Best smartphones under R5,000

3 years ago 1

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There are a plethora of highly-capable smartphones available in South Africa for less than R5,000.

MyBroadband looked at the best-specced smartphones from well-known manufacturers in the country available from recognised online stores and found some standout options.

We identified two devices each from Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Oppo, and one each from Honor and Vivo.

Among them, several had 5G connectivity, high-refresh-rate screens, and large batteries with fast charging speeds that could put some flagships to shame.

There are two further advantages at this price point: a 3.5mm audio jack and expandable microSD storage — features you won’t find on many mid-rangers or flagship smartphones.

In general, Samsung and Xiaomi led with the best hardware in phones around the R5,000 price point, followed by Huawei.

Unfortunately for the two younger players in the market — Oppo and Vivo — their best contenders fell somewhat short.

Below are ten of the best smartphones you can buy new for less than R5,000 in South Africa.

The specifications listed are for the cheapest models we found from South African stores at the time of publication.

Samsung Galaxy A23 5G

OS	One UI 4.1 on Android 12
Display	6.6-inch 1,080 x 2,408 LCD with 120Hz refresh rate
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
RAM	4GB
Storage	64GB, microSD up to 1TB
Rear camera	50MP + 5MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	5G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1
Dual SIM	Yes (store dependent)
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh 25W wired charging
Dimensions and weight	165.4 x 76.9 x 8.4mm (197g)
Price	Starting from R3,799

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G

OS	One UI 5 on Android 13
Display	6.4-inch 1,080 x 2,400 OLED with 90Hz refresh rate
CPU	Exynos 1280
RAM	6GB
Storage	128GB, microSD up to 1TB
Rear camera	48MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP
Front camera	13MP
Ports	USB-C
Cellular	5G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1
Dual SIM	Yes (store dependent)
Biometrics	Under-display fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh 25W wired charging
Dimensions and weight	159.7 x 74 x 8.1mm (186g)
Price	Starting from R4,999

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11

OS	MIUI 13 on Android 12
Display	6.43-inch 1,080 x 2,400 OLED with 90Hz refresh rate
CPU	Snapdragon 680 4G
RAM	4GB
Storage	128GB, microSD up to 1TB
Rear camera	50MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera	13MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
Dual SIM	Yes
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh 33W wired charging
Dimensions and weight	159.9 x 73.9 x 8.1mm (179g)
Price	Starting from R4,488

Xiaomi Redmi 10 2022

OS	MIUI 12.5 on Android 11
Display	6.5-inch 1,080 x 2,400 LCD with 90Hz refresh rate
CPU	MediaTek Helio G88
RAM	4GB
Storage	128GB, microSD up to 512GB
Rear camera	50MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1
Dual SIM	Yes
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh 18W wired charging 9W reverse wired charging
Dimensions and weight	162 x 75.5 x 8.9mm (181g)
Price	Starting from R3,499

Huawei Nova Y90

OS	EMUI 12 (no GMS)
Display	1,080 x 2,388 LCD with 90Hz refresh rate
CPU	Snapdragon 680 4G
RAM	6GB
Storage	128GB
Rear camera	50MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
Dual SIM	Yes (store dependent)
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Charging	5,000mAh 40W wired charging
Dimensions and weight	163.3 x 74.7 x 8.4mm (195g)
Price	Starting from R4,529

Huawei Nova Y70 Plus

OS	EMUI 12 (no GMS)
Display	6.75-inch 720 x 1,600 LCD
CPU	Unspecified
RAM	4GB
Storage	64GB, microSD up to 512GB
Rear camera	48MP + 5MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1
Dual SIM	Yes (store dependent)
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	6,000mAh 22.5W wired charging
Dimensions and weight	168.3 x 77.7 x 9mm (199g)
Price	Starting from R4,299

Oppo A57

OS	ColorOS 12.1 on Android 12
Display	6.56-inch 720 x 1,612 LCD with 90Hz refresh rates
CPU	MediaTek Dimensity 810
RAM	46GB
Storage	64GB, microSD up to 256GB
Rear camera	13MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3
Dual SIM	Yes
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Charging	5,000mAh 33W wired charging
Dimensions and weight	163.7 x 75 x 8mm (187g)
Price	Starting from R4,899

Oppo A54s

OS	ColorOS 11.1 on Android 11
Display	6.52-inch 720 x 1,600 LCD with 60Hz refresh rate
CPU	MediaTek Helio G35
RAM	4GB
Storage	128GB
Rear camera	50MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
Dual SIM	Yes
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh Unspecified charging speed
Dimensions and weight	163.8 x 75.6 x 8.4mm (190g)
Price	Starting from R3,999

Vivo Y22

OS	Funtouch 12 on Android 12
Display	6.55-inch 720 x 1,612 LCD with 60Hz refresh rate
CPU	MediaTek Helio G85
RAM	4GB
Storage	64GB, microSD up to 1TB
Rear camera	50MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
Dual SIM	Yes
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh 18W wired
Dimensions and weight	164.3 x 76.1 x 8.4mm (190g)
Price	Starting from R3,499

Honor X7

OS	Magic UI 4.2 on Android 11
Display	6.74-inch 720 x 1,600 LCD with 90Hz refresh rate
CPU	Snapdragon 680 4G
RAM	4GB
Storage	128GB, microSD up to 512GB
Rear camera	48MP + 5MP + 2MP + 2MP
Front camera	8MP
Ports	USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cellular	4G
Connectivity	802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1
Dual SIM	Yes (store dependent)
Biometrics	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Battery and charging	5,000mAh 22.5W wired
Dimensions and weight	167.6 x 77.2 x 8.6mm (198g)
Price	Starting from R3,799