Share

Getting smart in the middle

Not in the market for a wallet-busting flagship smartphone but still want the cutting edge? Arthur Goldstuck names his best mid-range and lower-range smartphones of the year.

ONE OF THE great ironies of the smartphone industry is that buying the “best” handset in the world is not necessarily the smartest purchasing decision you can make.

If you can afford to pay between R8 000 and R10 500 for a phone without blinking, its no problem. Or, for that matter, between R350 and R450 a month on contract. The truth of that matter, however, is that numerous phones, that are almost as good, allow you to slash the price tag by between a third and a half.

For that reason, it doesn’t tell the full story if we only anoint the best smartphones in the world, selected from the flagship devices of the major manufacturers. We also need to look at the mid-range and low-end to see where the best value is to be found.

Here, then, is a personal perspective on the best value-for-money smartphones in the local market, divided between mid-range and low-end devices.

Mid-range Smartphones of the Year

1. Huawei Ascend P6: best-known for being the slimmest smartphone in the world, at 6.18mm. It also happens to have double the battery of the flagships, and is available at between R5 000 and R6 000.

2. Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra: Held the distinction of thinnest smartphone before the P6 arrived on the scene, measuring 6.45mm. It feels great in the hand, and even greater in the wallet, at around R5 000.

3. Sony Xperia V: One of the most powerful mid-range phones on the market, with a 1.5GHz processor, waterproof, dustproof, 13 megapixel camera, and a R5 500 pricetag. The 4.3'' display is the only factor that keeps it out of the top spot.

4. Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini: not quite a scaled down version of the S4, the Mini is intended to provide Samsung with a lower-cost option in cutting edge smartphones. Starting at around R4 800, it is the wannabe smartphone of the year.

5. BlackBerry Z10: Six months ago, this would have been one of the high-end phones. But marketing blunders by BlackBerry internationally (“oops, maybe we should have treated the USA as a priority market after all”) meant they had to offload these at firesale prices. You can’t go wrong at R3 700.

6. Nokia Lumia 625: A great Windows phone at R3 500.

Lower-range Smartphones of the Year

Three phones dominate the smartphone lower-range in South Africa (for entry-level options, see The best non-smart phones you never noticed: The Samsung Galaxy Pocket from 2012, this year’s Nokia Lumia 520 and the BlackBerry Curve – both the older 9320 and the new 9720. But the value winner chooses itself:

1. Nokia Lumia 520: On one day in early December, DionWired offered this on a special at R1 000. This was evidence that even hardnosed retailers sometimes lose their minds. At its normal price of about R1 900, it is the best introduction yet to the Windows Phone operating system at a price that won’t leave buyers with many regrets. Offers the main features of both the Lumia range and Windows on a phone.

2. Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus: an update both in hardware specs and Android functionality, its R1 050 price makes it a great back-up phone for high-end users and a good first-time smartphone for upgraders.

3. Nokia Asha 311: Using the old Nokia S40 operating system, members of the Asha range are usually not regarded as smartphones, but the high-end devices are almost as open to the world of apps as any Android. The 311 touch phone recalls the Meego operating system that only ever appeared on the much-missed Nokia N9, but at a fraction of the price. At R1 100, it’s a no-brainer.

* Arthur Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee.


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders