It’s easy to feel the pressure of having to keep up with the latest and most expensive smartphones. But, with the cost of living rising in South Africa every few months — shoppers are leaning more towards budget phones with similar features to the latest iPhone or Android.

Many entry-level and mid-range smartphones have impressive cameras, battery life, display specs and more! Mobile Store gives the scoop on the top budget phones so you can get shopping!

The best budget phones for Apple, Samsung and Huawei.

Apple iPhone SE 2020

This device made its debut in 2016 forming part of Apple’s 9th generation release - as a budget-friendly phone for consumers. Then, it was re-released in 2020 — with an improved design, better battery life and competitive camera features.

The iPhone SE 2020 was released at the same time as the iPhone 11 series and, although the iPhone SE doesn’t have some of the high-end features of the more recently released iPhones, it's still a great buy.

iPhone SE top specs:

Screen: 4.7inch (diagonal) all-screen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology

Display: 1334x750pixel resolution with 326 ppi (pixels per inch)

Camera: 12MP wide-angle camera; 7MP camera selfie camera

Video: 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps, 720p HD video recording at 30 fps

Battery: 1,821 mAh, video playback up to 10 hours, audio playback up to 40 hours

Dimensions: Weight: 148 grams, height: 13.8cm, length: 6.7cm, width: 0.73cm

Capacity options: 64 or 128 GB of space

Samsung Galaxy A32

The Samsung Galaxy A32 has many of the top features of Samsung’s premium range. This includes a triple-lens camera system with up to 64 megapixels.

The nifty camera also has the coveted ultra-wide-angle lens — with a 123-degree field-of-view and the much-loved depth camera also known as “portrait mode” — adopted first from the Apple iPhone 8 Plus.

Buying the Samsung Galaxy A32 in cash costs around R4,999. Seems a little steep? It is much more affordable on contract.

You can get the Galaxy A32, ranging from R255 to R355 per month, right here on Mobile Store.

Samsung A32 top specs:

Screen: 6.4inch (diagonal) Super AMOLED

Display: 1080x2400pixel resolution with 411 ppi (pixels per inch)

Camera: 64-megapixel wide-angle camera; 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, 5-megapixel macro lens and 5-megapixel depth lens

Video: 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps

Battery: 5,000 mAh, up to 2 days of battery life

Dimensions: Weight: 184 grams, height: 15.8cm, length: 7.3cm, width: 0.84cm

Capacity options: 64 or 128 GB of space

Huawei P Smart 2021

The Huawei P Smart 2021 comes with a quadruple-lens camera system with up to 48 megapixels. The power button on the side is also built to recognize your fingerprint and used to wake your phone from sleep mode — or turn it on altogether.

The P Smart comes with a 22.5 W charger, which is stronger than most chargers given with entry-level phones. This means your P Smart will charge your battery lightening-faster than usual.

Another feature that’s unique to Huawei phones is the Smart Screenshot: Simply knock on your screen twice with your knuckle — and that will trigger your phone to activate a screenshot. Cool, right?

Huawei P Smart top specs:

Screen: 6.6inch (diagonal) Super AMOLED

Display: 1080x2400pixel resolution with 395 ppi (pixels per inch)

Camera: 48-megapixel wide-angle camera; 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, 8-megapixel macro lens and 2-megapixel depth lens

Video: 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps

Battery: 5,000 mAh, up to 2 days of battery life

Dimensions: Weight: 184 grams, height: 16.5cm, length: 7.6cm, width: 0.93cm

Capacity options: 128 GB of space

When shopping for a budget phone, look out for these top features.

Battery life

When looking for a budget phone, you will ultimately have to sacrifice some of the frilly features in favour of the specs that you will use daily.

One feature that shouldn't be compromised on is battery life. Whether or not you use your phone for work or personal use — how long your battery lasts counts. Look for a phone that offers 3,100 mAh or more. Anything less will leave you frequently charging your phone, and frustrated.

Screen strength

Two things worth investing in is a cover and screen protector. iPhones and most Android smartphones come with screen protectors built in, which is great for anyone keeping to a budget.

When doing research on a phone, try to make sure you’re getting a device with Corning Gorilla Glass. It’s the ultimate choice when it comes to screen protectors, and with their patented chemically-enhanced glass, you’ll be able to drop your phone at least once a week without any worries. It’s that strong!

Processing chip

Having a slow phone is just as painful as dealing with slow internet, this is why even a budget phone should have a decent processing chip. A chipset is in charge of processing graphics and computing all actions and instructions. Thousands, maybe even millions, are performed every second.

In fact, Apple’s A15 Bionic chip processes 15.8 trillion actions per second!

Apple has set the standard when it comes to processing chips, but don’t be too quick to underestimate Android’s technology.

Budget-friendly phones and more on Mobile Store.

Whether you're looking for an Android device at just the right price, or you're a die hard Apple user - you should be able to find everything you need in a smartphone while sticking to a budget. Check out these great devices and tips when choosing the best budget phone for you.

Shop budget phones online with Mobile Store!

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