Great smartphones you can buy in South Africa for under R3,000

South Africa is currently determining when to shut down its 2G and 3G networks, which, if done prematurely, could leave many of the country’s residents without connectivity.

However, several affordable 4G and 5G smartphones are available to the country’s residents. Brands like MTN, Honor, and Samsung offer well-specced devices for those who don’t want to break the bank.

While South Africans have increasingly adopted the newer cellular technologies in recent years, many residents still rely on the older 2G and 3G networks.

According to PwC’s latest Media and Entertainment Outlook report, the number of South Africans using 4G overtook those using 3G in 2024. Moreover, 5G subscribers are expected to overtake 4G users by 2028.

The country’s mobile network operators have started to feel the shift, and MTN has announced that it plans to switch off its 3G network by 31 December 2025.

The network operator successfully tested shutting down its 3G network in several Cape Town neighbourhoods earlier this year.

According to a letter sent to Cape Town customers, which MyBroadband has seen, the company conducted a pilot to migrate subscribers off 3G within a particular region.

“In September 2022, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies indicated its intention to phase out 2G and 3G networks,” it said.

“Although this process will affect our customers, MTN is committed to ensuring minimal impact in the transition. As a result, MTN will follow a phased approach for the migration.”

After the pilot phase, MTN said it will assess the project before moving to migrate customers on a larger scale.

“The 3G transition is scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2025.”

“Parallel to the 3G migration, MTN is assessing the viable dates to migrate users on the 2G network. Engagements to migrate the 2G network services will be communicated in due course.”

Great 4G and 5G smartphones under R3,000

MyBroadband compared various smartphone models priced at R3,000 or less. We limited our selections to three devices priced between R1,999 and R2,838.

The MTN Icon 5G and Honor X5b Plus 128GB devices are each available for R1,999. As the name implies, the MTN device supports 5G connectivity, while Honor’s only offers 4G.

Otherwise, the devices are fairly evenly matched in terms of specs. Both have large 720p displays, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and 50MP primary cameras.

The MTN Icon 5G’s display features a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Honor X5b’s display has a 90Hz refresh rate.

Both feature somewhat dated SoCs, with the Icon 5G packing a Unisoc T760 processor and the Honor a MediaTek Helio G36 chip.

A 2MP sensor flanks the MTN Icon 5G’s 50MP primary shooter, while the Honor X5b’s rear camera setup only features a single 50MP sensor.

The Honor smartphone’s battery is slightly larger, at 5,200mAh, compared to the MTN Icon 5G’s 5,000mAh battery capacity.

The third device we included is Samsung’s Galaxy A16 128GB, priced at R2,838. It has the best-quality display, with OLED technology instead of the others’ LCD technologies.

It offers a 1080p resolution with a 90Hz refresh rate and boasts the largest display of the lot at 6.7 inches.

Regarding performance, the Samsung packs a higher-specced SoC, being MediaTek’s Helio G99 chip, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage.

The Galaxy A16 128GB features a triple rear-camera setup with a 50MP primary shooter, and regarding battery life, it packs a 5,000mAh cell.

While the Samsung has a significantly higher price tag than the other devices compared, we included it as the company offers up to six generations of operating system updates.

The table below compares specifications for the MTN Icon 5G, Honor X5b Plus 128GB, and Samsung Galaxy A16 128GB.