Best Smartphone Ideas for South African Students

In this article, we talk bout the best smartphone ideas for South African students.

It’s the year 2022, and the mobile phone has become more of an essential device than a luxury in our daily functions. The days of students limiting their knowledge amassment to the classroom and textbooks are long gone thanks to the internet and the internet-enabled mobile devices.

There are a few details that students look for before buying a mobile phone. One of the most crucial aspects is getting a durable and not too expensive one. Students likewise tend to go for a mobile phone that has a longer battery life, large storage, better performance, and a great camera. Below are our best smartphone picks for South African students.

These phones we have listed are very affordable, not too flashy (except if you want some flashy smartphone devices), and okay to use as a student.

Best Smartphone Ideas for South African Students

Here are our best picks over the best smartphone ideas for South African students.

Oneplus 7T

The OnePlus 7T smartphone is the proper upgrade to the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro and it fills the gap that was left between its predecessors. The OnePlus 7T possesses a 90Hz ‘Fluid AMOLED’ display and a taller 20:9 display, increasing its screen-to-body ratio. The 7T has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.0 storage on the base model.

The 7T has an ultra-wide and telephoto camera setup with high resolution and a bright f/2.2 aperture. It also has a 100mAh bump in battery size and it supports the OnePlus Warp Charge 30w unlike the previous-gen 20W.OnePlus 7T can be bought in South Africa for a price of R 10995.

OnePlus 7T specs:

• Body: 160.94 x 74.44 x 8.13 mm, 190g, 3D Gorilla Glass frosted backside,
• Screen: 6.55″ Fluid AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 px, 20:9 aspect ratio; 402ppi,
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+; Octa-core (1×2.96 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.78 GHz Kryo 485); Adreno 640,
• Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 dual-lane storage,
• OS: OxygenOS based on Android 10,
• Rear cameras: Main: Sony IMX586 48MP (f/1.6) 0.8µm pixel size, PDAF, OIS, EIS; Telephoto: 12MP (f/2.2) 1.0µm pixels; Ultra-wide: 16MP (f2.2) 117-degree field of view,
• Front camera: Sony IMX471 16MP, 1.0µm pixel size,
• Battery: 3,800 mAh battery, Warp Charge 30W,
• Misc: Alert slider, stereo loudspeakers, NFC, in-display fingerprint scanner, USB-C 3.1 port.

Redmi Note 9 Pro

The Redmi Note 9 Pro, like other Redmi products before it, is pretty solid and less costly. It has a large screen that offers HDR10 support and an elegant multi-camera setup, with the latest Android with MIUI. The Redmi Note 9 also has the P2i nano-coating, a water-repellent coating against high humidity.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro is estimated to be sold at R 3,865.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro specs

• Body: Plastic frame, Gorilla Glass 5 front and back, splash-proof, 165.8×76.7×8.8 mm, 209g.
• Display: 6.67″ IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi, HDR10.
• Rear cameras: Primary: 64MP, f/1.9 aperture, 1/2.72″ sensor size, 0.8µm pixel size, PDAF. Ultrawide: 8MP, f/2.2, 1/4″, 1.12µm pixels. Macro: 5MP, f/2.4, 1.12µm, AF. Depth sensor: 2MP; 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps video recording, EIS.
• Front camera: 16MP, f/2.5 aperture, 1.0µm pixels. 1080p/30fps video recording.
• OS: Android 10; MIUI 11.
• Chipset: Snapdragon 720G (8nm): Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver), Adreno 618 GPU.
• Memory: 6GB of RAM; 64/128GB UFS 2.1 storage; dedicated microSD slot.
• Battery: 5,020mAh; 30W fast charging.
• Connectivity: LTE-A; USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0; FM radio; IR blaster.
• Misc: Side-mounted fingerprint reader; 3.5mm audio jack.

Poco X3 Pro

The Poco X3 Pro is an improvement to the previously released Poco X3 NFC. Like most upgrades, it has much better hardware and it is the first to run on the Snapdragon 860 SoC, a repackaged edition of the flagship Snapdragon 855+ chip.

Rated IP53 for splash resistance and dust protection, the Poco X3 Pro has a 6.67 IPS LCD screen including a 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate support. It is also packaged with a stereo speaker, micro SD slot, a 3.5mm jack, and a 5,160mAh with the ability of 33W fast charging.

The Poco X3 Pro is valued to be sold at around R 5,000.

Poco X3 Pro specs

• Body: 165.3×76.8×9.4mm, 215g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), plastic frame, plastic back; IP53, dust and splash protection.
• Display: 6.67″ IPS LCD, 120Hz, HDR10, 450 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi; 240Hz touch sampling.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 (7 nm): Octa-core (1×2.96 GHz Kryo 485 Prime + 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 Gold + 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 485 Silver); Adreno 640.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12, Poco launcher.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultrawide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.4″, 0.8µm.
• Battery: 5160mAh; Fast charging 33W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; NFC; Stereo speakers; 3.5mm jack.

Samsung Galaxy A03s

The Samsung Galaxy A03s is one of the cheapest Samsung-made phones. With a large 6.5-inch LCD screen, an extensive 720p resolution, and a 5,000mAh large battery. It also has a 13MP primary snapper camera setup and a 2MP macro cam.

Samsung Galaxy A03s does not come with splash protection or stereo speakers. But it is equipped with a fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm jack, and a micro SD slot.

You should be able to get the Samsung Galaxy A03s at the estimated price of R 3,000.

Samsung Galaxy A03s specs

• Body: 164.2×75.9×9.1mm, 196g; glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
• Display: 6.50″ PLS LCD, 720x1600px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 270ppi.
• Memory: 32GB 3GB RAM, 32GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM; eMMC 5.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
• OS/Software: Android 11, One UI 3.1 Core.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 13 MP, f/2.2, AF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 7.8W charger.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; 3.5mm jack.

Conclusion

These phones as you can see are very budget-friendly. That’s the whole point of the entire article. We did our research which covered and it was based on these parameters;

• Prices: We were hunting for budget-friendly smartphones and the reason is that we understand that most people reading this article are students and not working full time at the very least.
• Quality: The most important factor in any phone is quality. These are some of the things we took into account and looked at the specifications.

Take your pick and enjoy.