It would be easy to assume that the favourite phone among South Africans was Samsung or Huawei or even Apple.
MTN and Vodacom, the two most popular mobile networks in South Africa, conducted a poll, factoring in affordability and defining features.
The results show that the Hisense U961 – priced at an affordable R999 – is the most widely used phone in South Africa.
It is followed by the Mobicel Rebel, Mobicel Astro, and a few other smartphones brands, all of which cost more than R1000
Deciding factors among South Africans
Affordability
Local smartphone brands’ shipments in South Africa grew 33% year-on-year in 2018, with Mobicel being the leading contributor, showing that Mobicel is the fastest-growing affordable smartphone.
Defining Features
Other than being affordable, people taking the poll also factored in what their phones would be used for. Our most popular activities are as follows:
- Making calls – 59%
- Receiving calls – 44%
- Accessing the internet – 40%
- Accessing applications – 21%.
While high-end smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone dominate the news, more affordable smartphones dominate sales in South Africa.