Best smartphones you can import to South Africa — from R7,700 to R26,000
While South Africa’s retailers and mobile networks offer an extensive range of smartphones, several outstanding models are not officially sold locally.
Google, OnePlus, and Asus are three major brands that do not sell smartphones in South Africa.
Asus has launched several gaming-focused smartphones that pack incredible hardware.
Its most recent flagship — the ROG Phone 8 Pro — boasts 24GB of RAM, a customisable matrix light display on the rear, touch-sensitive bumper buttons, and an astounding 165Hz screen refresh rate.
Google’s Pixel devices offer a cleaner Android operating system without the bloatware that other major Android manufacturers typically ship on their devices.
OnePlus is a subbrand of Chinese smartphone company Oppo that has amassed widespread appeal overseas for offering incredible value for money and a solid software experience.
Other brands that do have a presence in South Africa — like Xiaomi — don’t offer some of their best models locally.
As with many other kinds of products, US consumers tend to have the broadest selection of devices, often at highly competitive prices.
The country’s biggest online retailer — Amazon.com — offers a vast catalogue of smartphones, many of which can be shipped to South Africa without a package-forwarding service.
While Amazon has also launched a South African marketplace, the Amazon.co.za platform has a much smaller line-up of products.
The marketplace is not linked to Amazon’s overseas platforms and only offers products from local resellers.
Fortunately, buying a product from Amazon.com in South Africa is easy and comes without any hidden costs.
Amazon.com calculates shipping, import taxes, and delivery to your chosen address before you hit the checkout button.
It has so much faith in its systems that it not only covers any shortfall in taxes paid by the customer but also refunds customers if it overestimates the amounts.
The only major problem is that some smartphone brands do not offer local support, so buyers might encounter problems with warranty claims if their device has a defect down the line.
However, if the issue is detected early after receiving the device, Amazon allows for returns and refunds within 30 days of delivery for orders fulfilled by itself.
Shipping the product back after several months will have to be at your own cost.
An alternative option to consider for those who are concerned about long-term warranties is to use a specialist importer like Connected Devices or Tech Warehouse.
Bear in mind, however, that these retailers tend to ask a premium to make a reasonable profit and be able to offer a warranty on imported smartphones.
Check for network locking
If you are willing to try out shopping on Amazon.com yourself, one important attribute to verify before checking out with your preferred model is the unlocked status, which will ensure the phone works on South African cellular networks.
US mobile carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon often subsidise the cost of smartphones provided you use their network, similar to how cheap smartphones in South Africa are often locked to Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, or Cell C.
Another caveat to be aware of is that certain features might not be fully supported locally.
For example, several Pixel importers have reported that 5G does not yet work in South Africa.
Below are eight great smartphones that are not officially sold in South Africa that you can import via Amazon.com.
The pricing indicated includes shipping, import taxes, and delivery to South Africa.
Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro — The mobile gamer’s best friend
Asus ROG Phone 8 | |
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Operating system | Android 14 |
Display | Main: 6.78-inch 1,080 x 2,400 OLED with 165Hz refresh rate Rear: 341 MiniLED matrix |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
Memory | 16GB | 24GB |
Storage | 512GB | 1TB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 32MP + 13MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C (supports DisplayPort 1.4) |
Battery and charging speeds | 5,500mAh 65W wired 15W Qi wireless 10W reverse wireless |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Dual nano SIM |
Dimensions and weight | 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm (225g) |
Starting price | $1,464.77 (R25,477) |
Google Pixel 9 — The clean Android
Google Pixel 9 | |
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Operating system | Android 14 |
Display | 6.3-inch 1,080 x 2,424 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Google Tensor G4 |
Memory | 12GB |
Storage | 128GB | 256GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 48MP |
Front camera | 10.5MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C 3.2 |
Battery and charging speeds | 4,700mAh 27W wired 15W Pixel wireless 12W Qi wireless Unspecified reverse wireless |
Biometrics | Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Nano SIM and eSIM |
Dimensions and weight | 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm (198g) |
Starting price | $959.93 (R16,704) |
OnePlus 12 — A true Samsung rival
OnePlus 12 | |
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Operating system | OxygenOS 12 on Android 14 |
Display | 6.82-inch 1,440 x 3,168 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
Memory | 12GB | 16GB | 24GB |
Storage | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 48MP + 64MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C 3.2 |
Battery and charging speeds | 5,400mAh 80W wired 50W OnePlus wireless 10W reverse wireless |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Dual nano SIMs |
Dimensions and weight | 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm (220g) |
Starting price | $796.04 (R13,851) |
Nothing Phone (2) — The iPhone of Android
Nothing Phone (2) | |
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Operating system | Nothing OS 2.0 on Android 13 |
Display | 6.7-inch 1,080 x 2,412 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
Memory | 8GB | 12GB |
Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 50MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C 2.0 |
Battery and charging speeds | 4,700mAh 45W wired 15W Qi wireless 5W reverse wireless |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Dual nano SIMs |
Dimensions and weight | 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6mm (201g) |
Starting price | $723.91 (R12,589) |
Xiaomi 14 Ultra — The Chinese heavyweight
Xiaomi 14 Ultra | |
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Operating system | HyperOS on Android 14 |
Display | 6.73-inch 1,440 x 3,200 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
Memory | 12GB | 16GB |
Storage | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 50MP + 50MP + 50MP + 3D depth sensor |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C |
Battery and charging speeds | 5,000mAh 90W wired 80W Xiaomi wireless 10W reverse wireless |
SIMs | Dual nano SIMs |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
Dimensions and weight | 161.4 x 75.3 x 9.2mm (220-320g) |
Starting price | $1,491.42 (R25,907) |
Google Pixel 8 Pro — Affordable clean Android flagship
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
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Operating system | Android 14 |
Display | 6.7-inch 1,344 x 2,992 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Google Tensor G3 |
Memory | 12GB |
Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 48MP + 48MP |
Front camera | 10.5MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C 3.2 |
Battery and charging speeds | 5,050mAh 30W wired 23W wireless Unspecified reverse wireless |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Nano SIM and eSIM |
Dimensions and weight | 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm (213g) |
Starting price | $876.77 (R15,254) |
Nothing Phone 2a — The budget beater
Nothing Phone 2a | |
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Operating system | Nothing OS 2.6 on Android 14 |
Display | 6.7-inch 1,080 x 2,412 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro |
RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
Memory | 128GB | 256GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 50MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C 2.0 |
Battery and charging speeds | 5,000mAh 45W wired |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Dual nano SIM |
Dimensions and weight | 161.7 x 76.3 x 8.6mm (190g) |
Starting price | $445.30 (R7,744.15) |
OnePlus 12R — The top-end of mid-range
OnePlus 12R | |
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Operating system | OxygenOS on Android |
Display | 6.78-inch 1,264 x 2,780 LED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
RAM | 8GB | 12GB | 16GB |
Memory | 128GB | 256GB |
Rear camera | 50MP + 8MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 16MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Cellular | 5G |
Ports | USB-C 2.0 |
Battery and charging speeds | 5,500mAh 100W wired |
Biometrics | Optical under-display fingerprint reader |
SIMs | Dual nano SIMs |
Dimensions and weight | 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8mm (207g) |
Starting price | $603.52 (R10,489) |