Zimbabwe remains Samsung country. The South Korean giant bewitched the country and you will find that most adults get Samsungs when the wallet allows.
Earlier this month, we had a poll on our WhatsApp channel (which you should join by the way) which showed that 44% of people in our community use Samsungs as their main phones. Huawei was a distant second with 14%.
We love Sammy. I last used a Samsung phone about 5 years ago but I consider myself a huge Sammy fanboy because of how well the Note 3 treated me.
One of the main reasons Sammy beats Apple in these parts is that it offers devices at different price points. If you want to shell out $2150 for this 1TB Galaxy Fold 6 no one is stopping you. But if you can only spare $194 for this 256GB Galaxy A15, you are well within your rights.
On that Galaxy A15
Counterpoint Research reports that the Samsung Galaxy A15 was the best selling Android phone in Q2 2024. That’s globally, not Zim-specific.
The A15 comes in two flavours, a 4G one and a 5G one. Both models, which are pretty much the same on everything else were the top selling Android phones in Q2.
The A15 5G had 2% market share whilst the 4G model had 1.8%. So, combined they had a massive 3.8% which means the Galaxy A15 was overall the second best selling smartphone in that quarter, second only to the iPhone 15.
Unless you have one, you probably know nothing about this popular little phone. The S24 Ultra steals the headlines but it comes in 9th on the list with 1.4% market share. It’s still impressive for a phone that started at about $1200 but there are levels to this.
The A15 was launched in December 2023 and so has been on sale this whole year. In Q1 2024, it was only bested by the S24 Ultra on the Android front.
This all makes you realise how Transsion (itel, Tecno and Infinix) have conquered this corner of the world so much that you forget that globally, ol’ Sammy is still a beast. Although Sammy’s piece of the pie is shrinking bit by bit.
Of note is also the fact that Sammy’s flagship smartphone which costs at least $1200 before deals, is outselling every other Android phone from every other Android phone manufacturer.
You’re thinking of the hot and competitively-priced Nothing phone 2 or the critic-loved OnePlus 12? Or maybe you fancy the Pixel or many of Huawei’s cool phones? Some of guys attest that the itel S23 is as good a budget phone as you can get.
Whatever it is and at whatever price point, it’s being outsold by the $1200 S24 Ultra.
It’s even more impressive for Apple which only sells premium smartphones. All 5 iPhone entries on the list cost more than $600. It’s ridiculous how popular Apple phones are.
But back to the Samsung Galaxy A15.
What does the A15 look like?
As you can see, Samsung is sticking to its ‘unified design language’ shenanigans. This little A15 looks like its big brother, the S24. So, you can fork out as little as $130 and from a distance, you look like an S24 user.
I know teenagers care about appearances and that’s probably a good thing for them. Those with the more expensive models hate this of course but let them fume from their lofty positions.
I mentioned teenagers because Samsung South Africa’s marketing material makes it clear who they’re targeting with this phone. Their tagline goes, “A device to help students and first-time workers manage their busy schedules.”
Oh, by the way, I’ve been calling it the little A15 but it’s not a tiny phone. It has a 6.5 inch screen and also packs a 5000mAh battery.
Do note that the screen is a Super Amoled one, rather than the IPS LCD ones you typically get at this price range. That simple means you can expect richer colours and darker blacks with the OLED. It’s also 90Hz and should be smooth when you scroll around the interface.
The rest of the specs look like this:
- 6.5″ Super AMOLED display, 1080×2340 pixels
- Mediatek Helio G99 chipset
- 50MP main camera
- 5000mAh battery
- 128GB or 256GB storage
- 4GB, 6GB or 8GB RAM
- Android 14
Apparently that spec list is a winner. Do note though where Samsung beats similarly priced phones is in software support. This A15 is offered with up to 4 generations of OS upgrades and 5 years of security maintenance.
So,you can rest easy knowing that your A15 will still get Android 17 and security patches a year after that. Needless to say, not many sub-$200 can boast the same.
I have played around with many sub-$200 phones, some of which have more character and are more exciting than the A15. However, for this kind of software support alone, I would probably choose Sammy if I were in the market for phones in this price range.
That’s even disregarding how I believe Samsung’s One UI is the best Android skin on the market. I’ll fight you on this one so just accept it.
Those that have used this phone, how have you liked it? With so many people buying it, if it was a bad phone there would be a lot of noise online but the silence indicates that it’s a good little phone.
26 comments
Munako here ka phone aka pamafoni enyu
It offers little value for money, on account of the rather light box it comes in. The solitary usb-c to usb-c cable it comes with is either offensive or insensitive, take your pick. No charger, no case, good luck finding appropriate accessories. The fast charging is meh, (if we can even call it “fast charging”, well, its fast if you have just time travelled from 5 years ago). Plus no 5G, and an aging chipset. By the time Android 17 comes out, there will be wrist watches with more processing power. And donot get me started on the failure rates of Samsung phones. Boot loop anyone?
Now, if you are looking for real value. For the same amount of money you can get 5G and remain with enough change to pay either Starlink or Econet smart biz subscription for one month.You get a phone that comes with accessories you can depend on and prevent you from having the unique experience of watching in horror as a vendor tries with all their might to make a case fit a phone it was never designed for. Then…. do i even have to say it? You know, don’t deny it, you know.
I knew it 😂. I knew you would come in to defend the Big I’s honour.
It appears the world does not agree with you. They are voting with their wallets.
On the light box, I’m with you. It’s annoying. The semi fast charging is decidedly meh.
However, on accessories, you won’t struggle to find Sammy accessories in Zim. I don’t know where you’re looking but everything from A04 to S24 gets cases.
On 5G, there is a 5G option if one wants it. Same phone just that one has 5G and the other 4G.
The Helio G99 is not half bad, especially if the phone is mainly for social media, web browsing and some casual gaming.
I don’t know if the boot loop issue is still as prevalent as you make it seem. I shan’t talk about the low quality storage the Big I used that fails so often to balance it out.
At the end of the day though. Having choices rules.
This website needs a dark theme. I should be able to toggle between light and dark.
Doesn’t your browser offer a dark mode? Any decent browser has this option.
Chrome has dark mode, but this website doesn’t. It’s the web developers’ responsibility to write additional CSS files containing alternative themes, and then either adding a toggle button, or writing additional JavaScript to automatically match the browser’s theme.
The browser can’t style your website for you because dark mode isn’t as simple as just inverting colors.
Ndinako kaFONI aka ka A15 ummmmm kari kunakidza best foni for me
Samsung A15 128)6g ram 170usd no accessories just a cable
Redmi 13c 256)8 125usd comes with a charger
Samsung no
Even itel s23+ can out do that a15
I find it fascinating that getting a charger and/or a cheap silicon case in the box is a game changer for many people. For me, the charger be damned, I first need to ascertain that the phone performs well, has a pleasing to look at UI (I mean you have to look at it for years to come) and most importantly that it will receive software support.
Let’s work with the figures you gave. You save $45 when you go with the Redmi but consider how OneUI is just better than MIUI and how the A15 will get 4 major OS upgrades to the 13c’s 2. So after 2 years, the A15 will still look and feel like phones released in those years whilst the Redmi will start to feel old, missing exciting new Android features and not even getting security patches.
You could argue that the 12C is better value today but in 2 years time, the A15 will still be shining, leaving the Redmi in the dust.
So, again, for me, a charger in the box does not move the needle even one bit. Software support does.
I’m not big on software support but I used a device that ran android 7 for almost 5 years BLU(Bold like us)R2 LTE it was quite powerful.I used it and I never seen any updates never since then I never cared about updates cause it ran smoothly and now a device with raw power and long battery even without features as long as It gets the job done I don’t care
“Universal Charger Initiatives: As USB-C chargers become more universal, the need for brand-specific chargers is diminishing. Some regions are pushing for universal charging standards to reduce waste and make it easier for consumers to reuse accessories.”
what I started reading i was thinking what is this phone about…after seeing thsie specs..at that price.it make sense you getting a balanced phone with quality support… unfortunately itel cannot match..plus the option of 4g just brings the price down…I mean in zim 5g is hardly there.son why pay extra…I still think 4gb ram is criminal. when you a budget then figured in ram processor rom and screen… the rest is noise… why out 3 farmers with you can get away with 1
Oppo has entered the chat….
What people don’t take into consideration when choosing between budget phones (or just phones in general) is software support and the quality of the software in general. Not only does this A15 receive numerous major Android updates, but it also runs the latest versions of One UI. The interface is clean and ad-free.
Your Itel alternatives, however, have ads right in the launcher. They’re enabled by default. The “Phone Manager” app has permission to display over other apps, which it uses to show Opera Browser ads. And software support? Forget about it. You’ll receive a couple of security patches from Google, and that’s it. Actually, you’ll get numerous security patches, but that’s it. No major Android updates. This is based on my experience with Itel P38 for over 2 years. It’s stuck on Android 11, and the last security patch was in February.
Redmi alternatives? The UI is trash and feels cheap, but that aside, it’s the closest competitor to Samsung in the budget space. As long as your Redmi device costs at least $120, you’re in for a wonderful experience.
Nokia and Motorola? Well, they provide the true, unfiltered stock Android experience… and that’s pretty much it. There’s nothing else to justify their prices. Also, the phones are not visually appealing at all.
Huawei alternatives? LOL.
What Samsung does better than it’s competitors is balancing out features and capabilities at a very competitive price point whilst providing the refined user experience they’re known for. The base Galaxy A05 can be acquired for $95, but it out-performs all similarly price competitors whilst running the latest version of Android.
Can we talk about the Pixels then?
Pixels are expensive. They’re irrelevant in this conversation because they’re premium products.
💯💯💯 It’s crazy how many people prefer getting a charger in the box to longer software support. You hit the nail on the head.
Interesting article which is giving us World Wide stats, now we need Zimbabwe stats.
Is it possible that Potraz can ask for data from Mobile Network Operators (just per brand not the exact device) since they are able to identify the device as one puts a sim card in it.
This will give us a true picture of the smartphone share Composition in Zimbabwe.
We can always try. If we get the data it will make for some interesting reading. Will also ask the MNOs themselves, who knows, they might play ball.
Dizzy take. Huawei is banned from Google Playstore so choice of apps is limited. That is why Huawei can’t compete
I know, and yet even with that handicap Huawei remains popular in little old Zimbabwe.
I’m using this phone Samsung Galaxy a15. I find it one of the best phone in sense of speed, camera, smoothness. Some may not agree but the things which I’m telling are in way that I’m comparing it with the same price tag. No, any of the other brands give you same specs which are given by this phone.
My A15 5G is just 2 months old. It stopped fast charging and now it seems I have to replace the charging port. Not happy!
You’re reckless.
Sumsung is a good device iam having A25 5G, 😘😘😘