South Africa's cheapest 4G-capable cellphones

South Africa’s government intends to decommission the country’s 2G and 3G networks by 2025, forcing many citizens to switch to 4G-capable handsets.

MyBroadband examined 10 of the cheapest 4G-capable cellphones on the market in South Africa and discovered numerous possibilities for less than R1,000.

In its draught policy for next-generation radio frequency spectrum, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) detailed its plan to turn off old networks.

On Wednesday, August 31, 2023, Cabinet approved the proposal, 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 following are the timeframes for the shutdown plan as outlined in the draught policy:

• 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 Democratic Alliance and several of the country’s mobile network companies questioned the concept.

Smartphones with 4G capabilities at an affordable price
The Hisense U963 and Mobicel Neo LTE are the cheapest 4G-capable smartphones, both priced at R699.

The specifications are comparable, with 1GB of RAM, up to 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD card for extendable memory. They are both powered by Android 10. (Go Edition).

It should be noted that the lower-priced handsets have modest, 2,000mAh batteries.

Consumers searching for smartphones with longer battery life might choose the Nokia C1 2nd Edition, Premio S82, and Premio S84.

All three smartphones cost R999, and the Nokia C1 2nd Edition has a 2,500mAh battery, while the two Premio models have 3,000mAh batteries.

The following are nine of the cheapest 4G-capable phones available in South Africa, along with their cost and characteristics.

Hisense U963 — R699

Mobicel Neo — R699

Itel V51 — R749

Mobicel Force — R799

Mobicel Chrome — R799

Nokia C1 Second Edition — R999

Premio S82 — R999

Premio S84 — R999