2021 was a bumper year for phones, and we reviewed plenty of them over the past 12 months. Yes, there was a global issue with component shortages and supply chains, but in general, getting your hands on a solid all-around smartphone was fairly easy in 2021.

While this was good news for South African consumers, it also meant that the margins between devices and truly stellar options became harder to pick.

That said, there were some notable standouts over the course of 2021, and we have selected three for you to look at below, with one from the entry-level, mid-range and flagship brackets.

You will also notice that there is no iPhone listed below, with pricing of Apple hardware simply untenable when you’re talking about value for money. They are good devices, but simply too expensive to warrant a place on this particular list.

So, with that out of the way, here are our three picks, all of which are phones we have reviewed in 2021.

TECNO Spark 7 Pro

We start things off in the entry-level space and a mobile brand that is fairly new to us in the form of TECNO and the Spark 7 Pro.

This device retails for R3 499 (RRP), which is on the slightly pricier side of the entry-level market we will concede, but when you go to the sub-R2k category, the compromises are simply too difficult to live with long term.

On the Spark 7 Pro, there does not feel like there is much compromise. In our review, we noted that it could use a little more processing power, but upon reflection, perhaps we were a little harsh in that respect.

If you are willing to take a gamble on a relatively new brand to SA, the Spark 7 Pro is worth considering.

Samsung Galaxy A32s 5G

Next is a phone that scores high across the board and is well worth its R8 999 asking price – the Samsung Galaxy A32s 5G.

We gave this device a nine out of 10 for one simple reason, it does everything you need from a modern smartphone solidly, along with being an extremely polished all-around device. It is something that we have noted whenever reviewing Samsung’s Galaxy A series, and the same rings true here.

As much as we don’t like the marketing campaign Samsung uses for this lineup, we have to admit that the A32s 5G has an awesome screen, awesome camera and long lasting battery life.

The fact that it supports 5G too, also means it will last you for a few years too and should not warrant an unnecessary upgrade.

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— Samsung Mobile SA (@SamsungMobileSA) December 21, 2021

Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G

Rounding up out trio of picks is the Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G. We had predicted when launched in South Africa in November that this might be the best value for money flagship phone in SA for 2021, and when we reviewed it earlier this month, it lived up to the billing.

It has a vivid and large display, well specced array of lenses for photography and a powerful chipset that keeps things ticking along speedily.

The best part though, is that all of this costs R13 999 (RRP) and while we know that is still a lot of money, phones on the market that deliver a comparable experience cost closer to the R20k mark.

If you are going to buy an Android flagship phone in 2021, it needs to be this one.