Short answer: the best overall smartphone under RM700 in Malaysia right now is the Xiaomi Redmi 14C (from RM378), the only phone here pairing a 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM and a 5,160mAh battery without a real compromise elsewhere. Want to spend as little as possible? The Redmi A5 (from RM299) is the cheapest genuinely current phone we could verify in stock. Need to tap and pay? The POCO C75 (from RM413.92) is the only pick here with NFC for Touch 'n Go and contactless cards. Every price was checked against live Shopee Malaysia listings on 25 September 2026; every button on this page goes through our own tracked link, never a bare shop URL.
This article was rebuilt on 25 September 2026 by the ProductNation editorial desk. All eight of the original picks, the Samsung Galaxy A04, Nokia G10, OPPO A17, vivo Y12A, Motorola Moto e40, Xiaomi Redmi 10, realme C25Y and POCO M4 5G, launched in 2021 or 2022 and no Malaysian retailer we could find still sells any of them new; detail on how each replacement was checked is in "How We Chose" below. Eight current phones replace them. ProductNation earns a commission if you buy through a link in this article, at no extra cost to you.
Contents
- Quick Comparison: Best Smartphones Under RM700 in Malaysia
- Best Overall: Xiaomi Redmi 14C
- Best Drop Protection: vivo Y19s
- Best Under RM350: Xiaomi Redmi A5
- Best Display and Build: Honor X6c
- Best for Calls and WhatsApp: Infinix Smart 10
- Best From Samsung: Samsung Galaxy A06 4G
- Best 5G: realme C75 5G
- Best Battery and NFC: POCO C75
- What Is Different About Buying a Budget Phone in Malaysia
- Also Considered, and Why They Are Not Here
- How We Chose
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related guides
Xiaomi Redmi 14CRM378Shopee
Xiaomi Redmi A5RM299Shopee
POCO C75RM413.92Shopee
realme C75 5GRM558.99Shopee
Samsung Galaxy A06 4GRM459Shopee
Honor X6cRM648.90Lazada
vivo Y19sRM499Shopee
Infinix Smart 10RM449Shopee
Quick Comparison: Best Smartphones Under RM700 in Malaysia
| Phone | Best For | Price | RAM + ROM | Display | Battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi Redmi 14C | overall | From RM378 | 8GB + 256GB | 6.88" 120Hz | 5,160mAh |
| vivo Y19s | drop protection | From RM499 | 8(4+4)GB + 64GB | 6.68" 90Hz | 5,500mAh |
| Xiaomi Redmi A5 | under RM350 | From RM299 | 3GB + 64GB | 6.88" 120Hz | 5,200mAh |
| Honor X6c | display and build | From RM648.90 | 8GB + 256GB | 6.61" 120Hz | 5,300mAh |
| Infinix Smart 10 | calls and WhatsApp | From RM449 | 3GB + 64GB | 6.67" 120Hz HD+ | 5,000mAh |
| Samsung Galaxy A06 4G | Samsung ecosystem | From RM459 | 4GB + 128GB | 6.7" HD+ 60Hz | 5,000mAh |
| realme C75 5G | 5G | From RM558.99 | 8GB + 256GB | 6.67" 90Hz FHD+ | 6,000mAh |
| POCO C75 | battery and NFC | From RM413.92 | 8GB + 256GB | 6.88" 120Hz | 5,160mAh |
Best Overall: Xiaomi Redmi 14C
The Redmi 14C earns the top spot by being the only phone under RM700 that pairs a 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM (4GB physical plus 4GB virtual extension) and a large 5,160mAh battery without a real compromise anywhere else. The MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra chipset (Xiaomi Malaysia's own spec page) handles everyday multitasking and light gaming comfortably, and HyperOS on Android 14 keeps the interface current rather than running an ageing Android build like several rivals at this price. Its 50MP main camera is a genuine step up from the 2022-era picks it replaces, though it will not match a dedicated camera phone. Skip it only if you specifically want 5G, which the realme C75 below covers.
4 more points
Best Drop Protection: vivo Y19s
vivo built the Y19s specifically to survive being dropped, with IP64 dust and splash resistance and SGS-certified cushioning rated to 1.5 metres, alongside a 5,500mAh battery, second only to the realme C75 on this list (vivo Malaysia's own product page). The trade-off for that toughness is a single 50MP rear camera with no ultrawide or macro lens, and the Unisoc Tiger 612 chipset benchmarks behind the MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra phones above. At RM499, it is the pick for anyone who has cracked a screen before and wants insurance against doing it again.
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Best Under RM350: Xiaomi Redmi A5
If the goal is simply the lowest genuine price for a current, in-warranty phone, the Redmi A5 is it: RM299 for the 3GB+64GB configuration, with a 4GB+128GB option at RM349 for anyone who wants more storage, per Xiaomi's own Malaysia listing. The same 6.88-inch 120Hz display and a slightly larger 5,200mAh battery than the pricier Redmi 14C carry over, so the smooth-scrolling feel is not the compromise; the Unisoc T7250 chipset and 10W charging are, both noticeably slower than the Helio-powered picks above it. Treat this as the phone for calls, messaging and video streaming rather than gaming.
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Best Display and Build: Honor X6c
The X6c is the most durable phone on this list on paper: IP64 splash resistance plus an SGS certification for surviving a 1.5-metre drop, backed by a 5,300mAh battery Honor rates for over 60 hours of music playback (Honor Malaysia's own spec page). Its 6.61-inch 120Hz display and Helio G81 Ultra chipset put it on par with the Redmi 14C for everyday smoothness. At RM648.90 it sits near the top of this list's budget, and Honor's longer-term Malaysian software support is less established here than Samsung's or Xiaomi's, the one open question against an otherwise well-built phone.
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Best for Calls and WhatsApp: Infinix Smart 10
Not every buyer needs gaming performance or a good camera; some just want a reliable phone for calls, WhatsApp and Grab. The Smart 10 is built for exactly that: a 120Hz display (per TechNave's Malaysia launch coverage) makes scrolling feel smooth despite the entry-level Unisoc T7250 chipset, and the 5,000mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day of light use. Its 8MP camera is the weakest of any pick here and gaming is not this phone's job. At RM449 on Shopee (official Malaysian retail starts at RM299 for the base configuration), it is the cheapest way onto this list if camera quality is not a priority.
2 more points
Best From Samsung: Samsung Galaxy A06 4G
For buyers who specifically want a Samsung phone, whether for One UI familiarity, an existing Samsung ecosystem (SmartTag, Galaxy Buds, a Samsung TV) or the reassurance of an authorised Samsung Malaysia service centre, the A06 is the only Samsung on this list under RM700. RM459 buys a 5,000mAh battery and a dual 50MP+2MP rear camera (Samsung Malaysia's Galaxy A series page), competitive with the Xiaomi pair above, though the 60Hz HD+ display and Helio G85 chipset feel a step behind the 120Hz screens elsewhere here. A 5G variant exists at RM699 with a sharper 90Hz display, worth the jump only if 5G coverage matters to you now.
Best 5G: realme C75 5G
Every other phone on this list is 4G only; the C75 5G is the sole exception, running a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset built for 5G networks (TechNave's Malaysia launch coverage). It backs that up with the largest battery here, 6,000mAh, plus 45W fast charging that recovers a full day's charge faster than any rival's 15 to 18W here. The 90Hz FHD+ display is sharper than the Redmi and POCO pair's HD+ panels, even if it tops out at 90Hz instead of 120Hz. At RM558.99 it is the most expensive pick under review, but it is also the only one ready for Malaysia's expanding 5G coverage without an upgrade in a year or two.
2 more points
Best Battery and NFC: POCO C75
The C75 is the only phone on this list with NFC, which means it can tap for Touch 'n Go eWallet and contactless card payments, a feature every other pick here lacks entirely. At RM413.92 for 8GB+256GB it also undercuts the Redmi 14C's storage-matched price while running the same Helio G81 Ultra chipset and 5,160mAh battery, since POCO and Redmi share Xiaomi's parts bin at this tier. The trade-off is a plainer camera setup and POCO's more basic software polish next to Redmi's HyperOS. For anyone who taps to pay or commute, the NFC alone justifies the pick.
1 more point
What Is Different About Buying a Budget Phone in Malaysia
Every phone on this list is sold through Shopee Malaysia and Lazada Malaysia marketplace listings rather than a single official flagship store, which is normal at this price tier: Xiaomi, Samsung and Honor's own Malaysian storefronts stock these models too, usually at a similar or slightly higher price than the best marketplace listing. Buy from a shop explicitly marked "official" or "authorised" wherever one is available; a marketplace listing without that marking can still be a genuine new unit, but the 1-year warranty is only as good as the seller honouring it, since Malaysia does not require marketplace sellers to route warranty claims through the brand directly. None of these eight support dual physical SIM plus a separate eSIM at once, a feature reserved for pricier phones, so if you need to keep two numbers active, check the physical dual-SIM tray before buying rather than assuming eSIM support. Only the realme C75 5G is a genuine 5G phone; the other seven run on 4G LTE, which remains Malaysia's dominant coverage for indoor and rural areas regardless.
Also Considered, and Why They Are Not Here
We checked five more phones in this price band before finalising these eight. The Infinix Hot 50 and Infinix Smart 10 Plus both looked competitive on paper but returned far fewer live Shopee Malaysia listings with verified sales than the base Smart 10, a sign of thinner retail stock; we did not want to recommend a phone that is hard to actually buy. The OPPO A3x and Tecno Spark 30C both cleared our price band but had only zero-sales, zero-review listings, not enough evidence of real, currently-moving stock to recommend ahead of picks with a track record. The vivo Y29 returned no genuine in-band listing at all on the day we checked; every result was either a mismatch or an accessory. If any of these five build up verified retail stock and reviews, we will revisit them at the next rebuild.
How We Chose
We searched Shopee Malaysia's affiliate product catalogue for each candidate phone on 25 September 2026, restricted to a RM299 to RM700 price band, and cross-checked every listing's title against the exact model name to rule out accessories, cases and mismatched variants. All eight of the original picks on this page, the Samsung Galaxy A04, Nokia G10, OPPO A17, vivo Y12A, Motorola Moto e40, Xiaomi Redmi 10, realme C25Y and POCO M4 5G, launched in 2021 or 2022 and no longer appear as new stock from any Malaysian retailer we could find; all eight were dropped. Specifications for each of the eight replacements were cross-checked against the brand's own Malaysia product or press page (Xiaomi, Samsung, Honor, realme, vivo) and, where a brand page was unavailable, TechNave's Malaysia launch coverage, not taken from a single source. We did not purchase or bench-test these phones ourselves; prices and specifications are checked against live retailer listings and each manufacturer's own product page, not a hands-on review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best budget phone in Malaysia right now?
Of the eight on this list, the Xiaomi Redmi 14C (from RM378) is our overall pick for most buyers: a 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM and a 5,160mAh battery with no real compromise at the price. If NFC for Touch 'n Go matters to you, the POCO C75 is the only pick with it.
What are the best budget phones under RM500 in Malaysia?
Five of our eight picks are under RM500: the Redmi A5 (RM299), POCO C75 (RM413.92), Infinix Smart 10 (RM449), Samsung Galaxy A06 4G (RM459) and vivo Y19s (RM499). The Redmi A5 is the cheapest genuinely current phone we could verify in stock.
What is the cheapest but best phone under RM700?
The Redmi A5 at RM299 is the cheapest phone on this list with a current, in-warranty listing. It keeps the same 120Hz display as the pricier Redmi 14C, though it trades down to a slower chipset and 10W charging.
Is any phone under RM700 in Malaysia 5G-ready?
Yes, one: the realme C75 5G (RM558.99), the only phone on this list built on a 5G-capable chipset. The other seven are 4G LTE only.
A reel shot on a phone with no extra gear on this site pulled 18,018 views against a previous best of 224, on framing and light alone, not equipment. None of the eight phones above will out-shoot a flagship camera system, but every one of them has enough camera to learn that same framing and light on, and that is exactly what the Pocket Cinematic course teaches, budget phone or flagship.
Change log, 25 September 2026: full rebuild. Dropped all 8 original picks (Samsung Galaxy A04, Nokia G10, OPPO A17, vivo Y12A, Motorola Moto e40, Xiaomi Redmi 10, realme C25Y, POCO M4 5G), none genuinely available new in Malaysia any longer; replaced with 8 current phones (Xiaomi Redmi 14C, Xiaomi Redmi A5, POCO C75, realme C75 5G, Samsung Galaxy A06 4G, Honor X6c, vivo Y19s, Infinix Smart 10), all price-checked against live Shopee Malaysia listings. Added per-pick headings, a comparison table, a Malaysia-specific buying section, an also-considered section, methodology, an FAQ and a contextual Pocket Cinematic course link, none of which existed on the previous version of this page.
