Cheapest smartphones you can buy in South Africa

South African residents can get a smartphone with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and 3G connectivity for as little as R379, a MyBroadband comparison has revealed.

We looked for the cheapest smartphones in the country and found two options priced at R379 — the Mobicel Vibe and Hisense U605.

Altogether, we found fifteen affordable smartphones that meet the following requirements:

• At least 512MB of RAM
• At least 4GB of storage
• Rear and front cameras
• At least 3G connectivity
• At least 1,500mAh of battery capacity

A broad range of devices that meet these criteria are available in South Africa, with prices ranging from R379 to R799.

Most of the devices listed are 3G-enabled, which could cause a challenge in the future with the planned 3G switch-off in South Africa.

However, the final deadline for the network to be shut down is 31 December 2027, so customers who go for a 3G-enabled device will likely still get a lot of use out of it.

Notable 3G models include the Tecno Pop 2 Mini from Takealot for R499, Nokia’s C1 2nd Edition for R699 from Mr Price, and Mobicel’s GLO from Takealot for R599.

The Tecno and Mobicel devices are on the lower end of the specification scale, each offering only 512MB of RAM. The Mobicel GLO offers 4GB of internal storage, while the Tecno Pop 2 Mini packs 8GB of storage.

The Nokia C1 2nd Edition features 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

The most affordable 4G-enabled smartphones we found are the Vodacom Kicka 5 Plus, Hisense U607, and Hisense U31.

The Vodacom-branded device packs 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 2,000mAh battery. It is available for R599 from PEP.

The Hisense U607 features similar performance specs. However, its battery is smaller at 1,500mAh. PEP sells the Hisense U607 for R599.

Both smartphones are locked to Vodacom’s networks.

Hisense’s U31 offers similar specs to the U607. However, it is locked to MTN’s network and is available for R599 from PEP.

Those looking for better performance specs may be drawn to the Itel V52 for R699 from PEP. It packs 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 2,050mAh battery.

Fifteen of the most affordable smartphones you can buy in South Africa are listed below with basic specs and pricing. Network locks are indicated in brackets after the device name.

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Mobicel Vibe (Vodacom locked) — R379 (Mr Price)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 1,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Hisense U605 (MTN locked) — R379 (Mr Price)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 1,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Tecno Pop 2 Mini (Vodacom locked) — R499 (Takealot)

• Memory — 512MB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 1,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Mobicel Rio (Telkom locked) — R499 (Ackermans)

• Memory — 512MB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 1,550mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Mobicel GLO — R599 (Takealot)

• Memory — 512MB
• Storage — 4GB
• Battery capacity — 1,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Mobicel Ultra — R599 (Takealot)

• Memory — 512MB
• Storage — 4GB
• Battery capacity — 1,400mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Vodacom Kicka 5 Plus (Vodacom locked) — R599 (PEP)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 2,000mAh
• Network technology — 4G

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Hisense U607 (Vodacom locked) — R599 (PEP)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 1,500mAh
• Network technology — 4G

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Hisense U31 (MTN locked) — R599 (PEP)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 1,500mAh
• Network technology — 4G

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Nokia C1 2nd Edition (Vodacom locked) — R699 (Mr Price)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 16GB
• Battery capacity — 2,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Mobicel Force (MTN locked) — R699 (PEP)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 2,000mAh
• Network technology — 4G

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Mobicel MX2 (Vodacom locked) — R699 (PEP)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 2,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Itel V52 (Vodacom locked) — R699 (PEP)

• Memory — 2GB
• Storage — 32GB
• Battery capacity — 2,050mAh
• Network technology — 4G

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Mobicel MX1 (MTN locked) — R799 (Ackermans)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 2,000mAh
• Network technology — 3G

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Mobicel MX3 (Telkom locked) — R799 (Ackermans)

• Memory — 1GB
• Storage — 8GB
• Battery capacity — 2,500mAh
• Network technology — 3G