5 tall-screen smartphones you can get in SA (that are not flagships)

Tall screens have joined dual cameras as being one of the most popular smartphone trends right now. And much like two cameras, we’re seeing these screens filter down to cheaper devices.

Which lesser known devices with tall displays are available in South Africa though? Let’s take a look.

LG Q6

Probably the first budget smartphone with a tall display in the country, the LG Q6 features a rather slick, pocket-friendly design. And it still packs a 5.5-inch, 18:9 display (2160×1080).

The device is solid in terms of basic specs, offering a budget-minded Snapdragon 435 chip, 3GB of RAM, a 3000mAh battery and 32GB of expandable storage. But the lack of a fingerprint scanner is disappointing, using less secure facial unlocking instead.

At the time of its launch, LG said the device would retail for between R6000 and R7500 (Takealot stocks the device for R6000). Either way, you’re getting a smartwatch as well.

Huawei P Smart

The latest tall-screen smartphone in South Africa, the Huawei P Smart might just be the best value for money phone on the market.

There’s a mid-level Kirin 659 chipset, 3GB RAM/32GB or 4GB RAM/64GB variants and a 3000mAh battery. But it also packs a rear fingerprint scanner and a 13MP+2MP dual camera combo — all for R3999.

As for the screen itself, you’re looking at a 5.65-inch 2160×1080 display, with an 18:9 screen ratio.

Samsung Galaxy A8 2018

At over R9000, you could get a cheaper flagship device, or you could get the 2018 Samsung Galaxy A8. Opt for the Samsung and you’re getting a fair amount of bang for your buck.

There’s an IP68 water and dust resistant design, dual front cameras, and a 16MP f/1.7 main camera. Otherwise, you’re also getting a relatively beefy Exynos 7885 chipset, 4GB of RAM and a dual-selfie camera setup (8MP+16MP).

When it comes to the screen department, we’re looking at a 5.6-inch 2220×1080 display of the OLED variety. Nice. Still, you could buy two P Smarts for that price.

Mobicel R9 Plus

Local smartphone brand Mobicel has also jumped on the tall display bandwagon recently, launching the R9 Plus. And it seems like a solid device for the price (R3000).

There’s a non-descript 1.4Ghz octacore processor (presumably a lower end Snapdragon 415 or MT6750 type of chip), 3GB of RAM, a 3000mAh battery, rear fingerprint scanner and 32GB of expandable storage. It also seems to have some good photography chops, offering a 16MP main camera and a 20MP+8MP dual selfie camera pairing.

As for the all-important tall screen? You’ve got a 5.7-inch 1440×720 display. So it’s not the most pixel-dense display around, but it’ll get the job done.

Mobicel R9 Lite

Spend R2000 and you can get the cheaper R9 Lite model, packing the same 5.7-inch 1440×720 display but making cuts elsewhere.

The Lite model sees a quad-core budget chipset instead of octacore, less RAM (2GB) and less storage (16GB). We also see a single 16MP selfie shooter (instead of a 20MP+8MP layout) and a 13MP main camera (instead of 16MP).

Nevertheless, the presence of a 2900mAh battery and rear fingerprint scanner is appreciated at this price point.