Best smartphones you can get for under R800 a month

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)

Source Link