Black Friday is Friday 27 November 2026, with Cyber Monday on 30 November. Every network will call its offers deals. Whether one is a deal depends on what you compare it with, and the networks don't show you each other's prices.
We do. Before any sale has started, the same phone, with the same storage and the same contract length, already costs up to R 10 800 more at one network than at another. A Black Friday discount from the dearer network can still leave you paying more than the other network's ordinary price.
Prices checked 29 October 2026. We read the whole live catalogue of Vodacom, MTN and Cell C, and Telkom's online shop, that day. Every figure below is the network's own published price for new customers. The totals are our arithmetic: the monthly price times the number of months.
The same phone, thousands of rand apart
This is the lowest monthly price each network lists for the 256GB model on a 36-month contract, with the total over the contract and the data on that plan.
| Phone, 256GB, 36 months | Vodacom | MTN | Cell C | Telkom | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone Duo | R 1 999 (R 71 964, 5GB) | - | - | R 1 699 (R 61 164, 6GB) | R 10 800 |
| iPhone 17 Pro | R 1 249 (R 44 964, 5GB) | - | R 1 149 (R 41 364, 3GB) | R 979 (R 35 244, 6GB) | R 9 720 |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | R 1 249 (R 44 964, 5GB) | - | R 1 149 (R 41 364, 3GB) | R 1 099 (R 39 564, 4GB) | R 5 400 |
| Galaxy A37 | R 429 (R 15 444, 1GB) | R 399 (R 14 364, 1GB) | R 349 (R 12 564, 1.5GB) | - | R 2 880 |
The gap is the difference between the cheapest and dearest total. A dash means we hold no price open to new customers for that phone at that network, not that the network doesn't sell it. MTN's iPhone 17 Pro is listed only for upgrades in our data, and Telkom's Galaxy A37 (R 399) has no storage size recorded, so neither is in the comparison. Telkom's R 979 iPhone 17 Pro price is an online exclusive, bought through telkom.co.za.
Say the dearer network takes R 200 a month off the iPhone Duo for Black Friday. That's R 7 200 off over 36 months, and it would still cost R 3 600 more than Telkom's price today.
The lowest monthly price can be the most expensive contract
Black Friday adverts lead with the monthly figure. The longer the contract, the lower that figure looks, and the more you pay in total. This is the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro on one Vodacom plan, RED Core 5GB Limitless, at three lengths:
| Contract | Monthly | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 24 months | R 1 699 | R 40 776 |
| 36 months | R 1 249 | R 44 964 |
| 48 months | R 1 099 | R 52 752 |
The lowest monthly price costs R 11 976 more than the 24-month contract. The 256GB Galaxy S26 Ultra on the same plan is worse: R 40 776 over 24 months against R 55 152 over 48, a difference of R 14 376. The only way to see this is to multiply out each one, which our results page does for you.
Cheaper can also mean more data
A higher price doesn't buy more. Telkom's 36-month iPhone 17 Pro deal is R 979 a month with 6GB of data. Cell C's lowest is R 1 149 with 3GB. That's R 170 a month less for twice the data, or R 6 120 less over the contract.
Too many deals to check by hand
On 29 October we held 4 444 live phone deals on 99 phones across the four networks. Vodacom alone listed 2 810 deals on 75 phones, then MTN 664, Telkom 510 and Cell C 460. Each phone comes in several storage sizes, on a dozen or more plans, over 24, 36 and sometimes 48 months, and each network names and structures its plans differently. Nobody compares that on four separate websites in a lunch break.
It is also easy to compare the wrong things. On the same day, 3 842 of Vodacom's listings were accessory bundles or multi-packs, such as a phone sold with a watch, earbuds, a tablet or a router, or two phones in one deal (948 of them). A bundle's price isn't the price of the phone, so we keep bundles out of the comparison and compare the phone on its own.
What a Black Friday offer can hide
- A "was" price you can't check. "Was R 1 299, now R 1 149" says nothing if R 1 149 is already the price elsewhere. Cell C's iPhone 17 Pro has been R 1 149 a month since at least 1 October.
- Extras instead of a lower price. A free accessory, a voucher or a few months of double data is not a lower monthly price. Read is the free phone really free for how to value them.
- Offers that aren't for you. Some prices are only for existing customers upgrading. In our data, MTN's iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro and Galaxy S26 are listed only as Upgrade Only. We keep those separate from prices open to everyone.
- Once-off fees. Telkom's in-store FlexOn 6 plan has a once-off R 99 activation fee; its online-exclusive prices have none. Small, but it belongs in the total.
- A longer contract. A 48-month price next to a 36-month one isn't a discount, as the table above shows.
How to compare on Vulo in a few minutes
- Find the phone. Search on the cellphone contracts page, or open the list of phone deals.
- Pick the contract length you want: 24 or 36 months, or 48 at Vodacom.
- Sort by lowest total cost, not lowest monthly price.
- Narrow it by network or by the most you want to pay a month.
- Tick two deals to compare them side by side, including data, minutes and total cost.
- Check the date. Every price shows when we read it from the network. In a sale, a price from last week can already be out of date.
Already on a contract? The switch-cost calculator works out whether leaving early for a Black Friday deal saves you anything once you count what you still owe. See also cancelling a contract early.
We earn nothing from your choice. Vulo takes no commission, no referral fees and no paid placement from any network, so no network can pay to be listed higher. The order you see is the order of the numbers.
What we will do during Black Friday
We'll keep reading each network's whole catalogue through November and into December, and update our phone listings when a price moves. A Black Friday price then appears next to every other network's price for the same phone, with the date we read it. For the headline phones before the sales start, see the Black Friday 2026 prices to beat. For how a contract's total adds up, see our total-cost guide.
What to watch for
- These are prices from 29 October, not Black Friday prices. We haven't seen a Black Friday offer on any network yet.
- Plans aren't identical. The cheapest deal can come with less data, so check the allowance, not just the price.
- We compare deals open to new customers. Upgrade-only and existing-customer prices are kept separate.
- Prices change. Check the figure on the day you sign.
Compare phone contracts on Vulo →
Sources. Each network's own live catalogue: Vodacom, MTN and Cell C read on 29 October 2026, and Telkom's online shop the same day. Only deals open to new customers are compared. Totals and differences are our own arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
- Why should I compare phone contract deals on Black Friday?
- Because the networks charge very different amounts for the same phone before any sale starts. On 29 October 2026 the 256GB iPhone Duo was R 1 699 a month over 36 months at Telkom (R 61 164) and R 1 999 at Vodacom (R 71 964): R 10 800 apart. A Black Friday discount at the dearer network can still leave it above the other network's ordinary price.
- Is the lowest monthly price the cheapest phone contract?
- Not always. On Vodacom's RED Core 5GB Limitless plan the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro is R 1 699 a month over 24 months (R 40 776 in total) and R 1 099 a month over 48 months (R 52 752). The lowest monthly price costs R 11 976 more in total.
- How do I compare Black Friday phone deals on Vulo?
- Open Vulo's cellphone contracts page and search for the phone. Choose the contract length, sort by lowest total cost and narrow it by network or monthly budget. Tick two deals to see them side by side. Every price shows the date we read it from the network.
- Does Vulo get paid by the networks?
- No. Vulo takes no commission, no referral fees and no paid placement from any network, so no network can pay to appear higher in the list. Prices come from each network's own published catalogue.
- When is Black Friday 2026 in South Africa?
- Black Friday is Friday 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November. Networks often start offers earlier in November, so check prices against today's figures as soon as an offer appears.
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