Smartphones29.03.2023

Apple vs Samsung — best smartphone contracts under R1,000

Buying a flagship smartphone from prominent brands like Apple and Samsung can set you back significantly. However, monthly contract fees may be easier for many South Africans to manage.

MyBroadband found the cheapest data-centric smartphone contract deals for Apple and Samsung’s flagships. We only considered contracts with monthly fees of less than R1,000.

The comparison revealed that it is possible to get a Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 in South Africa for R849 and R869 per month.

Telkom has the cheapest contract deals on these devices, with the 256GB Samsung Galaxy S23 being available with 6GB of all-network data for R849 a month over three years.

The network operator also offers a deal on a 256GB iPhone 14 for R869 per month, with the same data allocation and contract period.

It should be noted that most of the contract deals listed are over 36 months, as this can help to reduce the monthly fee significantly.

Only three of the 17 contract deals listed are available on a two-year basis.

South Africans can grab a 256GB Samsung Galaxy S23 on MTN’s Mega Gigs XS plan for R999 monthly over 24 months. The plan gives users an allocation of 1GB of anytime data, 500MB of social media data, and 500MB of video streaming data.

Cell C offers a 256GB Samsung Galaxy S23 for R999 per month over two years on its Pinnacle 2GB plan. Subscribers will get 1.5GB of anytime data and 512MB of “Nite Data” a month for the duration of the contract.

However, the best-valued two-year contract likely belongs to Telkom. It offers the 256GB Samsung Galaxy S23 for R989 per month over two months on its FreeMe 6GB plan.

Subscribers get 4GB of anytime data, 1GB of WhatsApp data, and 1GB of video streaming data per month. They also get 200 all-network minutes, 1,000 Telkom-to-Telkom minutes, and 400 SMSs.

The cheapest Apple and Samsung flagship smartphone contract offerings from Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom are summarised below. We only considered data-centric contracts for the comparison.

Each operator’s deals are listed from cheapest to most expensive. However, where a 24-month contract was available, we pushed that to the top of the list.

Best Samsung and Apple flagship contract deals
Device Contract Data allocation Minutes/SMSs Price
Vodacom
Samsung Galaxy S23 256GB RED Core 2GB 100min 2GB anytime data + 2GB Night Owl data 100 minutes / 150 SMSs R909 x 36
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus 256GB RED Core 1GB 100min 1GB anytime data + 1GB Night Owl data 100 minutes / 150 SMSs R918 x 36
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 256GB RED Core 1GB 100min 1GB anytime data + 1GB Night Owl data 100 minutes / 150 SMSs R919 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 128GB RED Core 1GB 100min 1GB anytime data + 1GB Night Owl data 100 minutes / 150 SMSs R919 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 256GB RED Core 1GB 100min 1GB anytime data + 1GB Night Owl data 100 minutes / 150 SMSs R949 x 36
MTN
Samsung Galaxy S23 256GB Mega Gigs XS 1GB anytime data + 500MB social data + 500MB streaming data 25 all-network minutes / 0 SMSs R999 x 24
Apple iPhone 14 Plus 256GB Mega Gigs S 2GB anytime data + 1GB social data + 1GB streaming data 50 all-network minutes / 0 SMSs R949 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 512GB Mega Gigs S 2GB anytime data + 1GB social data + 1GB streaming data 50 all-network minutes / 0 SMSs R949 x 36
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus 256GB Mega Gigs XS 1GB anytime data + 500MB social data + 500MB streaming data 25 all-network minutes / 0 SMSs R999 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 Pro 256GB Mega Gigs S 2GB anytime data + 1GB social data + 1GB streaming data 50 all-network minutes / 0 SMSs R999 x 36
Telkom
Samsung Galaxy S23 256GB FreeMe 6GB 4GB all-network data + 1GB WhatsApp data + 1GB streaming data 200 all-network + 1,000 on-network minutes / 400 SMSs R989 x 24
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus 256GB FlexOn 6 6GB all-network data 150 all-network + 1,000 on-network minutes / 1,000 SMSs R849 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 256GB FlexOn 6 6GB all-network data 150 all-network + 1,000 on-network minutes / 1,000 SMSs R869 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 Plus 256GB FlexOn 6 6GB all-network data 150 all-network + 1,000 on-network minutes / 1,000 SMSs R879 x 36
Apple iPhone 14 Pro 256GB FlexOn 6 6GB all-network data 150 all-network + 1,000 on-network minutes / 1,000 SMSs R919 x 36
Cell C
Samsung Galaxy S23 256GB Pinnacle 2GB 1.5GB anytime data + 512MB Nite data 60 all-network + 120 on-network minutes / 500 SMSs R999 x 24
Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus 256GB Pinnacle 2GB 1.5GB anytime data + 512MB Nite data 60 all-network + 120 on-network minutes / 500 SMSs R999 x 36

Now read: Cheapest 4G-capable smartphones in South Africa

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