Getting a great phone at a great price has become something of a rarity these days. Usually, if you want a good phone, you have to be willing to pay for it. But, with a bit of searching around, we’ve found some decent phones for under R1000!
They might not have all the bells and whistles of the high-end devices, but they’ll definitely keep you connected to the rest of the world.
1. Nokia Asha 208
The Asha 208 is by no means a high-end smartphone, but it is a smartphone.
It has a 2.4-inch, 240 x 320 LCD display, a 1.3MP rear facing camera, physical keyboard, expandable storage, and a 1020mAh battery.
Specs-wise, it’s not exactly the most exciting phone, but it can connect to the internet. You can check your email and you can watch YouTube videos on it.
If you’re looking for a budget phone to take with when you go out partying, or if you’re looking for a phone for someone who isn’t tech savvy and just wants to be able to make phone calls and hop online on the odd occasion, then this could very well be the phone for you.
Cost: R999.
2. Samsung Z2
Samsung Mobile is best known for creating some of the best high-end Android phones on the market. They also, however, happen to make really good lower-end phones as well.
The Z2 is not one of Samsung’s Galaxy range of devices. It forms part of the Z series, which does not run on Android, but instead uses the company’s own OS, Tizen.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a difference in terms of the way the device operates. But, where you will notice a difference between Tizen and Android, is that the Tizen OS has far fewer apps than Android.
The Z2 has a 4-inch, 480 x 800 touchscreen display, 5MP rear facing camera, 8GB onboard storage (as well as expandable storage), and a removable 1500mAh battery.
If you can put up with a limited app store, then the Z2 is a good phone to consider.
Cost: From R999.
3. Vodafone Smart Kicka
The Vodafone Kicka is Vodacom’s own branded smartphone. Or, at least the branded smartphone for Vodacom’s parent company, Vodafone.
It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, Android 4.1 pre-installed, a 2MP rear facing camera, 4GB onboard storage (expandable via SD card slot), and 1400mAh battery.
If you want a starter phone, or just one to replace a lost or stolen phone, you could do far worse than the Vodafone Smart Kicka.
Cost: From R789.11.
4. Hisense U601s
Everyone knows that Hisense makes great home electronics at low prices. But, not many people know that Hisense applies this same ethos to their smartphone range. Yes, Hisense makes smartphones.
The U601S might have a really awkward name, but it packs an impressive amount of specs into a low-cost handset.
It has a 4-inch, 480×800 WVGA LCD touchscreen display, 8GB onboard storage (expandable via SD card), Android 6.0 pre-installed, a 2MP rear facing camera and 0.3MP front facing camera, as well as a 1500mAh battery.
Cost: From R699.
5. Microsoft Lumia 532
Microsoft’s Lumia 532 is a Windows Mobile handset running on Windows Phone 8.1.
It has the usual Windows Mobile features including Live Folders and Glance Screen.
The Lumia 532 has a 5MP rear facing camera, VGA front facing camera, 8GB onboard storage (expandable via SD card), and a removable 1560mAh battery.
If you’re deeply entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem, then you might want to consider getting this phone. But, remember that Microsoft’s app store has far less apps than either the Google or iOS app store.
Cost: From R999.
