Direct answer: the best phone under RM500 in Malaysia right now is the Redmi 15C, from RM448 on Shopee Malaysia, with 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and a 120Hz display, still the most RAM and storage we found at this price. Want NFC for Touch 'n Go and contactless payments? The POCO C75 is the only pick here with it, now RM498.88 and the priciest phone on this list, but still under the cap. On a tight budget, the itel A26 works as a basic backup phone from RM204.58. All prices below were checked on Shopee Malaysia on 14 October 2026.
We went through Shopee Malaysia's current listings rather than repeat last month's picks, and dropped anything we could not verify was actually in stock today, including one phone whose price has since climbed past the RM500 cap. Here are 7 real phones under RM500, what each one is good at, and what it cannot do.
Contents
- Best overall: Redmi 15C
- Best for the biggest screen: Redmi A7 Pro
- Best for warranty support: Samsung Galaxy A06 4G
- Best for a tight budget: itel A26
- Best for OPPO's ecosystem: OPPO A18
- Best for water resistance: vivo Y04 (2026)
- Best for NFC payments: POCO C75
- How These Compare
- How We Chose These Phones
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related guides
Redmi 15CRM448Shopee
Samsung Galaxy A06 4GRM459Shopee
OPPO A18RM489Shopee
vivo Y04 (2026)RM448Shopee
Redmi A7 ProRM498.90Shopee
itel A26RM204.58Shopee
POCO C75RM498.88Shopee
Best overall: Redmi 15C
1 more point
From RM448, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra, a 120Hz display and a 6000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. This is the most storage and RAM we found under RM500 anywhere in Malaysia, and the 120Hz screen is rare at this price. It is not a gaming phone: the Helio G81 Ultra handles Mobile Legends fine but struggles with anything heavier. For most people buying their first or second phone, this is the pick.
Best for the biggest screen: Redmi A7 Pro
1 more point
From RM498.90, a 6.9-inch display, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 6000mAh battery and a 13MP AI dual camera, sold directly by Xiaomi's official Malaysia store on Shopee. It has the largest screen on this list, good for video and reading. The camera is entry-level and struggles in low light, so do not buy this one for photography.
Best for warranty support: Samsung Galaxy A06 4G
From RM459, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage, a 6.7-inch HD display and a 5000mAh battery, sold with an official Samsung Malaysia warranty. If something goes wrong, Samsung's service centre network in Malaysia is the easiest of any brand on this list to walk into. The display is HD rather than Full HD, so text looks slightly softer than on the Redmi 15C.
Best for a tight budget: itel A26
From RM204.58, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage and a basic 2MP camera. This is less than half the RM500 cap and the cheapest genuine smartphone we could verify in stock today. It is fine as a backup phone, a phone for a child, or for calls, messaging and light apps only. The 2MP camera is barely usable and 2GB of RAM struggles with modern apps running in the background.
Best for OPPO's ecosystem: OPPO A18
From RM489, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage and a 5000mAh battery, an original OPPO Malaysia set. OPPO's service network is also wide in Malaysia, so repairs are not a problem. This sits close to the RM500 ceiling, leaving little room in the budget for a case or screen protector if you are buying to a hard limit.
Best for water resistance: vivo Y04 (2026)
From RM448, 128GB storage, a 5500mAh battery, dual stereo speakers, and IP64 dust and water resistance, unusual at this price. Vivo advertises 8GB of RAM on this listing, but part of that is virtual RAM borrowed from storage, so real day-to-day multitasking feels closer to a 4GB phone.
Best for NFC payments: POCO C75
2 more points
From RM498.88, 8GB RAM (4GB physical plus 4GB virtual extension) and 256GB storage, a MediaTek Helio G81-Ultra, a 6.88-inch 120Hz display and a 5160mAh battery. It is the priciest phone on this list, but the only one here with NFC, useful for Touch 'n Go and contactless card payments. The battery is also smaller than the Redmi 15C's, so expect slightly less screen-on time for more money.
How These Compare
| Phone | Price | Best for | RAM + storage | Battery | 120Hz display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi 15C | RM448 | Best overall | 8GB + 256GB | 6000mAh | Yes |
| Redmi A7 Pro | RM498.90 | Biggest screen | 4GB + 128GB | 6000mAh | Yes |
| Samsung Galaxy A06 4G | RM459 | Warranty support | 4GB + 128GB | 5000mAh | No |
| itel A26 | RM204.58 | Tight budget | 2GB + 32GB | Not listed by seller | No |
| OPPO A18 | RM489 | OPPO's ecosystem | 4GB + 128GB | 5000mAh | No |
| vivo Y04 (2026) | RM448 | Water resistance (IP64) | 4GB physical (8GB with virtual RAM) + 128GB | 5500mAh | No |
| POCO C75 | RM498.88 | NFC payments | 4GB physical (8GB with virtual RAM) + 256GB | 5160mAh | Yes |
How We Chose These Phones
We searched Shopee Malaysia's own listings on 14 October 2026 for phones priced at or under RM500, filtered out anything we could not confirm was genuinely in stock today, and cross-checked the advertised specs (RAM, storage, chipset, battery) against each brand's own official product page rather than trusting the listing title alone. Where a listing advertised RAM using a "virtual RAM" trick (borrowing storage to claim a bigger number), we say so plainly rather than repeat the inflated figure. We did not buy or bench-test these phones; every claim below is sourced to the seller's listing or the brand's own Malaysia site, dated 14 October 2026. Where a seller had noticeably higher sales and rating history for the same listing, we preferred that seller's link.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest best quality phone?
Under RM500 in Malaysia, the best balance of price and quality is the Redmi 15C at RM448: it has more RAM and storage than anything else in this range. If price matters more than anything else, the itel A26 at RM204.58 is the cheapest phone we could verify is genuinely in stock, but it only covers basic calls, messaging and light apps.
What is the best budget phone in Malaysia?
The Redmi 15C is currently the best budget phone in Malaysia under RM500, with 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and a 120Hz display for RM448. If NFC for Touch 'n Go matters more to you than price, the POCO C75 is RM498.88 and the only phone here that has it, though it no longer undercuts the Redmi 15C. If you want a Malaysian-warrantied brand instead, the Samsung Galaxy A06 4G at RM459 has the widest local service network on this list.
What's the best phone under 500?
Under RM500 specifically, the Redmi 15C (RM448) is our top pick, followed by the OPPO A18 (RM489) for brand loyalty and the vivo Y04 (RM448) for water and dust resistance. All three were confirmed in stock on Shopee Malaysia on 14 October 2026.
What is the best smartphone under RM1000 in Malaysia?
This guide covers phones under RM500. If your budget stretches to RM1,000, you get access to phones with better cameras and faster chips than anything on this list, worth a separate guide. Within the RM500 cap, the Redmi 15C remains the best all-rounder.
Which of these phones has NFC?
Only the POCO C75 in this list has NFC, useful for Touch 'n Go and contactless card payments. None of the other six phones here support it.
Change note (14 October 2026): rebuilt to the current listicle standard. Refreshed all 7 prices via Shopee Malaysia (Redmi 15C RM429 to RM448). Dropped the Infinix Smart 20 after its price rose past the RM500 cap (RM465 to RM570+) and replaced it with the POCO C75 (RM498.88, NFC). Added per-pick headings naming each product, a comparison table and a "how we chose" section, none of which existed before.
Denise writes ProductNation's budget phone and smartphone buying guides, checking live Shopee Malaysia listings before every update. Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
