Mr Price secretly launched its own smartphone brand

Mr Price has released its results for the year ended 29 March 2025, revealing strong growth in its telecoms segment, partly thanks to the launch of its smartphone brand, Salt.

The company says retail sales through Mr Price Cellular and Powercell increased by 13.2% to R1.3 billion during the reporting period.

“The segment, which primarily sells handsets and accessories through 562 store-in-store concepts and 61 stand-alone stores, continues to grow in profitability,” it said.

Mr Price launched its own line of smartphones, branded Salt, and its sales, combined with a high accessories attachment rate of 69%, supported gains in both gross and operating margin.

“The segment continues to be a strategic channel to increase customer engagement as it leverages the Mr Price brand halo,” it said.

Mr Price lists four Salt devices on its website, with prices ranging from R1,399 to R2,999.

The most affordable device is the Salt A45. It features a 6.6-inch FHD+ display, 64GB of internal memory, and 4GB of RAM.

It also features a dual 13MP rear camera setup, an 8MP front camera, a 5,000mAh battery, support for dual nano SIMs, and 4G connectivity.

The next step up is the Salt A77 Plus, priced at R1,899. It packs 128GB of internal storage, 8GB of RAM, and has a 6.6-inch FHD+ display.

The A77 Plus features a dual 50MP rear camera setup and an 8MP front camera. It packs a 5,000mAh battery and offers dual nano SIM support and 4G connectivity.

The Salt A45 and A77 Plus are both locked to MTN’s network.

The Salt V50 is priced at R2,799 and features a display similar to the two cheaper devices. Its internal storage is increased to 256GB, and it packs 4GB of RAM.

The Salt V50 has a triple 50MP rear camera setup and an 8MP front camera. It also packs a 5,000mAh battery that supports 22.5W fast charging.

Regarding connectivity, the smartphone offers dual nano SIM support and 4G connectivity. The Salt V50 is locked to Telkom’s network.

The most expensive device is the Salt S60 Pro, priced at R2,999. It features 256GB of internal storage and significantly more memory than the other devices, at 10GB.

The V60 Pro features the same 6.6-inch display as Salt’s other models. However, it features a triple 64MP rear camera setup and a 13MP front camera.

It features dual nano SIM support and 4G connectivity. The V60 Pro is locked to Vodacom’s network.