There are quite a few smartphones out there to choose from, and at many different price points. So what, exactly, do you get for R6 000 that R1 500 can’t provide?

That’s what we set out to discover in this month’s Supertest, and we rounded up five smartphones from five different vendors costing between R1 499 and R6 000 to aid in our investigation.

We attempt to see if that extra money truly is worthwhile, or if using a cheaper phone is a viable alternative to coughing up bigger bucks.

On to the words!

Huawei Ascend P7

R5 999
How it’s good:

The P7 offers most of what people look for in a phone worth owning: it’s fast, it has a gorgeous hi-res screen that looks good no matter the angle, and the body is so thin and attractive it wouldn’t be out of place alongside a fashion catalogue. Great cameras and LTE connectivity round everything out, delivering a rock-solid phone that ticks almost all the right boxes.

How it’s not so good:

That price-tag isn’t in everyone’s budget, and Huawei’s EmotionUI overlay lacks some of vanilla Android’s polish and slickness.

Verdict:

The P7 is a pleasure to own and operate today, even a year after its release. It may not compete with the highest-end flagship phones anymore, but you get a lot of phone for the cash.

Primary Specs

Price: R5 999
Display: 5 inch, 1 080×1 920 resolution IPS LCD display (441 ppi)
Operating System: Android 4.4.2 with Emotion UI 2.3
Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 910T 1.8GHz quad core processor
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 16GB expandable by up to 64GB with microSD cards
Battery: 2500mAh non-removable
Camera: 13 megapixel rear, 8 megapixel front-facing
Networking: Dual band 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE

Rating: 4/5

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Acer Liquid Jade S

R4 199
How it’s good:

Being able to run two SIMs at the same time in a single phone and a pleasantly stylish look and feel are the Liquid Jade S’s greatest assets.

The fact that it has an LTE modem for quick connectivity is a plus; it also manages to perform well enough that everyday use is a pleasure for the most part, but it does stutter and stumble a bit when multi-tasking.

How it’s not so good:

Awful, noisy cameras let it down, as do the occasional instances of overheating during gaming which also drains the battery quite quickly.

Verdict: A solid phone, but not twice as solid as a phone that costs less than half as much.

Primary Specs

Price: R4 199
Display: 5-inch, IPS LCD capacitive 1280 x 720 (294ppi)
Operating System: Android 4.4.4
Processor: Octa-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage:  16GB with microSD support up to 32GB (uses SIM slot 2)
Battery:  2 300maH non-removable
Camera: 13MP primary, 5MP secondary
Networking: 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE

Rating: 3/5

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Microsoft Lumia 535

R1 800
How it’s good:*0

The 535 is Microsoft’s first Nokia-less Lumia and the first Windows phone to cost less than R2 000, and for the most part it’s fairly competent. The generous 5-inch screen responds well to touches and an LTE modem makes for some fast web-surfing, and the battery easily lasts a full day on a single charge.

How it’s not so good:

Unfortunately the 535 feels cheap top hold courtesy of its designers’ use of far too much plastic, and it’s unforgiveably sluggish doing pretty much anything. Windows 8.1 takes some getting used to, and while the screen is nice and big, it distorts badly at fairly shallow viewing angles.

Add to that cameras that let down Nokia’s hard-earned reputation as a brand for camera-phone enthusiasts, and you have a phone whose best asset is its sub-R2k price.

Verdict:

The 535 is okay if you like Windows but its sluggish performance, mediocre cameras and cheap-feeling build quality leave a lot to be desired.

Primary Specs

Price: R1 800
Display: 5 inch, 540×960 resolution IPS LCD display (220ppi)
Operating System: Windows Phone 8.1
Processor: 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
Memory: 1GB of RAM
Storage: 8GB expandable with a microSD card up to 32GB
Battery: 1 905mAh
Camera: 5 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front-facing camera
Networking: 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE
Rating: 2.5/5

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Vodafone Smart 4 Turbo

R1 499
How it’s good:

If it’s cheap and cheerful you’re looking for, look no further than Vodafone’s Smart4 Turbo. It boasts the kind of performance that belies its sub-R1 500 pricetag and a screen that you’ll need to look twice at before its budget origins are visible.

Add to that a battery that lasts all day and LTE connectivity for super-fast web-browsing, and you have a full-fledged smartphone that’s cheaper to buy – and more versatile – than a MiFi or a dedicated GPS.

Did we mention how cheap it is?

How it’s not so good:

With only 4GB of internal storage, you’ll definitely need a microSD card to accompany your purchase, and unfortunately with its 1GB of RAM and a much older Snapdragon processor, performance stutters on occasion.

And then there’s the low-res cameras, which are okay for selfies and the occasional snap at an informal event, but don’t expect to win any prizes for your efforts.

Verdict:

Despite a few gripes, the Smart4 Turbo is a surprisingly useable Android smartphone for less than R1 500 that could easily replace a far more expensive phone without leaving you feeling swindled.

Primary Specs

Price: R1 499
Display: 4.5 inch, 480 × 854 resolution LCD display (218ppi)
Operating System: Android 4.4.4
Processor: 1.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
Memory: 1GB of RAM
Storage: 4GB, expandable with a microSD card up to 32GB
Battery: 1 880mAh
Camera: 5 megapixel rear camera, VGA front-facing camera
Networking: 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE

Rating: 4.5/5

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Smartpoynt Android Phone

R1 710
How it’s good:

Local truly is lekker, as the Smartpoynt is the brainchild of a local company, Poynting Antennas. This particular phone performs even better than the Smart4 Turbo does, almost on par with the more-expensive Liquid Jade S meaning it really flies in response to finger-presses.

The 4.5-inch screen is quite nice at the price, too, although you can see pixels if you look close enough.

How it’s not so good:

The biggest compromise is the Smartpoynt’s lack of an LTE modem, so you won’t see any blistering internet downloads here. Instead, it uses GPRS for data. Yikes.

And then there’s its brick-like body, cheap-feeling plastic casing, limited internal storage and no extras like NFC compatibility, and the Smartpoynt’s 1.9MP and 5MP cameras really won’t capture anything more than basic imagery, all of which scream “Budget”, but not in a good way.

Overall:

The Smartpoynt’s excellent responsiveness makes it a pleasure to use for the everyday things expected of a smartphone, but the compromises are many, most notably its lack of LTE connectivity, its poor cameras and brick-like looks.

These detract from its overall appeal, making other – less pricy – phones a much more attractive prospect.

Primary Specs

Price: R1 710
Display: 4.5 inch, 540×960 resolution (240ppi) IPS LCD display
Operating System: Android 4.4.2+
Processor: 1.3GHz quad-core Mediatek MT6582 processor
Memory: 512MB
Storage: 4GB, expandable with a microSD card up to 32GB
Battery: 1 600mAh
Camera: 5 megapixel rear camera, 1.9MP front-facing camera
Networking: 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth

Rating: 2/5

Conclusion

After our testing it remains true that the more you spend the better the phone you get, but what we found most interesting is that these days, expensive phones are not always that much better that they’re worth the price premium.

The most notable trade-offs between phones that cost a lot and the cheap and cheerful entry-level ones were build and camera quality, general performance, internal storage and screen tech.

But cheaper phones are improving every day, and we found that at least one of the sub-R2k phones on test proved itself to be good enough to have us thinking twice about splurging on a pricier phone.

Our advice, then, is to give a cheaper phone a go, because finally we’re at the stage where even entry-level smartphones are good enough for everyday use without frustrating their users.