When it comes to good phones, it is easy to think of hefty price tags. This can be a daunting prospect, especially if you are looking for a brand-new phone but are concerned if the price will be too high for your budget. After all, it can seem as though all the good smartphones in the market are synonymous with expensive prices. However, many good budget smartphones in the market do come at affordable prices, and you can find the best one for you and your budget!
As you read this, you might wonder: which are some of the best budget phones in Malaysia? How are you going to choose the best budget smartphone for you? What are some of the specifications that you should take note of?
There are several important factors that you should consider in choosing the best phone for you. The phone’s display size, camera features, the chipset of the phone, RAM, storage, and battery capacity are among the specifications to weigh that can help you to choose the best phone that meets your budget.
What Are The 20 Best Budget Phones in Malaysia for 2021?
So, how do you choose the right phone for you from among the many phones in the market? You have come to the right place because we have curated a list of the best 20 budget phones in Malaysia for your convenience so you can choose the best phone for you:
- Honor 8S
- Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
- Samsung Galaxy A12
- Samsung Galaxy A02
- Huawei Nova 7i
- Realme C11
- OPPO A93
- OPPO A53
- Xiaomi Redmi 9
- Xiaomi Mi 11
- Xiaomi Redmi 9C
- Xiaomi Mi 10T
- Poco F3
- Poco X3 Pro
- Poco M3
- Redmi Note 10 Pro
- Realme Narzo 20 Pro
- Xiaomi Redmi 9A
- Oppo A74 5G
- Realme 8 5G
Let’s take a closer look at 20 of the best budget phones in Malaysia for 2021 so that you can choose the best phone for you!
1) Honor 8S
Today’s Best Deals
The smartphone has a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP selfie camera, with a non-removable Li-Po 3,020 mAh battery. It comes with 3GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The Honor 8S also comes with Google service on board as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Things to take note of:
The eMMC 5.1 storage is slower than UFS storage when it comes to copying files and booting speed. The battery capacity is also rather low at 3,020 mAh, which may not be convenient for those who are constantly on the go and may not have time to charge their phones.
Source: hihonor.com
2) Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Today’s Best Deals
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G price starts at RM 1,929.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, which was released in Malaysia in September 2020, comes with an impressive 6.5 inches Super Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED) screen. It also bears a 1,080 x 2,400 pixels resolution with 20:9 ratio. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G powers the phone, and it has an Adreno 650 GPU.
The smartphone has three cameras on the rear of the phone, which includes an 8MP telephoto camera. Additionally, it also has a 32 MP selfie camera. The camera features make it a perfect fit for the use of content creators who are looking to capture images on their phones.
The phone has a non-removable Li-Ion 4,500 mAh battery with fast 25W charging, and you can opt between the 6GB and 8GB RAM options. The phone also comes with a MicroSD card slot, which makes it easy for its users to add on storage.
Source: samsung.com
3) Samsung Galaxy A12
Today’s Best Deals
Samsung Galaxy A12 price starts at RM 699.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The phone has a comfortable 6.5 inches PLS IPS display, with a MediaTek MT6765 Helio P35 chipset. The operating system of the smartphone is Android 10 (but it can be upgraded to Android 11) and the GPU of the phone is the PowerVR GE8320.
The Samsung Galaxy A12 has a large non-removable Li-Po 5,000 mAh battery capacity with fast 15W charging. Additionally, it also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a MicroSD card slot if you are looking for storage expansion. The Samsung Galaxy A12 was released in Malaysia in January 2021.
Things to take note of:
Although there are several RAM options of up to 6 GB, it must be noted that these options are still on the lower side. Apart from this factor, a UFS storage would also be a better option than the eMMC 5.1 storage.
Source: samsung.com
4) Samsung Galaxy A02
Today’s Best Deals
Samsung Galaxy A02 price starts at RM 369.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Samsung Galaxy A02 was released in Malaysia in the first quarter of 2021. Similar to the Samsung Galaxy A12, the Samsung Galaxy A02 has a 6.5 inches PLS IPS display. However, the chipsets differ as the Samsung Galaxy A02 is powered by the MediaTek MT6739W instead. The GPU of this phone is the PowerVR GE8100.
The smartphone has a large non-removable Li-Po 5,000 mAh battery capacity, perfect for busy individuals who may not have time to charge their phones in the middle of the day. Additionally, it also comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack. If you are looking for additional storage support, the MicroSD card slot would enable extra memory support of up to 1 TB, as per its website.
Things to take note of:
Similar to the Samsung Galaxy A12, a UFS storage would be a better option compared to its existing eMMC 5.1 storage.
Source: samsung.com
5) Huawei Nova 7i
Today’s Best Deals
Huawei Nova 7i price starts at RM 859.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Huawei Nova 7i, which was released in Malaysia on Valentine’s Day 2020 (February 14), has a 6.4 inches LTPS IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,310 pixels. According to its website, the smartphone has a rounded corners design on a dewdrop display, if you are wondering about some of the aesthetics of the phone.
The operating system of the phone is the Android 10, and it is powered by a Kirin 810 chipset, which is an improvement from the Kirin 710 chipset. The Huawei Nova 7i comes with 8GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
The phone has a pretty decent non-removable Li-Po 4,200 mAh battery capacity with fast 40W charging. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack in this phone.
Source: consumer.huawei.com
6) Realme C11
Today’s Best Deals
Realme C11 price starts at RM 399.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
Officially released in Malaysia in July 2020, the Realme C11 has a large 6.5 inches IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 720 x 1,560 pixels. Powered by the MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, the GPU of the smartphone is the PowerVR GE8320.
One attractive feature of the Realme C11 is that it has a large non-removable Li-Po 5,000 mAh battery capacity, ideal for supporting longer screen time and phone usage. The phone comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, and as per its website, it also has a 3-card slot (2 SIM and 1 Micro-SD).
Things to take note of:
A UFS storage would have been a preferred option as compared to the eMMC 5.1. However, notwithstanding this factor, the phone is an overall good value for money, especially given its large screen size and battery capacity.
Source: realme.com
7) Oppo A93
Today’s Best Deals
Oppo A93 price starts at RM 999.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
A successor of the Oppo A92, the Oppo A93 was released in Malaysia in October 2020. The smartphone has a decent 6.43 inches Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels. It is powered by the MediaTek MT6779V Helio P95 chipset with the PowerVR GM9446 GPU. The phone runs on ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10.
Its website describes the phone as having an ultra-thin design (7.48mm) with a smooth rounded feel for those concerned about the aesthetics of a phone. The phone also has a quad-camera setting on the back (48 MP Main Camera+ 8MP Wide-Angle Camera + 2MP Mono Camera + 2MP Mono Camera) and a dual selfie camera (16 MP Front Main Camera + 2MP Front Depth Camera), perfect for capturing spontaneous and beautiful moments on camera.
The Oppo A93 also comes with a non-removable Li-Po 4,000 mAh battery with fast 18W charging as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Source: oppo.com
8) Oppo A53
Today’s Best Deals
Oppo A53 price starts at RM 699.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Oppo A53, which was released in Malaysia in September, has a large display screen of 6.5 inches and a resolution of 720 x 1,600 pixels. As per its website, the phone has a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz for a smoother display. Bearing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 chipset, the smartphone has the Adreno 610 GPU with the Android 10 operating system.
One advantage of this phone is that it has a large battery capacity of 5,000 mAh (non-removable Li-Po) with fast 18W charging, making it a very convenient feature for its users. After all, if you are constantly on the go, you want a phone that can keep up with you! The phone also comes with 4GB of RAM and 64 GB/ 128 GB of memory.
If you are looking for extra storage, the 3-card slot (Dual-SIM and 1 MicroSD) can be an attractive feature as it makes room for additional storage support of up to 256 GB, as described on its website.
Source: oppo.com
9) Xiaomi Redmi 9
Today’s Best Deals
Xiaomi Redmi 9 price starts at RM 699.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
Released in Malaysia in June 2020, the Xiaomi Redmi 9 bears impressive specifications that are good value for money. Firstly, it has a 6.53 inches IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,340 pixels. Secondly, the phone also has a large 5,020 mAh battery (non-removable, Li-Po) with fast 18 W charging for the convenience of those who may not have the time to charge their phones regularly.
Additionally, according to its website, the smartphone’s AI quad-camera (13MP wide-angle lens, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 5 MP macro lens, and 2 MP depth sensor) would make it handy if you want to capture Instagram-worthy shots on your phone. It also comes with an 8MP selfie camera. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 chipset with the Mali-G52 MC2 GPU.
Things to take note of:
However, one drawback of the phone is its eMMC 5.1 storage option instead of UFS storage.
Source: mi.com
10) Xiaomi Mi 11
Today’s Best Deals
Xiaomi Mi 11 price starts at RM 1,199.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Xiaomi Mi 11 was released in February 2021 in Malaysia. One of the first impressive features of this smartphone is definitely its 6.81 inches AMOLED display. The Xiaomi Mi 11 has a resolution of 1,440 x 3,200 pixels at 20:9 ratio. The screen is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. One interesting thing about this phone is that it has been described as Malaysia’s first Snapdragon 888 smartphone!
For those looking to capture decent photos on phones, the Xiaomi Mi 11 also comes with a triple camera rear set-up (108 MP wide-angle camera + 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera + 5 MP telemacro camera) as well as a selfie camera (20 MP).
Under the hood, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chipset powers the flagship phone, and the phone has an Adreno 660 GPU. The battery capacity of the phone is 4,600 mAh (non-removable, Li-Po) with fast 55W charging. Additionally, the phone also has fast 50W wireless charging and reverse 10W wireless charging.
Things to take note of:
Although the phone has impressive features in many areas, it has to be noted that one of the phone’s drawbacks is its lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack. However, the phone comes with a Type-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter.
Source: mi.com
11) Xiaomi Redmi 9c
Today’s Best Deals
Xiaomi Redmi 9C price starts at RM 489.00 | View at Shopee Malaysia
The phone, which was officially released in Malaysia in July 2020, has a large 6.53 inches AMOLED screen. Under the hood, it has the MediaTek Helio G35 chipset with the PowerVR GE8320 GPU.
During its initial launch, the smartphone came with the 32 GB or 64 GB storage option, but close to a year later, the 128 GB storage option was subsequently released. This is a good option for users who are looking for additional storage space. The phone also has an AI rear triple camera (13 MP main camera, 2 MP macro camera, and 2 MP depth sensor). It also has a 5MP selfie camera.
The Xiaomi Redmi 9c comes with a pretty decent 5,000 mAh battery (non-removable, Li-Po) with a 10W charging speed. The phone also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Things to take note of:
However, the downside of this phone is the eMMC 5.1 storage option, which is slower compared to the UFS storage option. However, the phone has a MicroSD card slot which can be used to provide additional storage support if needed. Overall, this is a great option that you can consider if you are looking for budget smartphones under RM 1,000.
Source: mi.com
12) Xiaomi Mi 10T
Today’s Best Deals
Xiaomi Mi 10T price starts at RM 1,699.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Xiaomi Mi 10T was released in Malaysia in October 2020. It has a large 6.67 inches IPS LCD screen and a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels. The Corning Gorilla Glass 5 offers the screen protection.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G chipset with an Adreno 650 GPU. The operating system of the smartphone is Android 10 but can be upgraded to Android 11.
As per its website, the phone also comes with a triple rear camera (64 MP high-resolution main camera + 13 MP + 5 MP macro camera). Additionally, it also has a 20 MP selfie camera.
The battery capacity is strong with its non-removable Li-Po 5,000 mAh battery, for the benefit of users who prefer not to be interrupted in the middle of the day to charge their phones. The phone also has fast 33W charging and multifunctional near field communication (NFC) that supports Google Pay. The NFC is a convenient feature that makes it convenient for the transfer of data between two devices. Learn more about NFC here.
Things to take note of:
There is no MicroSD card slot in the phone despite its lower storage size. It also does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Source: mi.com
13) Poco F3
Today’s Best Deals
Poco F3 price starts at RM 1,399.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Poco F3 was available in Malaysia in March 2021, and it comes with a 6.67 inches AMOLED screen with a satisfactory 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother display. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G chipset and an Octa-core CPU with an Adreno 650 GPU.
The smartphone is described as having ‘Poco’s strongest processor yet’ on its website, and its flagship 7nm process technology can ensure improved performance while the user is watching videos, playing games, or simply surfing the internet.
The phone has an AI triple camera (48 MP main camera + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle shooter + 5 MP telemacro lens), and a 20MP front camera. Additionally, the phone also has LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus to keep the phone from overheating during heavy tasks.
The phone comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, with up to 256 GB of storage space. In terms of battery capacity, it has a non-removable Li-Po 4,520 mAh battery with fast 33W charging.
Things to take note of:
The phone does not come with a MicroSD card to provide additional storage support. It also does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack, although it comes with dual speakers that have Hi-Res Audio certification.
Source: mi.com
14) Poco X3 Pro
Today’s Best Deals
Poco X3 Pro price starts at RM 879.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
An upgraded version of the Poco X3 NFC, the Poco X3 Pro comes with a 6.67 inches IPS LCD screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Additionally, it has a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The screen is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 6.
The Poco X3 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset and the Octa-core CPU with the Adreno 640 GPU. The smartphone has a quad AI camera setup (48 MP main camera + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera + 2 MP depth sensor + 2MP macro camera). It also has a front camera of 20 MP.
The battery capacity of 5,160 mAh (non-removable, Li-Po) is large and it also comes with fast 33W charging. There are two options of RAM, which are 6GB and 8GB. In terms of storage, users can opt between the 128 GB and 256 GB options. The phone also comes with a MicroSD slot for additional storage support.
Additional features of the phone include a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers that comes with Hi-Res Audio certification, and the LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus to prevent overheating, especially during heaving gaming. The Poco X3 Pro was available in Malaysia in March 2021.
Source: mi.com
15) Poco M3
Today’s Best Deals
Poco M3 price starts at RM 699.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The phone, which was available in Malaysia back in November 2020, has a very catchy design and comes with a 6.53 inches IPS LCD screen. The Corning Gorilla Glass 3 offers screen protection, and its resolution is 1,080 x 2,340 pixels.
A great feature of this smartphone is its impressive non-removable Li-Po 6,000 mAh battery that can last its users for a long time. In addition to this strong battery capacity, it also has fast 18W charging and reverse charging.
Under the hood, the phone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset with an Octa-core CPU and an Adreno 610 GPU. The Poco M3 also comes with dual speakers that have Hi-Res Audio certification to enable its user to fully immerse themselves when they listen to music or watch videos.
In terms of its camera, it has an AI triple camera (48 MP main camera, f/1.79 + 2 MP macro camera, f/2.4+ 2 MP depth sensor, f/2.4) for its users to capture beautiful moments. For a selfie shot, the phone has an 8 MP front camera. Additionally, the phone also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a MicroSD slot that can support additional storage up to 512 GB, as indicated on its website.
Overall:
For those of you looking for entry-level phones, overall, the Poco M3 appears to be a pretty decent entry-level option that you can consider, especially given its large display size and battery capacity.
Source: mi.com
16) Redmi Note 10 Pro
Today’s Best Deals
Redmi Note 10 Pro Price starts at RM 833.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Redmi Note 10 Pro was available in Malaysia in March 2021. The phone has a large 6.67 inches AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz for a smoother display. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chipset and an Octa-core CPU with the Adreno 618 GPU.
Its website describes its quad-camera set up as a ‘flagship-level imaging system’ with 108 MP wide-angle camera + 8 MP ultra-wide camera + 5 MP telemacro camera + 2 MP depth sensor. It also has a 16 MP front camera for a selfie shot. For photography enthusiasts, the 5MP telemacro camera enables zooming in up to 2x closer than an ordinary macro lens.
The phone comes with a non-removable Li-Po 5,020 mAh battery with fast 33W charging. For security, the phone also has an AI face unlock feature. Among other features of the Redmi Note 10 Pro includes dual speakers with a Hi-Res Audio certification, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a dual SIM tray.
Source: mi.com
17) Realme Narzo 20 Pro
Today’s Best Deals
Realme Narzo 20 Pro price starts at RM 1,099.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Realme Narzo 20 Pro was available in Malaysia in November 2020. Fitted with a 6.5 inches IPS LCD screen, the smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G95 chipset. It has an Octa-core CPU and a Mali-G76 MC4 GPU. The operating system of the phone is Android 10.
The Realme Narzo 20 Pro comes with an AI quad-camera that has a 48MP main camera in addition to a 16 MP front camera, so you can take pictures of Instagram-worthy moments to your satisfaction. The phone also comes with up to 8 GB of RAM as well as a 3-card slot (2 SIM slots and 1 MicroSD slot) and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The phone has a 4,500 mAh battery (non-removable Li-Po) and fast 65W SuperDart Charge, with 14% charged in 3 minutes, according to its website.
Overall:
If you’re seeking a good entry-level smartphone, the Realme Narzo 20 Pro could be a good entry-level smartphone that you can consider.
Source: realme.com
18) Xiaomi Redmi 9A
Today’s Best Deals
Xiaomi Redmi 9A price starts at RM 369.00 | View at Shopee Malaysia
Another affordable smartphone option that you can consider is the Xiaomi Redmi 9A. Released in Malaysia in July 2020, the phone has a 6.53 inches IPS LCD screen. Under the hood, it has the MediaTek Helio G25 chipset with the PowerVR GE8320 GPU. The operating system of this phone is Android 10.
The smartphone comes with a single main camera (13 MP) and a 5 MP selfie camera. In terms of its battery capacity, it has a non-removable Li-Po 5,000 mAh battery. The phone comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
As per its website, the phone has a 2+1 card slot design that can support dual SIM cards as well as dual nano-SIM cards and MicroSD expansion. Additionally, the smartphone also has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Things to take note of:
In terms of storage options, the UFS storage would be a faster option as compared to the eMMC 5.1 storage. However, this is still a good phone that you can consider getting from the budget smartphones under RM 1,000 category.
Source: mi.com
19) Oppo A74 5G
Today’s Best Deals
Oppo A74 5G price starts at RM 1,099.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Oppo A74 5G, which was released in Malaysia in April 2021, is also an affordable smartphone that you can consider buying. It has a 6.5 inches LTPS IPS LCD screen and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G chipset with the Adreno 619 GPU.
The smartphone has a large battery capacity of 5,000 mAh (non-removable Li-Po) that can help to ensure users don’t have to be interrupted from their tasks to charge their phones. The phone also comes with 6GB of RAM and a 128 GB storage size.
Additionally, the Oppo A74 5G has a quad-camera set up (48 MP main camera + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera + 2 MP macro camera + 2 MP mono camera), in addition to a 16 MP selfie camera, so you can take pictures to your satisfaction. It also comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a MicroSD slot.
Source: oppo.com
20) Realme 8 5G
Today’s Best Deals
Realme 8 5G price starts at RM 969.00 | -> View at Shopee Malaysia
The Realme 8 5G is also another value for money smartphone which was released in Malaysia in May 2021. It comes with a 6.5 inches IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G chipset with the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. The phone runs on Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11.
The phone has a triple camera set-up (48 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP), along with a 16 MP selfie camera. Another impressive feature of this phone is its large non-removable Li-Po 5,000 mAh battery capacity with fast 18W charging for its users’ convenience.
The Realme 8 5G comes with 8GB of RAM and 128 GB memory capacity. However, as indicated on its website, the Realme 8 5G also comes with a 3-card slot to support up to 1 TB of external memory.
Source: realme.com
The Best Budget Phone 2021 Malaysia: Which Is Your Choice of The Best Phone?
We hope that through this list of 20 of the best budget phones in Malaysia, you have discovered that good phones are not necessarily out of your budget and that there are plenty of good budget smartphones out there for you to choose from for a reasonable price.
So, have you decided which is the best budget smartphone for you? Do share your pick of the best budget phone in the comments below, why do you consider this the best phone, and what are the reasons that you want to buy this phone? We are looking forward to hearing your choice of the best budget phone for you! Remember, don’t give up the search because the best budget phone for you is waiting!
