Best smartphones for under R5,000 in South Africa
A wide range of well-specced smartphones is available to South African consumers for under R5,000, including some models with 5G connectivity and large high-refresh-rate displays.
MyBroadband looked for the best smartphones you can buy locally for less than R5,000 cash. The options we found range in price from R3,999 to R4,999.
We found three capable handsets priced at R3,999. These are the Huawei Nova Y72 128GB and Samsung Galaxy A24 128GB from Bob Shop and the Oukitel WP23 from the Oukitel Store.
The Huawei Nova Y72 features a 6.75-inch 720p LCD, 6GB of RAM, and a large 6,000mAh battery. The device only supports up to LTE connectivity.
The R3,999 Samsung Galaxy A24 also only supports up to LTE connectivity. It features a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, 4GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery.
While smaller, the battery offers a higher fast charging rate at 25W, compared to 22.5W in the Huawei Nova Y72.
The Oukitel WP23 is slightly lower-specced compared to these in terms of processor, storage, and camera capabilities. However, it offers the largest battery by far at 10,600mAh.
South Africans can grab the 5G-enabled Tecno Spark 10 or Nokia G42 for R4,499 from Takealot.
The former packs 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery, while the Nokia bumps up internal storage to 128GB and offers a slightly better camera setup.
The most expensive option we listed is the newly-released Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 for R4,999 from Bob Shop.
The Redmi Note 13 packs a 5G-enabled Mediatek Dimensity 6080 chip, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It also features a triple rear camera setup with a 108MP primary shooter.
Xiaomi launched the smartphone globally in early January 2024, followed by its South African launch in April 2024.
Below are 10 of the best smartphones you can buy in South Africa for less than R5,000, along with their specs and pricing.
Huawei Nova Y72 128GB — R3,999 (Bob Shop)
Huawei Nova Y72 128GB | |
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Operating system | EMUI 13 |
Display | 6.75-inch 1,600 x 720-pixel LCD |
Processor | Kirin 710A |
RAM | 6GB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Battery and charging | 6,000mAh, 22.5W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.1 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Oukitel WP23 — R3,999 (Oukitel Store)
Oukitel WP23 | |
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Operating system | Android 13 |
Display | 6.52-inch 1,600 x 720-pixel LCD |
Processor | Mediatek Helio P35 |
RAM | 4GB |
Storage | 64GB |
Rear camera | 13MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 5MP |
Battery and charging | 10,600mAh |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi (version not specified); Bluetooth 5.0 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Samsung Galaxy A24 128GB — R3,999 (Bob Shop)
Samsung Galaxy A24 128GB | |
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Operating system | One UI 6 |
Display | 6.5-inch 2,340 x 1,080-pixel OLED with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Mediatek Helio G99 |
RAM | 4GB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 2MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 13MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 25W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
TECNO Spark 10 5G 64GB (Vodacom-locked) — R4,499 (Takealot)
TECNO Spark 10 5G 64GB | |
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Operating system | HOIS 12.6 |
Display | 6.6-inch 1,612 x 720-pixel LCD with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Mediatek Dimensity 6020 |
RAM | 4GB |
Storage | 64GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 0.08MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 18W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi (version not specified); Bluetooth (version not specified) |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Nokia G42 5G 128GB (MTN-locked) — R4,499 (Takealot)
Nokia G42 5G 128GB | |
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Operating system | Android 14 |
Display | 6.56-inch 1,612 x 720-pixel LCD with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Snapdragon 480+ 5G |
RAM | 4GB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 2MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 20W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.1 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Vivo Y27s 128GB — R4,499.90 (Edgars)
Vivo Y27s 128GB | |
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Operating system | Funtouch 13 |
Display | 6.64-inch 2,388 x 1,080-pixel LCD with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Snapdragon 680 4G |
RAM | 8GB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 44W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Huawei Nova 11i 128GB — R4,590 (Bob Shop)
Huawei Nova 11i 128GB | |
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Operating system | EMUI 13 |
Display | 6.8-inch 2,388 x 1,080-pixel LCD with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Snapdragon 680 4G |
RAM | 8GB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 48MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 16MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 40W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Samsung Galaxy A22 64GB — R4,599 (Takealot)
Samsung Galaxy A22 64GB | |
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Operating system | One UI 6 |
Display | 6.4-inch 1,600 x 720-pixel LCD with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Mediatek Helio G80 |
RAM | 4GB |
Storage | 64GB |
Rear camera | 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 13MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 15W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.0 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Oppo A57s 128GB — R4,699 (Takealot)
Oppo A57s 128GB | |
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Operating system | ColorOS 12.1 |
Display | 6.56-inch 1,612 x 720-pixel LCD |
Processor | Mediatek Helio G35 |
RAM | 4GBGB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 33W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | LTE |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 128GB — R4,799 (Bob Shop)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 128GB | |
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Operating system | MIUI 14 |
Display | 6.67-inch 2,400 x 1,080-pixel OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Mediatek Dimensity 6080 |
RAM | 6GB |
Storage | 128GB |
Rear camera | 108MP + 8MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 16MP |
Battery and charging | 5,000mAh, 33W fast charging |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C |
Biometrics | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |