3 smartphones selling like crazy in South Africa — including one for R399

Three of the best-selling smartphones in South Africa in early 2025 are the Hisense U607, Huawei Nova 13i, and Samsung Galaxy A26.

That is according to recent feedback from South Africa’s two biggest cellular networks — Vodacom and MTN.

These operators are not the sole smartphone sellers in South Africa.

However, they collectively account for around 73% of the country’s cellular network subscribers, which means their device sales make up a significant proportion of the total.

A Vodacom spokesperson told MyBroadband that Hisense U607 and Samsung Galaxy A26 were the two top sellers among its prepaid and postpaid customers, respectively.

Considering South Africans are highly price-sensitive consumers and many people in the country live below the bread line, it is easy to see why the Hisense U607 was a top performer. 

While its specs sheet offers nothing to write home about, a price tag of R399 for a Vodacom-locked option makes it the most affordable 4G smartphone in the country.

The Hisense U607 features a 4-inch 480 × 800 touchscreen display, 1GB RAM, and 8GB built-in storage. The latter can be expanded with a microSD card, although the maximum capacity is unclear.

Its camera system consists of single 5MP rear lens and 2MP front sensor, just about what one would expect for the price.

While the smartphone only has a 1,500mAh battery, it runs Google’s slimmed-down Android Go operating system, so it should not be too power-intensive.

The downside is that it will not support as many apps or features as regular Android smartphones.

However, considering the Hisense U607 costs less than half the price of the most affordable full Android smartphones, that might be a trade-off many casual smartphone users are willing to accept.

The device is also dual SIM. Although at least one card will need to be active on Vodacom’s network, users can have a secondary SIM on another network.

Below are the specifications and images of the Hisense U607.

Samsung Galaxy A26

The Galaxy A26 is one step above Samsung’s entry-level option and currently sells for between R4,500 and R5,000 from major retailers and operators.

The best price we could find was on Amazon.co.za, while Vodacom was selling it for R4,899.

That puts the Galaxy A26 at the higher end of the budget category, while other consumers might consider it to be priced closer to the entry point for “mid-range.”

The Galaxy A26’s features and hardware make it one of the best affordable smartphones in May 2025.

The fact that it has only been around since March 2025 makes its sales performance all the more impressive.

The Galaxy A26 features the Exynos 1380 chip from the Galaxy A35, one of last year’s top-rated budget smartphones.

While not spectacularly fast by any measure, this chip is more than sufficient for most smartphone users with casual demands.

One premium component is the glass on its back, something which is normally reserved for more expensive mid-range and flagship devices.

In addition, it is the first of the Galaxy A20-series devices to support IP67 environmental protection and the most affordable to have optical image stabilisation, great for taking sharp images with shaky hands.

Below are the specifications and design of the Samsung Galaxy A26.

Huawei Nova 13i

MTN said that the Galaxy A series — which includes the A16, A26, A36, and A46 — was also among its biggest sellers.

It did not state which particular models in the line-up were raking in the highest numbers.

However, it did name one model from another brand — Huawei — as a standout seller. That was the Huawei Nova 13i, launched in January 2025.

Its hardware and price tag put the smartphone in the same segment as the Galaxy A26.

In the Huawei device’s favour are 2GB of extra RAM, a larger main camera sensor, and faster charging.

The Galaxy A26 has the advantage in the display department — with a higher refresh rate and OLED panel instead of LCD — as well as support for 5G connectivity instead of 4G.

The table and image below show the specifications and design of the Huawei Nova 3i.