Smartphones5.09.2024

4G smartphones under R1,000

South Africans have several options to choose from when looking for a 4G smartphone under R1,000, with prices starting as low as R499.

Mobile networks in South Africa are working to migrate customers off of 2G and 3G–only devices so they can switch off their older networks without cutting anyone off.

Switching off 2G and 3G will free up valuable radio frequency spectrum, which operators can repurpose to increase the bandwidth available on their 4G and 5G networks.

These newer technologies also use spectrum more efficiently, allowing operators to offer higher quality services to more customers connected to a single tower.

Therefore, shutting down 2G and 3G should give mobile networks more raw cellular capacity to work with, improving service quality and reducing mobile communication costs in the long run.

Unfortunately, this will render cheap 2G and 3G–only cellular phones on the market useless.

Currently, South Africa aims to switch off all 2G and 3G networks by 2027. In the shorter term, the plan was to block all new 2G and 3G device activations by the end of 2024.

However, mobile network operators have asked the government to be more flexible with its deadlines.

To help with the migration, communications minister Solly Malatsi wants to see a threshold on the luxury goods tax charged on smartphones to make it more affordable for people to switch to 4G and 5G devices.

“One of my obsessions is looking at the declassification of smart devices as luxury items because they carry an additional tax,” Malatsi told MyBroadband during a recent interview.

The South African Revenue Service charges an additional ad valorem tax on smartphones, substantially increasing the price of devices relative to many overseas markets.

“We’ve already had informal discussions with the Treasury about it,” Malatsi said.

“We are not saying remove all the associated luxury goods taxes on smart devices, but have a threshold.”

A threshold would make devices over a set amount considered luxury items, attracting ad valorem, while cheaper devices would be exempt from the tax.

This would allow 4G smartphones to become more accessible to the South African population.

4G also offers a far better experience when using data-heavy applications like video streaming.

MyBroadband found ten 4G smartphones, between R500 and R1,000, from brands such as Hisense, Stylo, Mobicel, and Intel.

Old 2G and 3G devices

The storage capacity of these devices range from 8GB to 32GB and the RAM from 1GB to 4GB.

The most affordable of the phones is the Hisense U964, which is priced at R499 from Pep Cellular. Because of the price, the specs are entry-level, comprising 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a 2,000 mAh battery.

For R50 more than the U964, Pep Celular has the Stylo Swift 4G smartphone with 4GB RAM and 32GB of storage.

It also has a 2,950mAh battery and an 8MP rear camera, making it the best-specced phone on this list — and it’s only R549.

The only other phone with better specs is the Itel V52 — for R699 from Bash — which has a 6.3-inch display as opposed to the Swift’s 5-inch screen.

Hisense’s U963 is the most expensive phone, coming in at R999. It has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, a 2,000 mAh battery, a 5MP rear camera, and a 5-inch display.

Below are the ten 4G smartphones, along with their specifications.

Hisense U964 — R499 (Pep Cellular)

Display5-inch
RAM1 GB
Storage16 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera2 MP
Battery2,000 mAh
SIMSingle SIM
NetworkVodacom

Stylo Swift 4G — R549 (Pep Cellular)

Display5-inch
RAM4 GB
Storage32 GB
Rear camera8 MP
Front camera5 MP
Battery2,950 mAh
SIMSingle
NetworkMTN

Mobicel Mx2 — R599 (Pep Cellular)

Display5-inch
RAM1 GB
Storage8 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera2 MP
Battery2,500 mAh
SIMSingle
NetworkVodacom

Mobicel Epic — R699 (Pep Cellular)

Display6-inch
RAM1 GB
Storage32 GB
Rear camera5 MP, 0.08 MP
Front camera2 MP
Battery3,000 mAh
SIMDual SIM
NetworkVodacom

Itel V52 — R699 (Bash)

Display5-inch
RAM4 GB
Storage32 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera2 MP
Battery3,050 mAh
SIMDual SIM
NetworkCell C network locked

Mobicel F50 — R699 (TecnoMobi)

Display5-inch
RAM2 GB
Storage16 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera0.3 MP
Battery2,200 mAh
SIMDual SIM
NetworkVodacom network locked

Mobicel Mx3 — R799 (Bash)

Display5-inch
RAM1 GB
Storage16 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera0.3 MP
Battery2,799 mAh
SIMDual SIM
NetworkNone

Hisense U965 — R849 (TechnoMobi)

Display5-inch
RAM2 GB
Storage32 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera2 MP
Battery2,000 mAh
SIMDual SIM
NetworkVodacom network locked

Hisense U61 — R899 (Bash)

Display6-inch
RAM2 GB
Storage32 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera5 MP
Battery3,000 mAh
SIMDual SIM
NetworkCell C

Hisense U963 — R999 (Makro)

Display5-inch
RAM1 GB
Storage8 GB
Rear camera5 MP
Front camera2 MP
Battery2,000 mAh
SIMSingle
NetworkNone
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