Data is expensive in South Africa, and dual-SIM phones are becoming increasingly popular as a way to hotspot to your main device. After being approached by a family member about what options are out there, I decided to turn it into a blog post on what is available in South Africa.

Image credit: Shutterstock

If you follow what’s going on with the network operators, you will know that you cannot buy a dual-SIM phone from Vodacom or MTN. You’d have to get it elsewhere. I’ve found some options to suit various budgets, or something to consider switching to as a primary device.

I’ve chosen to go with brands I’ve been exposed to, vs. random cheap ones I’ve never heard of. The prices are linked to the sites you can purchase from.

UNDER R2000

HiSense U962 (2019) – R799
This 5″ handset runs off a quad-core 1.2Ghz processor, has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, an 8MP camera and a 2000mAh battery. Runs on Android 6 Marshmallow.

Samsung A2 Core DS – R1499
Powered by Android Go (lite version of Android), it’s a 5″ device running on an octa-core 1.6Ghz chip, 1GB of RAM, 8GB storage (expandable up to 256GB), and 5MP + 5MP camera. 

Huawei Y5 Lite – R1699
The Y5 Lite has a 5.45″ screen, quad-core Mediatek processor with 1GB RAM, 16GM storage (expandable up to 256GB), 8MP main camera, 5MP selfie-cam, LTE, 3020mAh battery.

Xiaomi Redmi 8A – R1999
The 8A has a 6.22″ display, Snapdragon 439 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB storage (exp 256GB), 12MP main camera, 8MP selfie-cam, 5000mAh battery.

UNDER R5000

Huawei Y6 (2019) – R2499
The Y6 has a 6″ dew-drop display, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable 512GB), 13MP rear camera, 8MP selfie-cam, and a 3020mAh battery.

Xiaomi Redmi 8 – R2599
The Redmi 8 has a 6.21″ display, Snapdragon 439 chip, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage (exp 1TB), 12MP main camera, 8MP selfie-cam, 5000mAh battery.

Nokia 6.2 – R3899
The Nokia 6.2 (Android 9) has 6.3″ display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, runs on a Qualcomm SDM636 chip, triple rear cameras (16+8+5MP), a 8MP selfie-cam and 3500mAh battery.

Sony Xperia XA1 – R4035
The XA1 has a 6″ display, supports LTE-A, 4GB of RAM, 32GB storage, has a 23MP main camera and a 16MP selfie-cam with 88-degree lenses.

Samsung Galaxy A30 – R4199
The A30 has a 6.4″ Infinity-U display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, a dual rear-camera with 123-degree ultra wide lens (16+5MP), 16MP selfie-cam, and 4000mAh battery.

HiSense Infinity H12 – R4599
The H12 has a 6.19″ display, runs on an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB storage (exp 128GB), dual rear-cameras (12+5MP), 16MP selfie-cam, and 3500mAh battery.

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 – R4999
The Y9 Prime has a 6.59″ display, Kirin 710F chip, 4GB RAM, 65GB storage (exp 1TB), triple rear-camera (16+8+2MP), unique pop-up 16MP selfie cam, fingerprint sensor, 4000mAh battery.

UNDER R10 000

Samsung Galaxy A30S – R5099
The A30S has a 6.4″ display, runs on Exynos 7904 octa-core chip, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, triple rear-camera (25+8+5MP), 16MP selfie-cam, fingerprint sensor, 4000mAh battery.

Huawei P30 Lite – R5499
The P30 Lite has a 6.15″ display, Octa-core Kirin 710 chip, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage (exp 512GB), triple rear-camera (24+8+2MP), 32MP selfie-cam, fingerprint sensor, and 3340mAh battery.

Nokia 7.2 – R5999
The Nokia 7.2 has a 6.3″ display, 6GB of RAM, 128GB storage (exp 512GB), triple rear-cameras (48+8+5MP), 20MP selfie-cam, and 3500mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy A50 – R6449
The A50 has a 6.4″ display, Octa-core Exynos 9610 chip, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage (exp 512GB), triple rear-camera (25+8+5MP), 25MP selfie, fingerprint sensor, and 4000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy A70 – R7499
The A70 has a 6.7″ display, Snapdragon 675 chip, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (exp 1TB), triple rear-cameras (32+8+5MP), 32MP selfie-cam, fingerprint sensor, and 4500mAh battery.

Huawei P20 – R7999
The P20 has a 5.8″ display, Kirin 970 chip, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage, dual rear-camera (20+12MP), 24MP selfie-cam, fingerprint sensor, and 3400mAh battery.

Anything above these price points of up to R20 000 are basically Samsung and Huawei options (Huawei P30 and Samsung Galaxy A80, S10, Note 10).