Nigeria’s smartphone market grew 8% year-on-year in Q1 2026, supported by demand for affordable 4G and 5G smartphones in the $200 to $299 segment, according to Omdia, a global technology market research firm.
But that growth was smaller than the 25% recorded in Q4 2025, when the sub-$200 segment dominated. This will further worsen in 2026, with smartphone prices forecasted to rise by up to 30%, threatening affordability for millions who rely on mobile phones to get online.
Rising global component and memory costs will drive this increase as manufacturers pass higher production expenses into retail pricing, according to Manish Pravinkumar, Principal Analyst at Omdia.
“Pricing pressure also appears far from fully reflected at retail: with component and memory costs rising, Nigeria could still see another 15 to 30% upward pricing adjustment through the remainder of the year, particularly in the mass market,” Pravinkumar told TechCabal in an email. “Premium demand should remain comparatively resilient because the affordability impact is concentrated at the entry and lower-mid tiers.”
BT, the British multinational telecommunications company, said in May that smartphone costs could rise as technology firms competing in the artificial intelligence race buy up semiconductor chips, adding pressure to already strained supply chains.
