Best smartphones for under R5,000 in South Africa

A wide range of well-specced smartphones is available to South African consumers for under R5,000, including some models with 5G connectivity and large high-refresh-rate displays.

MyBroadband looked for the best smartphones you can buy locally for less than R5,000 cash. The options we found range in price from R3,999 to R4,999.

We found three capable handsets priced at R3,999. These are the Huawei Nova Y72 128GB and Samsung Galaxy A24 128GB from Bob Shop and the Oukitel WP23 from the Oukitel Store.

The Huawei Nova Y72 features a 6.75-inch 720p LCD, 6GB of RAM, and a large 6,000mAh battery. The device only supports up to LTE connectivity.

The R3,999 Samsung Galaxy A24 also only supports up to LTE connectivity. It features a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, 4GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery.

While smaller, the battery offers a higher fast charging rate at 25W, compared to 22.5W in the Huawei Nova Y72.

The Oukitel WP23 is slightly lower-specced compared to these in terms of processor, storage, and camera capabilities. However, it offers the largest battery by far at 10,600mAh.

South Africans can grab the 5G-enabled Tecno Spark 10 or Nokia G42 for R4,499 from Takealot.

The former packs 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery, while the Nokia bumps up internal storage to 128GB and offers a slightly better camera setup.

The most expensive option we listed is the newly-released Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 for R4,999 from Bob Shop.

The Redmi Note 13 packs a 5G-enabled Mediatek Dimensity 6080 chip, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It also features a triple rear camera setup with a 108MP primary shooter.

Xiaomi launched the smartphone globally in early January 2024, followed by its South African launch in April 2024.

Below are 10 of the best smartphones you can buy in South Africa for less than R5,000, along with their specs and pricing.

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Huawei Nova Y72 128GB — R3,999 (Bob Shop)

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Oukitel WP23 — R3,999 (Oukitel Store)

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Samsung Galaxy A24 128GB — R3,999 (Bob Shop)

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TECNO Spark 10 5G 64GB (Vodacom-locked) — R4,499 (Takealot)

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Nokia G42 5G 128GB (MTN-locked) — R4,499 (Takealot)

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Vivo Y27s 128GB — R4,499.90 (Edgars)

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Huawei Nova 11i 128GB — R4,590 (Bob Shop)

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Samsung Galaxy A22 64GB — R4,599 (Takealot)

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Oppo A57s 128GB — R4,699 (Takealot)

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 128GB — R4,799 (Bob Shop)