Whether you’re planning to buy a smartphone for your kid for the first time, or getting a backup phone for yourself, we got you covered. Below are the smartphones, which cost less than RM 500…
ASUS ZenFone Go
When we talk about affordable smartphones, ASUS surely will be one of the manufacturers to include. As usual, the ZenFone Go comes in many variants — 4.5-inch (ZB452KG), 5-inch (ZC500TG) and 5.5-inch (ZB551KL). Both 4.5-inch and 5-inch variants are priced below RM 500, which are RM 299/329 and RM 499 respectively.
The 4.5-inch variant comes with a FWVGA (480 x 854) display and packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of expandable storage (up to 64 GB). The device also comes in two camera configurations — 5 MP rear + 0.3 MP front and 8 MP rear + 2 MP front. It is running on Android 5.1 Lollipop with ZenUI on top and has a 2,070 mAh battery.
Price: RM 299 (5 MP rear + 0.3 MP front cameras)/RM 329 (8 MP rear + 2 MP front cameras)
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The 5-inch variant has a HD IPS display and packs a MediaTek MT6580 processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of expandable storage (up to 64 GB). Not to forget that you’ll also get 5 GB of ASUS WebStorage free for life and 100 GB space Google Drive for 2 years. Camera wise, it has an 8 MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and 2 MP front camera. The device is also running on Android 5.1 Lollipop with ZenUI on top and has a 2,070 mAh battery.
Price: RM 499
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Samsung Galaxy J1 Ace (2016)
The 2016 version Samsung Galaxy J1 Ace is a small upgrade over the 2015 version. It has the same 4.3-inch WVGA (480 x 800) Super AMOLED display, but the processor is now clocked faster at 1.5 GHz (from 1.2 GHz). The RAM and internal storage have also bumped up from 768 MB to 1 GB and 4 GB to 8 GB respectively. Note that the device also supports MicroSD expansion up to 128 GB. Camera is still a 5 MP f/2.2 rear camera and 2 MP f/2.2 front camera. The device is running on Android 5.1 Lollipop and has a 1,900 mAh battery.
Price: RM 399
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Samsung Galaxy J1 mini
The Samsung Galaxy J1 mini sports a 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) TFT display and packs a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 768 MB RAM and 8 GB expandable storage (up to 128 GB). It has a 5 MP f/2.2 rear and VGA (0.3 MP) front cameras. The device is running on Android 5.1 Lollipop and has a 1,500 mAh battery.
Price: RM 299
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Wiko Robby
Wiko smartphones are relatively new in Malaysia. The Wiko Robby has a 5.5-inch HD IPS laminated display. Like the ZenFone Go (ZC500TG), the device is powered by a MediaTek MT6580 processor, but with only 1 GB RAM instead of 2 GB. Its 16 GB internal storage is expandable via MicroSD card up to 64 GB. The device has an 8 MP rear camera, and the 5 MP front camera comes with selfie flash as well. Unlike other devices in the list, the Wiko Robby features aluminium finish, dual front-facing speakers and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Price: RM 449
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Wiko Lenny 2
The Wiko Lenny 2 has a 5-inch FWVGA (480 x 854) IPS display. Powering the device is a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6580M processor with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB expandable storage (up to 64 GB). Camera wise, there’s a 5 MP rear and 2 MP front cameras. The Wiko Lenny 2 is running on Android 5.1 Lollipop and has a 1,800 mAh battery.
Price: RM 299
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Xiaomi Redmi 2
Xiaomi Redmi series has always been affordable, same goes to the Redmi 2. Do note that we are only talking about the regular Redmi 2, not the Redmi 2 Enhanced. The Redmi 2 sports a 4.7-inch IPS HD display with 312 ppi pixel density. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB expandable storage (up to 32 GB). Camera wise, the Redmi 2 has an 8 MP f/2.2 rear and 2 MP front cameras. The device packs a 2,200 mAh battery and runs on MIUI 6 based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat (upgradable to MIUI 7).
Price: RM 399
(Buy Here)
Final Words
At the end of the day, it depends on what you need. The Wiko Robby seems to be a good choice, but you need to know that the company is still new in the market, which means its establishment and after sales service are not as good as the others. Samsung is the most popular brand among the rest, but the specs aren’t as good as the rest. I mean, why 768 MB RAM and 1,500 mAh battery? It’s already 2016! The Redmi 2 has the advantage of frequent software update, but it’s buggy sometimes. The ZenFone Go (ZC500TG) is the only one to have 2 GB RAM, but it’s also the most expensive one compared to the rest.