Best sub-R500 smartphone contracts over 2 years

Hanno Labuschagne

Hanno Labuschagne

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Best sub-R500 smartphone contracts over 2 years

South Africans looking to upgrade or replace their smartphone in 2024 without breaking the bank have several options from which to choose.

MyBroadband compared some of the best smartphone contracts in South Africa for less than R500 a month from Cell C, MTN, Telkom and Vodacom. We only considered two-year packages.
 
I went with the Oppo A78 4G (not 5G), because of the better screen amongst other things.

It's my first time with a fingerprint reader onscreen and have to say it's more convenient than on the power button. Not better than on the back, but that option is not available any more.

Very happy with the battery life.

(bought cash during November)
 
I beg to differ and I am wondering why the OPPO A78 4G option which is 256GB space and 16GB RAM which is R469 per month at Cellc on Elevate 2 is not on the list? Looks like the journalist just looked at some ads
 
cpu. said:
I went with the Oppo A78 4G (not 5G), because of the better screen amongst other things.

It's my first time with a fingerprint reader onscreen and have to say it's more convenient than on the power button. Not better than on the back, but that option is not available any more.

Very happy with the battery life.

(bought cash during November)
Click to expand...
This is the best budget smartphone in our country at the moment
 
Tella555 said:
I beg to differ and I am wondering why the OPPO A78 4G option which is 256GB space and 16GB RAM which is R469 per month at Cellc on Elevate 2 is not on the list? Looks like the journalist just looked at some ads
Click to expand...
Serious question. I need to get a contract for someone and I can choose between the Oppo's A78 and the Samsung A54. Would be nice to save a few bucks but not if OPPO is worse than the A54?
 
Most of these deals are basically the following

R500 contract = R100 of actual mobile plan + R400 phone financing at 100% inflation of the actual price of the phone.

What people should be doing is to convert to pre-paid at the end of their contact, use their current phone for another 12 months, then buy a new phone cash and keep them for 3-4 years.

You will cut your smartphone spend by 50-70% by doing that.
 
Tella555 said:
I beg to differ and I am wondering why the OPPO A78 4G option which is 256GB space and 16GB RAM which is R469 per month at Cellc on Elevate 2 is not on the list? Looks like the journalist just looked at some ads
Click to expand...
Just be warned that the phone does not actually have 16GB of ram. It has 8GB of RAM and 8gb of storage made available to function as RAM.
 
Sapphiron said:
Most of these deals are basically the following

R500 contract = R100 of actual mobile plan + R400 phone financing at 100% inflation of the actual price of the phone.

What people should be doing is to convert to pre-paid at the end of their contact, use their current phone for another 12 months, then buy a new phone cash and keep them for 3-4 years.

You will cut your smartphone spend by 50-70% by doing that.
Click to expand...
Some people use their phones for more than just a mirror.
 
deweyzeph said:
The best contract is the one you never sign. Contracts are for people who want a phone they can't really afford.
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I think the last 8 years or so I have paid cash and been on prepaid saved thousands upon thousands doing that!
 
FiestaST said:
Where are the people their defend they overpriced phone choice with their but I'm a power-user argument?

(Whatever that is).
Click to expand...
Keke that argument worked in 2010/2012 ish dont think it hold much water nowadays.

Cant justify R50k for a smartphone....

Laptop/PC sure cellphone nah
 
deweyzeph said:
The best contract is the one you never sign. Contracts are for people who want a phone they can't really afford.
Click to expand...
Hmmm I think the S23 Ultra was about R36k at launch. My current package is R500, thus looking at the balance R1000 I am paying about R24K for it and I have a nice tax deductible.
 
Samsung A34 seems the best bang for buck, also with least bloatware like oppo's?
 
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