Phones used in South African projects

I need to get low-cost Android phones or tablets working with CommCare. Which phones are currently being used in SA?

I've already looked at these links:

My supplier doesn't seem to be able to obtain many of the low-cost recommended devices.

Any device suggestions for SA users?

Hi Andre -

Here are a few different phones and tablets that have been used by in projects we work on in South Africa that are on the cheaper side (it is possible you could find cheaper prices with more in depth searching or through vendors you have access to). These are all devices that have been used in a project or tested by a member of the Dimagi team in South Africa -

Phones:

Tablets:

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab A
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab E
  • Lenovo Tab 3 Essential (NOTE: This device did not perform great against applications with large quantities of cases and complex case management, but it could be suitable depending on your projects needs. I'd recommend trying this one as well before doing a larger procurement).

In general, Samsung devices are a pretty safe brand to go with. We have not run into many issues with them.

Best,

Nick

1 Like

Hi Nick,

Thank you very much for this list.

Samsung is bringing out phones (Samsung Z2) with Tizen OS (https://www.tizen.org/). These don't work with CommCare.

Regards,

André

Hi Andre -

That is good to know! I do not know much about Tizen OS and was unaware Samsung was planning to release devices with it. In this instance, it is likely that CommCare is incompatible with the Tizen OS that is being used on the device.

Can you provide some more information regarding how you installed the application to the device and the behavior that occurred when you did?

Best,

Nick

Hi Nick,

I couldn't install CommCare on the phone. Tizen doesn't provide access to the Google Play Store. It has its own app store. I didn't try installing Android APKs on Tizen. Samsung said it won't be possible.

Best regards,