Cheap Phones

Cheap Phones in South Africa

A cheap phone is a new handset under R5000 that still carries a full one year warranty. As of October 2026 Smartphone Shop stocks them starting with 3GB and 64GB and running to 8GB and 128GB, and every one is dual SIM, network unlocked and ICASA approved.

The prices shown on the product cards above are live. They update as stock and exchange rates change, so what you see there is always the current price.

Search for a cheap phone in South Africa and most of what comes back is second hand. Pawn shop stock, classifieds listings, phones with no warranty and nobody to call when the screen goes. That is one way to spend the money, and it is not the only one.

Every phone on this page is new, sealed, dual SIM, network unlocked and ICASA approved, and every one carries a one year manufacturing warranty. Type approval is run by ICASA, South Africa's communications regulator, which keeps a public database of approved equipment. Smartphone Shop has sold online since 2010 and holds a 4.9 rating on Google. If a phone is not right when it arrives we arrange and pay for the courier to bring it back.

What Cheap Actually Buys You in 2026

A cheap phone in 2026 is a materially better product than one from three years ago, and the reason is memory.

Two years ago a budget handset meant 2GB or 3GB of memory, which is the thing that decides whether a phone feels quick or feels broken. Today the same money buys 4GB as standard and 8GB at the top of the budget range. That single change is why a cheap phone bought now still works properly in three years, where one bought in 2023 often did not last eighteen months.

What you get: a current handset, a one year warranty, 4G LTE, dual SIM, a camera that is good in daylight, and a battery that sees out a normal day.

What you do not get is 5G, a flagship camera, or the fastest processor on the market, and for most people that is a sensible trade rather than a compromise.

None of that is a compromise at this price. It is the price.

The one specification worth paying a little more for is storage. 64GB fills faster than people expect once photos and apps are on it, so if the difference between a 64GB and a 128GB handset is affordable, take the 128GB.

Cheap Phones That Are New Rather Than Second Hand

Buying a cheap phone second hand is where most of the money gets wasted, so it is worth being direct about it.

A used handset at the same price is usually one or two generations older, has an unknown battery, and carries no warranty. When it fails, and the battery is normally what fails, you buy again. A new phone at that price has a fresh battery, a year of cover, and a shop that answers the phone.

There is one exception worth naming. A certified pre-owned iPhone is not the same thing as a classifieds listing, because it has been independently tested and graded before it is sold. Ours sit in Pre-Owned iPhones, and the iPhone SE is the entry point if you would rather have an older iPhone than a new budget Android.

The Cheapest Phones We Sell

If you want one answer rather than a shortlist, it is the Redmi A7 Pro. It has the storage to last, it runs standard Android with the Google Play Store, and the earbuds in the box are worth having on their own.

Which Phone Can I Get for R1000, or for R600

Cheap phone buyers ask both of these constantly, so here is the straight answer rather than a sales one.

At R600 you are buying a basic feature phone, not a smartphone. It will call, text and last a week on a charge, and it will not run WhatsApp properly or hold your banking app.

At R1000 you are still below where a new smartphone with a warranty starts in South Africa, from us or from anyone else. What is advertised as a smartphone at that money is normally used, a very old model being cleared, or a contract deal where the real cost sits in the monthly payment.

The first point at which a new, current, warrantied smartphone becomes available is the Redmi A7 and the Honor X5c. If your budget is under that today, saving a few hundred rand more is the better decision than buying something that will not see out the year. Our piece on buying on credit covers the middle path if paying in one go is not realistic this month.

Cheap Phones by Price Band

Most people shopping for a cheap phone have a number in mind rather than a brand, so Smartphone Shop builds the pages that way.

Phones Under R3000 is where the best value in the range sits. Huawei Phones Under R3000 covers the Huawei side of that band and the app question that comes with it. Smartphones Under R5000 is the next step up, where screens get bigger and cameras get noticeably better.

Above R5000 you are into mid range, and the brand pages are the better starting point: Honor, Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, OPPO and Realme.

Dual SIM and Why Network Unlocked Matters

Every cheap phone we sell is dual SIM and network unlocked, and that combination saves people real money.

Most retailers sell network locked phones. The handset only works on the network that sold it, so moving means a new number or paying to have it unlocked. Ours work on Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell C the moment you open the box, and every one is ICASA approved.

Dual SIM is what turns that into savings. Keep your usual number on the first SIM. Put a second SIM in for data on whichever network is running the better deal that month. Cheaper data, same number, one phone. Every budget handset on this page takes two SIMs.

On a cheap phone this matters more than on an expensive one. Over two years the data bill is the bigger number, and two SIMs is how you bring it down.

Buying Outright Rather Than on Contract

A cheap phone bought outright is paid for, and it is yours. The same handset on a two year contract costs considerably more by the time it ends, and you are tied to one network for the duration, which cancels the dual SIM saving above.

Our piece on why buying upfront beats a contract runs the numbers properly. If you are buying several handsets for a business, a school or a team, bulk and wholesale orders is the page for that and the pricing works differently.

Buying Cheap Phones from an Independent Shop

Smartphone Shop has traded online since 2010 and holds a 4.9 rating on Google. We are not a network store and we are not a chain. That usually makes us cheaper, and it definitely makes us easier to reach. All our phones are network unlocked and ICASA approved, and every phone we sell carries a one year manufacturing warranty.

Some of our stock is global variant rather than local-badged. We say so on the product page where it applies, it is part of why the price is lower, and it carries the same one year warranty as everything else we sell.

Making a Cheap Phone Last

On a cheap phone the battery is almost always what decides when the handset is finished, not the screen and not the processor. Look after it and the phone lasts as long as an expensive one.

Our guide to charging your phone to save the battery is the most useful thing to read after buying one. The short version is to avoid running flat to zero and avoid leaving it at 100 percent on charge all night.

Worth reading too: our look at the Redmi 12C, which became the default budget phone in South Africa for good reason, and the Redmi Note 10 Pro, which shows what one band up buys you.

A case and a screen protector are worth having on a phone at this price, since a cracked screen costs a meaningful share of what the handset cost in the first place. Those sit in cellphone accessories. If the phone is going somewhere rough, Rugged Smartphones are built for it, Nokia covers the simpler handsets, and Tablets the bigger screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest but good phone?

The Xiaomi Redmi A7 Pro, with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage, and earbuds in the box. It is the point where a cheap phone stops feeling like a compromise. If you want the absolute cheapest new handset with a full warranty, that is the Redmi A7 or the Honor X5c, both of which are perfectly good for calls, WhatsApp, banking and a daylight camera.

Which phone can I get for R600?

A basic feature phone, not a smartphone. At that price you get calling, texting and a battery that lasts a week, but not a handset that will run WhatsApp and a banking app properly. If you need a smartphone, the entry point with a warranty is higher than that.

What phone can I get for R1000?

Not a new smartphone with a warranty, from us or anyone else in South Africa. What is advertised at that price is normally second hand, a very old model being cleared, or a contract where the real cost is monthly. Stretching to the Redmi A7 or Honor X5c gets you a current handset, a fresh battery and a year of cover.

Which is the best cheap phone to buy?

For most people, the Xiaomi Redmi A7 Pro. It has 128GB of storage, runs standard Android with the Google Play Store, and includes earbuds. The Huawei Nova Y72s is the better phone on paper with 8GB of memory, and is the right answer for anyone who does not rely on Google Maps or Gmail, because Huawei handsets sold here do not ship with the Google Play Store.

Are cheap phones any good?

A cheap phone in 2026 is a far better product than one from a few years ago, because memory has doubled at the same price. They will not take flagship photographs or run demanding games, and they do everything most people actually use a phone for. What we would not recommend is buying one second hand, because the battery wears and you cannot see its condition.

Do cheap phones work on South African networks?

Yes, and on any of them. Most retailers sell network locked phones, which ties you to one network and often means changing your number. Every phone we sell is network unlocked and ICASA approved, so you keep both. Our guide to 4G and 5G covers whether 5G is worth paying for where you live.

Do cheap phones come with a warranty?

Every phone Smartphone Shop sells carries a one year manufacturing warranty, global variant stock included. The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. It does not cover physical damage, liquid damage or unauthorised software changes. Full terms sit on our Returns and Refunds Policy page.

Why buy from an independent shop rather than a chain?

Smartphone Shop has traded online since 2010 and holds a 4.9 rating on Google. We are not a network store and we are not a chain, which usually makes us cheaper and definitely makes us easier to reach when something goes wrong.

How much is delivery and can I return it?

We deliver anywhere in South Africa and orders arrive within 1 to 4 working days. The delivery cost is shown at checkout before you pay. Returns are free, we arrange and pay for the courier, and the window is 7 business days.

Last updated: 22 October 2026