In last week’s column I tackled the thorny issue of data leakage, the growing tendency for mobile data to “disappear”, apparently without good reason.
I spoke to Vodacom’s Steven Barnwell who promised his company wasn’t stealing customers’ data and who pointed out that there are actually a variety of non-sinister explanations for this phenomenon.
One is that more people than ever are ditching their old-fashioned “feature phones” for data-hungry smartphones.
Ironically, it’s been Barnwell’s company more than any other cellular network which has encouraged this trend through the release of several low-priced, but good quality Vodacom-branded smartphones and tablets over the past year or so – although MTN should get some credit for getting the ball rolling with its budget Steppa smartphone in February 2014.
Now, Vodacom has upped the ante even further with the release of a new batch of smart mobile gadgets – three phones and a tablet.
The entry level device is the Vodacom Smart Grand, a 5-inch phone running Android 5.1 Lollipop and with a quad core 1.3GHz processor. You can get it for R1 099 prepaid or for R89 per month on a uChoose Flexi 55 contract. Prepaid customers will receive an additional 100MB data x 6 months. This data will be automatically allocated from October 15.
The second smartphone on offer is the Vodacom Smart Speed, a 4.5-inch device with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels and also running Android 5.1 Lollipop. It’s got a 5MP rear camera and you’ll be able to share your pics faster than with almost any other phone in this price bracket because it’ll connect to Vodacom’s high-speed LTE network.
Speaking of price, the Smart Speed will set you back just R1 299 or R99 per month on a uChoose Flexi 55 contract. Prepaid customers will receive an additional 500MB data x 3 months.
If you’re feeling a bit more flush, you should take a look at the Vodacom Smart Ultra 6. Clearly aimed at the mid range market, it runs Android 5.1, sports a 5.5-inch HD display with a 13MP rear facing camera and a 5MP front-facing “selfie” snapper.
The Smart Ultra costs R3 199 on prepaid or R199 per month on a uChoose Flexi 110 contract. Prepaid customers will get an additional 500MB data x 3 months.
Then there’s Vodacom’s new tablet, the Power Tab. It’s not the first own-brand tablet the company has sold, but it’s their first 10.1-inch slate. Like the new smartphones, it runs Android 5.1. The tablet also features 10 point multi-touch and will retail for R1 799 or R99 per month on the 250MB Data Price contract plan. Prepaid customers will receive an additional 200MB data x 6 months. As with the other data bundles, it will be automatically allocated from October 15.
Barnwell showed off all four devices briefly at a media conference in Durban recently and my initial impressions are very favourable. They look and feel well made and if their performance lives up to their specification sheets, they’ll be excellent value for money.
Watch this space for an in depth review once I have had a chance to properly test them out.
Other options
MTN Steppa 2
MTN set the own-brand ball rolling among South African cellular providers with its cheap and cheerful Steppa early last year. The Steppa 2 continues to fly the budget flag for MTN. At R599 on prepaid, it’s pretty much the cheapest smartphone going and a great deal when you consider you’re getting a 3G-capable phone with GPS navigation and a nifty fast battery charge feature.
Samsung Galaxy Trend Neo
If you’re looking for a smartphone with all the cachet of the Galaxy brand, but without the eye-watering price tag of Samsung’s high-end handsets, the Galaxy Trend Neo is a great choice.
With its bright, albeit not terribly high-resolution, 4-inch touchscreen, it’s a pretty classy looking device for the price, and not too shabby performance-wise either, thanks to its 1.2GHz processor. It has a 3MP camera and runs Android 4.4 (KitKat). Get it on contract from Cell C, starting at just R79 a month or for R1 099 prepaid from Pep stores.
ASUS Fonepad 7
If a 6-inch phone is too small for you, but a 10-inch tablet is a bit of a handful, the 7-inch Fonepad may be just what you’ve been looking for. Sure, there are several similarly-sized and priced tablets on the market.
Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper.