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Phablets in SA carry hefty price tags

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 08 Oct 2015
The Samsung Note 5 was officially launched in South Africa last night, and is available at R14 579 from Vodacom.
The Samsung Note 5 was officially launched in South Africa last night, and is available at R14 579 from Vodacom.

The latest (and largest) phablets are priced between R11 000 and R15 000, an expensive option in SA.

Aimed at multi-tasking business men and women, phablets have lasted longer than the critics predicted when the first generation Samsung Note came out in 2011.

The newest phablet option in SA is the Samsung Note 5, which was officially launched in Johannesburg last night.

"At Samsung, we believed in the promise that large screen smartphones could actively address some consumer needs by providing users with a better viewing experience and more productivity on-the-go," said Craige Fleischer, director of integrated mobility at Samsung SA, at the event.

The Note 5 is priced at R14 579 (32GB) from Vodacom.

Apple's iPhone 6S Plus will be available for purchase in South Africa next week from Vodacom and MTN. However, no official pricing has been released.

Last year's model, the iPhone 6 Plus (64GB) is available for R14 299 from the Apple iStore. It is available as a grey import from Takealot for R18 899 (64GB).

Chinese company Huawei announced yesterday that its phablet, the Mate S, will cost R11 969 from Vodacom.

The Galaxy Note 5's specifications are:

OS Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
Network LTE Cat.9 / LTE Cat.6 * May differ by markets and mobile operators
Dimension 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, 171g
AP Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64-bit, 14nm process
Memory 4GB RAM (LPDDR4), 32/64GB (UFS 2.0)
Display 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED, 2560 x 1440 (518ppi)
Camera Rear: 16MP OIS (F1.9); Front: 5MP (F1.9)
Battery 3 000mAh, fast charging both on wired and wireless
Connectivity WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO(2x2), Bluetooth v4.2 LE, ANT+, USB 2.0
Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, RGB light, geo-magnetic, gyro, fingerprint

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