By now, we’ve seen a slew of top-tier smartphones hit the shelves – think the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S20, OPPO Find X2, OnePlus 8 and more; but what about the more affordable entries that, although don’t pack as much as their flagship counterparts, still offer value for your money.
Well, here’s a list of the best smartphones that cost below RM1,000 that we think are worthy pickups this year.
1. realme 6
This is one of the more impressive devices of the year so far – mainly due to its upper-midrange specs and budget price point. Starting at just RM999, the realme 6 packs a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display that pushes a high refresh rate of 90Hz. This is the kind of feature you see on flagships, not a budget entry such as this.
Powering the device and allowing the phone to run at high refresh rates is a MediaTek Helio G90T gaming chipset – it’s powerful enough to run every mainstream mobile game at a consistent 60FPS, and allow for everyday scrolling at 90FPS. There’s a noticeable added smoothness when scrolling on a higher refresh rate display, and that makes a world of difference.
It’s also got an impressive 64MP quad-camera setup too, but this phone is really all about performance, and that’s why it has a 30W fast charging capability to compensate. Get the Realme 6 here: Lazada
2. Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
This phone epitomizes an all-rounder smartphone – for just RM799 for the 4GB+64GB model and RM899 for the 6GB+128GB variant, this is the kind of value for money people have been after for a long time.
For starters, it’s got a massive 6.67-inch FHD+ display that’s made with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and is TÜV Rheinland certified (low blue light) – this is the kind of thing you’d find on phones triple its price, so that’s saying something.
It’s also got a very capable Snapdragon 720G chipset that’ll run most mainstream mobile games with minimal stutters. We’d advice you to go for the 6GB+128GB variant because not only do you still keep within the RM1,000 budget, its higher RAM and storage will future-proof you a little more.
It’s also got a massive 5,020mAh battery as well as a reliable set of cameras (48MP+8MP+5MP+2MP) which’ll give you great day time shots and decent night time photos. Get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S here: Lazada
3. vivo Y19
The vivo Y19 may have come out late last year, but it’s still one of the best value buys around – what vivo excels in even in the budget segment is the plethora of selfie modes that give your shots flavour. There’s AI Face Beauty, Pose Master, AI Makeup and more.
The main camera module doesn’t slouch either – it packs a 16MP main lens, an 8MP superwide angle lens, and a 2MP macro lens. With this setup, you’ll get great images too despite not having a high-res shooter.
It’s got a Mediatek Helio P70 chipset alongside 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, so the vivo Y19 can perform day-to-day tasks with no problem too. Pair that with its massive 5,000mAh battery and you’ll have a reliable daily driver that takes awesome photos too. You can get the vivo Y19 here: Lazada
4. OPPO A91
This one looks as good as it performs – the OPPO A91 is the most premium-looking device on the list and it comes in Unicorn White and Lightning Black. Despite a plastic back panel, it shimmers pretty under light and feels sturdy in the hands. It’s also a very thin device measuring at just 7.9mm – great for those who have tight pants.
It also has a quick and reliable in-screen fingerprint reader that’ll allow you to unlock your phone in within a second. It’s FHD+ display is also great for media consumption, plus its 48MP quad-camera setup offers great high dynamic range as well.
The OPPO A91 also supports fast charging of up to 20W which will power its 4,025mAh battery in about an hour. Get the OPPO A91 here: Lazada / OPPO Store