for 3 years. - itel A14: If you want one of the cheapest Android phones around, the itel A14 sits comfortably on that table. A small screen and basic specs is what you get, so do not expect the best of performance. But it gets the job done and continues to receive system updates and security patches regularly. Colour us surprised. See our itel A14 review.
itel A14 is a cheap Android phone serving the entry-level market. - itel P33: Designed to meet the needs of users who want maximum battery life from their phones at the entry-level, itel P33 is a good performer. It has a 4000mAh battery along with AI power master to squeeze out the maximum usage time for you. And we mean 3 days and more on a full charge, depending on how hard you push it. Check out our itel P33 review.
itel P33 has a dual camera and fingerprint reader - Redmi Note 7: We were surprised to see the Redmi Note 7 so far down this list. The mid-range phone arrived with a splash during the year, leading us to expect that it would show up higher on the top 10 list. Still, it is one of the most compelling mid-range smartphones of 2019. See our Redmi Note 7 review.
Redmi Note 7 is serious value for money – and almost indestructible too. - OPPO A1k: One of OPPO’s first phones introduced into the Nigerian market is the lower mid-range A1k. It almost feels built like a tank, offers a deep level of control over Google services on mobile, and has very good battery life. See our OPPO A1k review.
OPPO A1k is an entry-level smartphone - Nokia 3.2: The Nokia 3.2 is a step above the Nokia 2.2 on HMD Global’s ladder of hierarchy. Like the 2.2, it offers a compelling budget package of software and hardware that is unique to Nokia Android phones. It looks more expensive than it really is too. Our Nokia 3.2 review has all the details.
Nokia 3.2 – all of Nokia’s goodness in a budget package. - OPPO A9 2020: In 10th place on this list of the best smartphone reviews of 2019 is the A9 2020. Forget the 2020 tag its name bears; this is a 2019 Anddroid phone and it is easily one of the best phones we reviewed this year. If there is one smartphone that comes close to perfection, the A9 2020 is it. It packs superb value-for-money for its price, offering much more than most of the competition offers. You really want to read out OPPO A9 2020 review.
OPPO A9 2020 is arguably the best smartphone under ₦100,000 in the market this year.
A quick analysis: 70% of the smartphones that made this list of the 10 best smartphone reviews of 2019 are entry-level or budget Android phones. The other 30% are upper mid-rangers. There is no premium smartphone on the list at all.
OPPO seems to have had a good first year of operation in the country, if the stats we see here are anything to go by. It is impressive to see 2 of their models in the top 10 list.
itel and Nokia have the most devices on the list, and they ended up in a tie of 3 phones each. itel continues to dominate the market at the entry-level and that does not look like it is going to change soon. The brand devotes all of their time to finding ways to squeeze current smartphone features and technologies into the sub-N30,000 market. And they have succeeded so far.
Nokia’s USP is compelling and stands out in the crowded Android market space. The brand has top-end mindshare and now have some more competitive offerings in the market. 2020 should be even more interesting.
And so, we have come to the end of our list of the best smartphone reviews of 2019. If you own any one of the above devices, you own a gem.
In closing, 2019 has been our best year yet here at MobilityArena.com. Let’s break that record in 2020; shall we? We have more great smartphone reviews coming your way.
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I was expecting the Redmi Note 7 to be between 1-3. The phone is a beast. It will also be getting Android 10 come 1st quarter 2020.