More than half of Nigerians use either a Samsung or iPhone as of March 2026

Latest industry data has revealed that over 50% of Nigerians are either Samsung or iPhone users, reflecting the purchasing power of Nigerians and brand perception despite the high cost of these smartphones. 

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) report titled “Device Model Adoption and Performance Benchmarking”, the breakdown shows that 37.8% of Nigerians are active Samsung users, while 21.4% possess an iPhone. Others in the top 5 list are Tecno, Xiaomi and Huawei. 

Samsung maintained the top position after a slight 1.2% drop compared to the 39% of Nigerians who used the brand as of August 2025. Apple also followed the same trend, after falling 4% compared to the 25.4% of Nigerians using iPhones in August.

For Tecno and Xiaomi, they saw a significant shift in adoption even though they are topped by Samsung and Apple. Tecno phones users increased by 3.3 percentage points from 10.9% in August to 14.2% in March 2026. Same story for Xiaomi, which now holds a 7.8% market share in Nigeria.

Huawei, occupying the fifth spot, slipped by 1 percentage point, with 7% now using its devices compared to 8% in August 2025.

While status-based phones maintained the top spot, the fact that Tecno and Xiaomi products have increased in user base reflects consumer demand for feature-rich and affordable phones. 

In addition, it reveals that more people are coming online, beating the digital divide, by possessing pocket-friendly smartphones that allow them to do basic activities online. 

Also Read: Unsustainable plan for $40 4G smartphones may leave 960 million Africans unconnected.

The 5G drivers in Nigeria

As most brands battle to capture Nigerians’ attention, some products stood out as having a strong appetite for 5G-capable technology. 

According to the report, the Huawei Mate 40 Pro 5G remains the single most adopted device model across all major network operations. The smartphone recorded a total adoption of 125,444. NCC noted that the data was generated based on the number of Speedtest data. 

Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G follows at a distance with 47,302 adoption, mainly used with MTN, Globacom and Airtel. Xiaomi’s Redmi 14C and 13C accounted for 46,237 tests, revealing the growing adoption of the brand.

Also, iPhone 14 Pro Max recorded 40,261 tests while Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra accumulated 39,321 adoption. 

While overall adoption shows an encouraging behavioural pattern of Nigerians towards smartphones, it again reflects the spending patterns and growing demand for high-end devices.