Cheapest 4G-capable smartphones in South Africa

The South African government plans to shut down the country’s 2G and 3G networks by 2025, meaning many people will have to upgrade to 4G-capable smartphones.

MyBroadband compared ten of the cheapest 4G-capable smartphones available in South Africa and found several options priced at under R1,000.

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) outlined its plan to switch off the legacy networks in its next-generation radio frequency spectrum draft policy.

Cabinet approved the plan on Wednesday, 31 August 2023, allowing the DCDT to publish it for public comment.

“Radio frequency spectrum is a finite natural resource that is vital to the growth of South Africa’s digital economy and communication infrastructure,” Cabinet said.

“The proposed policy intends to support the spectrum allocation and licensing for fixed mobile; broadcasting; aeronautical and marine; research and development; community access, and other relevant industries.”

The draft policy outlines the deadlines for the shutdown plan are summarised as follows:

• 30 June 2023 — prohibition of licensing for 2G devices
• 31 December 2023 — prohibition of new connection or activation of 2G devices
• 31 March 2024 — shutdown of 2G services and prohibition of licensing for 3G devices
• 30 June 2024 — shutdown of 2G networks
• 30 September 2024 — prohibition of new connection or activation of 3G devices
• 31 December 2024 — shutdown of 3G services
• 30 March 2025 — shutdown of 3G networks

The plan faced scrutiny from the Democratic Alliance and some of the country’s mobile network operators.

Cheap 4G-capable smartphones

The cheapest 4G-capable smartphones are the Hisense U963 and Mobicel Neo LTE, priced at R699.

The handsets offer similar specs, including 1GB of RAM, up to 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD slot for expandable memory. They both run Android 10 (Go Edition).

It should be noted that the cheaper handsets listed pack small, 2,000mAh batteries.

Those looking for devices with better battery life may want to look at options like the Nokia C1 2nd Edition, Premio S82, and Premio S84.

All three smartphones are priced at R999, and the Nokia C1 2nd Edition packs a 2,500mAh battery, while the two Premio devices have 3,000mAh capacities.

Ten of the cheapest 4G-capable available in South Africa, along with their pricing and specifications, are listed below.

Hisense U963 — R699

Mobicel Neo — R699

Itel V51 — R749

Mobicel Force — R799

Mobicel Chrome — R799

Hisense U40 Lite — R829

Mobicel Epic — R999

Nokia C1 Second Edition — R999

Premio S82 — R999

Premio S84 — R999

Now read: Qualcomm unveils more powerful Snapdragon chip for mid-range smartphones

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Cheapest 4G-capable smartphones in South Africa