Best two-year smartphone contracts under R500 a month in South Africa

Prominent mobile operators in South Africa offer smartphones on extended contract terms, including 36 and 48 months, to make them more affordable to shoppers. However, decent two-year contracts are still available for under R500 per month.
While 24-month and 36-month contracts are more common, Vodacom added 48-month, or four-year, contracts to its offerings in September 2024.
A spokesperson told MyBroadband that the company launched longer contracts to fight surging device costs.
“Our 48-month contract strategy aims to make high-end devices more affordable to our customers. This approach helps customers stay connected even during challenging economic times,” they said.
Allowing customers to sign up for device financing over four years increases the mobile operator’s exposure to inflationary risks. It must also consider the time value of money.
However, the mobile operator said it manages these risks through its “more-for-more” strategy.
“We always strive to minimise the impact of costs to customers. By adopting a ‘more-for-more’ strategy, we ensure that any inflationary pressures are managed in a way that continues to provide the best possible customer experience,” the spokesperson said.
Following the launch, MyBroadband asked other mobile operators if they had similar plans.
MTN said its 24-month contracts are the most popular among its customers, but said it would monitor demand for longer, 48-month terms.
“MTN is currently assessing the customer demand for longer-term contracts,” it said.
“Most customers prefer to have 24-month contracts, which enable them to stay up to date with the latest technology. MTN also offers various device trade-in options to customers.”
Telkom said it was carefully considering four-year contracts.
“Telkom is observing market trends and acknowledges the challenging, tough economic pressure experienced by customers. The increases in device costs and fluctuating exchange rates impact device deal pricing,” it said.
“Should customer demand prove viable for longer-term contracts, we will consider this after careful customer and financial analysis in partnership with the OEM to tailor responsible customer-centric offers.”
However, many South Africans may not want to commit to a three or four-year contract, and they’ll be pleased to know that many options under R500 per month are available on two-year contracts.

Best 24-month smartphone contracts under R500
MyBroadband scoured Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom’s online catalogues to find the best smartphone contract deals available for less than R500 over two years.
It should be noted that we were unable to find any recent flagship or premium devices in this price bracket. However, several powerful mid-range devices are available.
For the comparison, we focused on data-centric contract plans. The devices available through Vodacom include the RealMe 12, Oppo Reno 12F, Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, and Xiaomi Redmi Note 13.
The two former handsets are available on the RED Core 650MB plan for R479 and R499 per month, respectively, over two years.
The Samsung and Xiaomi smartphones are both available for R499 per month on the RED Core 1.3GB plan.
MTN is selling the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G 128GB for R449 per month over two years on the Yellow Prime plan, which provides 2GB of anytime data and 200 all-network SMSes monthly.
It also sells the Vivo Y100 256GB on the same plan for R499 per month over 24 months.
Telkom sells the Huawei Nova 12i 256GB on its FlexOn 2 plan for R449 per month over 24 months. The plan provides 2GB of anytime data, 75 all-network minutes, 500 on-network minutes, and 500 SMSes per month.
It also sells the Huawei Nova 11 and Oppo Reno 12F on the same plan for R489 per month over 24 months.
Cell C’s Elevate 2 plan offers the highest data allocation of the other contracts listed. The mobile operator offers at least three mid-range smartphones on the plan for less than R500 per month over two years.
The plan provides 3GB of anytime data per month, 300 any-network minutes, and 300 SMSes.
Cell C sells the Samsung Galaxy A35 128GB on the plan for R479 per month over two years, while the RealMe C67 256GB and Vivo Y28 256GB are priced at R499 per month over two years.
Some of the best smartphone contracts under R500 a month from Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom are compared in the table below.
Best two-year smartphone contracts under R500 a month | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Model | Contract | Data allocation | Minutes/SMS messages | Price per month |
Vodacom | ||||
RealMe 12 256GB | RED Core 650MB | 650MB anytime data + 650MB Night Owl data | 50 minutes / 150 SMSes | R479 x 24 |
Oppo Reno 12F 256GB | RED Core 650MB | 650MB anytime data + 650MB Night Owl data | 50 minutes / 150 SMSes | R499 x 24 |
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G 128GB | RED Core 1.3GB | 1.3GB anytime data + 1.3GB Night Owl data | 100 minutes / 150 SMSes | R499 x 24 |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 256GB | RED Core 1.3GB | 1.3GB anytime data + 1.3GB Night Owl data | 100 minutes / 150 SMSes | R499 x 24 |
MTN | ||||
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G 128GB | Yellow Prime | 2GB anytime data | 200 all-network minutes | R449 x 24 |
Oppo A60 128GB | Yellow Plus | 1.5GB anytime data | 100 all-network minutes | R479 x 24 |
Huawei Nova 13i 256GB | Yellow Plus | 1.5GB anytime data | 100 all-network minutes | R499 x 24 |
Vivo Y100 256GB | Yellow Prime | 2GB anytime data | 200 all-network minutes | R499 x 24 |
Telkom | ||||
Huawei Nova 12i 256GB | FlexOn 2 | 2GB anytime data | 75 all-network minutes / 500 on-network minutes / 500 SMSes | R449 x 24 |
Huawei Nova 11 256GB | FlexOn 2 | 2GB anytime data | 75 all-network minutes / 500 on-network minutes / 500 SMSes | R489 x 24 |
Oppo Reno 12F 256GB | FlexOn 2 | 2GB anytime data | 75 all-network minutes / 500 on-network minutes / 500 SMSes | R489 x 24 |
Honor 200 Lite 256GB + Earbuds X5 | FlexOn 2 | 2GB anytime data | 75 all-network minutes / 500 on-network minutes / 500 SMSes | R499 x 24 |
Cell C (roaming on Vodacom) | ||||
Samsung Galaxy A35 128GB | Elevate 2 | 3GB anytime data | 300 any-network minutes / 300 SMSes | R479 x 24 |
RealMe C67 256GB | Elevate 2 | 3GB anytime data | 300 any-network minutes / 300 SMSes | R499 x 24 |
Vivo Y28 256GB | Elevate 2 | 3GB anytime data | 300 any-network minutes / 300 SMSes | R499 x 24 |
Honor 200 Lite 256GB | Elevate 1 | 1.5GB anytime data | 100 any-network minutes / 100 SMSes | R499 x 24 |