Best smartphone contracts under R1,000

Getting a high-end smartphone on contract is more accessible than paying thousands of rands to buy a device cash, and South Africans have several options for under R1,000 per month.

Depending on the device, high-end smartphones such as Apple’s iPhones, Samsung’s Galaxy S series, Huawei’s Pura 70 lineup, and Honor’s Magic can cost upwards of R15,000.

However, South Africa’s mobile operators offer such devices on contract, with data, minutes, and SMS allocations, for less than R1,000 per month on two- and three-year terms.

MyBroadband searched for the best smartphone contracts available to South African residents for less than R1,000 per month.

While some mobile network operators sell smartphone contracts with terms up to 48 months, we limited our selections to 24 and 36 months.

Vodacom added four-year contracts in September 2024 to help fight surging device costs.

“Our 48-month contract strategy aims to make high-end devices more affordable to our customers. This approach helps customers stay connected even during challenging economic times,” a spokesperson said.

However, offering longer contract terms increases Vodacom’s exposure to inflationary risks, and the time value of money must also be taken into account.

However, the spokesperson stated that Vodacom mitigates these risks through its “more-for-more” strategy. “We always strive to minimise the impact of costs to customers,” he said.

“By adopting a ‘more-for-more’ strategy, we ensure that any inflationary pressures are managed in a way that continues to provide the best possible customer experience.”

MTN and Telkom stated that they would monitor demand for 48-month contracts, but haven’t yet started offering such contract terms.

“MTN is currently assessing the customer demand for longer-term contracts,” said MTN.

“Most customers prefer to have 24-month contracts, which enable them to stay up to date with the latest technology.”

Telkom said it would consider offering four-year contracts if customer demand is viable for longer-term contracts.

High-end smartphones under R1,000 per month

We focused on data-centric deals while searching for the best smartphone contracts available through Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom for under R1,000 per month.

The devices available through Vodacom include the Honor Magic6 Pro 512GB, Huawei Pura 70 Pro 512GB, Apple iPhone 16e 128GB, and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB.

The latter two devices are both available for R999 per month over three months on the Red Core 1.4GB plan.

The package includes 1.4GB of anytime data, 1.4GB of Night Owl data, 200 any-network minutes, and 150 SMSes.

South Africans can get the Honor Magic6 Pro with 512GB of storage on Vodacom’s Red Core 2.8GB package for R959 per month over three years.

The Red Core 2.8GB plan offers minute and SMS allocations similar to those of the Red Core 1.4GB plan, but with double the data allocation.

Those looking to get a high-end Huawei device can get the Pura 70 Pro 512GB for R969 per month over three years on the Red Core 4.5GB plan.

The contract includes 4.5GB of anytime data, 4.5GB of Night Owl data, 200 minutes, and 150 SMSes.

The smartphones available through MTN include the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE 256GB, Apple iPhone 13 128GB, Apple iPhone 16 128GB, and Oppo Reno 13F 512GB.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and Apple iPhone 13 are available on MTN’s Yellow Plus plan, including 1.5GB of anytime data and 100 all-network minutes.

MTN sells the S24 FE on its Yellow Plus plan for R759 per month over two years, and the iPhone 13 128GB on the same plan for R819 per month over two years.

The iPhone 16 128GB and Oppo Reno 13F 512GB are available on MTN’s Yellow Prime plan, which includes 2GB of anytime data and 200 all-network minutes.

The deal for the iPhone 16 is available for R839 per month over three years, while South Africans can get the Oppo Reno 13F contract for R879 per month over two years.

Cell C’s offerings include the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, Samsung Galaxy S25, Honor 400 Pro, and the Huawei Pura 70 Pro.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is available on its Elevate 3 plan, offering 7.5GB of anytime data, 750 minutes, and 750 SMSes for R869 per month on a two-year contract.

All three others are available on the Elevate 2 plan, offering 3GB of data, 300 minutes, and 300 SMSes.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 on this plan costs R899 per month over 36 months, while the Honor 400 Pro and Huawei Pura 70 Pro on the same plan cost R50 more per month, also over 36 months.

Telkom’s offerings include the Samsung Galaxy S25, Huawei Pura 70 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the Apple iPhone 16.

It sells the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Apple iPhone 16 on its FlexOn 4 plan for R839 per month over three years, and R999 per month over two years, respectively.

The Flex on 4 Plan includes 4GB of anytime data, 150 any-network minutes, 750 Telkom-to-Telkom minutes, and 750 SMSes.

Telkom sells the Huawei Pura 70 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra on its FlexOn 6 plan for R939 per month and R959 per month, respectively, on three-year contracts.

The FlexOn 6 plan includes 6GB of anytime data, 150 any-network minutes, 1,000 Telkom-to-Telkom minutes, and 1,000 SMSes.

The table below compares some of the best two- and three-year smartphone contracts available from Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom.