Most affordable iPhone contracts in South Africa

While the iPhone 17e launched earlier this month, consumers can still take out device contracts from South Africa’s major mobile operators for older variants of Apple’s popular smartphone.

Apple says the iPhone 17e “combines powerful performance and features at an exceptional value, making it a compelling option for customers looking to upgrade to the iPhone 17 family.”

As expected, the more affordable model makes some trade-offs compared to the base iPhone 17, especially in battery and performance, though differences are not as significant as people may expect.

The iPhone 17e has a 4-core GPU alongside the A19 chipset, while the base 16 has a 5-core GPU. Both versions come with hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Other advantages of the base model include an advanced dual-camera system, while the 17e only has a 2-in-1 “fusion” camera system, missing out on the base model’s 48MP ultrawide snapper.

Customers can also expect the latest Apple features on the iPhone 17e, including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My device.

While Apple’s newest budget iPhone is now available at Apple Premium Resellers like Digicape and iStore, the country’s major carriers have yet to release postpaid offers for it.

We could only find contracts available for the iPhone 16e from last year through Telkom and Vodacom in South Africa, although Vodacom is currently out of stock.

Disclaimers from Vodacom suggest customers may have to wait 2 to 3 weeks before they receive their devices after purchase due to a stock shortage.

For more aesthetically-minded fans of Apple devices, it seems that South Africa has only received stock in the Black colourway, with White nowhere to be found.

For those looking for an affordable iPhone contract with the latest specifications, Telkom has an available offer for the iPhone 16e.

The cheapest contract available here is a 36-month plan at R499 per month. It comes with the iPhone 16e as well as a three-month free Prime Video subscription.

Customers can get 20GB of data once off with purchase, then 2GB of anytime data every month, as well as 75 all-net minutes, 500 on-net minutes, and 500 SMSs.

The once-off payment for this deal is R598, then the base subscription cost every month.

Cheapest iPhone contracts in South Africa

Vodacom’s iPhone 16e package for the 128GB storage configuration is a bit pricier at R669 per month for 36 months, with an additional R80 delivery fee. 

This deal comes with the RED Core plan of 3GB of monthly data, 100 minutes, and 150 SMSs. Again, it is notable that customers will have to wait 2 to 3 weeks for this one. 

No other carrier has the iPhone 16e in stock for postpaid, but many do offer affordable iPhone contracts.

Vodacom is offering an iPhone 13 with the 128GB configuration for R399 per month, which includes the RED Core plan, 50 minutes, and 1GB of anytime data.

This is a pre-owned device, however, which might be why it is so affordable. The iPhone 13 comes with a 6.1-inch OLED display, A15 processor, and a 12MP camera. This model was released in 2021.

The carrier has sweetened the deal with a 1GB 3-month “video ticket” for streaming, and 30GB of once-off data. It also includes an R80 delivery fee. 

Also worth noting is Vodacom’s plan for 2 pre-owned iPhone 13 devices for R599 per month, working out to R299 for each phone, alongside R170 monthly airtime. 

Slightly more expensive options are available from Cell C and MTN. Cell C’s deal for the pre-owned iPhone 13 is for R539 for 36 months, with 1.5GB of data, 100 minutes of airtime, and 100 SMSs.

Meanwhile, MTN is offering models of the iPhone 15 from 2023 with a 48MP main camera, 6.1-inch display, 4,383 mAh battery, and 128GB storage for R579 per month. 

The more affordable 36-month plans come with 1GB of anytime data, 60 minutes all network minutes, and a 10GB once-off start-up bundle.

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