Best smartphones you can get for under R800 a month

Smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung launched a slew of new devices in 2021, and South Africa’s major mobile network providers are offering them on contract.
These high-end devices have hefty price tags if you buy them cash, resulting in many South Africans preferring to get them on contract.
MyBroadband looked into the most powerful smartphones you can get on contract for less than R800 a month.
All devices featured in the comparison offer 5G connectivity, at least 4GB RAM, and 64GB of internal storage.
We compared deals on high-end devices from Cell C, MTN, Telkom, and Vodacom, focusing on data-centric packages.
The smallest data allocation on the contract compared comes with the Vodacom RED Core 500MB package, which gives clients 500MB of Anytime and Night Owl data, 50 any-network minutes, and 150 SMSs.
All of the Vodacom device contracts in this comparison come with this package.
The largest data package — Telkom’s FreeMe 3GB bundle — offers subscribers 2GB of all-network data, 500MB of WhatsApp data, 500MB of streaming data, 150 any-network minutes, and 200 SMSs.
It should be noted that Telkom currently has a promotion running on its FreeMe products, with subscribers receiving extra minutes and SMS allocations.
The table below summarises the high-end smartphone you can get in South Africa on 24-month contracts for less than R800 per month.
Smartphone Contracts Under R800 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mobile network operator | Contract | Data Allocation | Minutes/SMSs | Price per Month |
iPhone 13 128GB | ||||
Telkom | FreeMe 1.5GB | 1GB All-network + 250MB WhatsApp data + 250MB streaming data | 75 Any-network / 100 SMSs | R799.00 x 24 |
iPhone 13 Mini 128GB | ||||
Vodacom | RED Core 500MB | 500MB Anytime + 500MB Night Owl | 50 Any-network / 150 SMSs | R749.00 x 24 |
Telkom | FreeMe 1.5GB | 1GB All-network + 250MB WhatsApp data + 250MB streaming data | 75 Any-network / 100 SMSs | R699.00 x 24 |
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 256GB | ||||
Cell C | Pinnacle 1GB | 512MB Anytime data + 512MB Nite data | 30 Any-network + 30 On-network / 500 SMSs | R749.00 x 24 |
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE | ||||
Cell C | Pinnacle 2GB | 1.5GB Anytime data + 512MB Nite data | 60 Any-network + 120 On-network / 500 SMSs | R699.00 x 24 |
MTN | Mega Gigs XS | 1GB Anytime data + 500MB WhatsApp + 500MB Streaming | 100 Any-network + 25 All-network / 0 SMSs | R699.00 x 24 |
Telkom | FreeMe 1.5GB | 1GB All-network + 250MB WhatsApp data + 250MB streaming data | 75 Any-network / 100 SMSs | R699.00 x 24 |
Vodacom | RED Core 500MB | 500MB Anytime + 500MB Night Owl | 50 Any-network / 150 SMSs | R699.00 x 24 |
Oppo Reno5 5G | ||||
Telkom | FreeMe 1.5GB | 1GB All-network + 250MB WhatsApp data + 250MB streaming data | 75 Any-network / 100 SMSs | R649.00 x 24 |
Cell C | Pinnacle 1GB | 512MB Anytime data + 512MB Nite data | 30 Any-network + 30 On-network / 500 SMSs | R649.00 x 24 |
Vodacom | RED Core 500MB | 500MB Anytime + 500MB Night Owl | 50 Any-network / 150 SMSs | R699.00 x 24 |
iPhone 12 64GB | ||||
Vodacom | RED Core 500MB | 500MB Anytime + 500MB Night Owl | 50 Any-network / 150 SMSs | R779.00 x 24 |
Telkom | FreeMe 3GB | 2GB All-network + 500MB WhatsApp + 500MB Streaming | 150 Any-network + 1000 On-network / 200 SMSs | R799.00 x 24 |
iPhone 13 128GB
iPhone 13 128GB | |
---|---|
OS | iOS 15 |
Display | 6.1-inch 2,534 x 1,170 OLED |
Processor | A15 Bionic |
Storage | 128GB |
RAM | 4GB |
Rear camera | 12MP + 12MP |
Front camera | 12MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Ports | Lightning |
Cellular | 5G |
SIM | Dual with nano-SIM and eSIM |
Biometrics | Face ID |
Battery and charging | 3,240 mAh with 23W fast charging |
Dimensions and weight | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.65mm (174g) |
iPhone 13 Mini 128GB
iPhone 13 Mini 128GB | |
---|---|
OS | iOS 15 |
Display | 5.4-inch 2,340 x 1,080 OLED |
Processor | A15 Bionic |
Storage | 128GB |
RAM | 4GB |
Rear camera | 12MP + 12MP |
Front camera | 12MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Ports | Lightning |
Cellular | 5G |
SIM | Dual with nano-SIM and eSIM |
Biometrics | Face ID |
Battery and charging | 2,438 mAh with 18W fast charging |
Dimensions and weight | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm (141g) |
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 256GB
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 256GB | |
---|---|
OS | Android 11 |
Display | 6.2-inch 2,400 x 1,080 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Exynos 2100 |
Storage | 256GB |
RAM | 8GB |
Rear camera | 64MP + 12MP + 12MP |
Front camera | 10MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Ports | USB-C |
Cellular | 5G |
SIM | Dual with nano-SIM and eSIM |
Biometrics | Under display fingerprint scanner |
Battery and charging | 4,000 mAh with 25W fast charging |
Dimensions and weight | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm (169g) |
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 128GB
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 128GB | |
---|---|
OS | Android 12 |
Display | 6.4-inch 2,400 x 1,080 OLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Snapdragon 888 |
Storage | 128GB |
RAM | 8GB |
Rear camera | 12MP + 12MP + 8MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Ports | USB-C |
Cellular | 5G |
SIM | Dual Nano SIM |
Biometrics | Under display fingerprint scanner |
Battery and charging | 4,500 mAh with 25W fast charging |
Dimensions and weight | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 (177g) |
Oppo Reno5 5G 128GB
Oppo Reno5 5G 128GB | |
---|---|
OS | Android 11, ColorOS 11.1 |
Display | 6.4-inch 2,400 x 1,080 OLED with 90Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Snapdragon 765G 5G |
Storage | 128GB |
RAM | 8GB |
Rear camera | 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 |
Ports | USB-C |
Cellular | 5G |
SIM | Dual Nano SIM |
Biometrics | Under display fingerprint scanner |
Battery and charging | 4,300 mAh with 65W fast charging |
Dimensions and weight | 159.1 x 73.4 x 7.9 mm (172g) |
iPhone 12 64GB
iPhone 12 64GB | |
---|---|
OS | iOS 15 |
Display | 6.4-inch 2,532 x 1,170 OLED |
Processor | A14 Bionic |
Storage | 64GB |
RAM | 4GB |
Rear camera | 12MP + 12 MP |
Front camera | 12MP |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Ports | Lightning |
Cellular | 5G |
SIM | Dual Nano SIM |
Biometrics | Face ID |
Battery and charging | 2,815 mAh with 20W fast charging |
Dimensions and weight | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (164g) |