It’s been awhile now since we did one of these lists—since November of last year in fact—and from that point on times have changed quite a bit in the sub-RM2,000 smartphone segment in Malaysia. As a matter of fact, from last year’s shortlist of five smartphones that we recommended, only one of them remains here on today’s list.
Most of the criteria that we used to craft our buyer’s guide remains the same though. Other than needing to be priced below RM2,000 (obviously), we’re also not going to look at the secondhand market or any devices older than a year really, because it’s not like you want to use an old phone anyway right? Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s start with the first entry on SoyaCincau’s list of best smartphones in Malaysia under RM2,000 which just so happens to be the newest device here too.
Samsung Galaxy A55
Unfortunate naming scheme aside, the Galaxy A55 continues on to be one of Samsung’s leading midrange smartphone options, offering a pretty fair balance with plenty of nice to have features at a rather reasonable price. This year’s Galaxy A55 is available for RM1,999, meaning it is actually up by RM100 compared to last year’s Galaxy A54, but you are getting some decent upgrades here too.
For starters, It has a larger 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate along with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ over it for scratch resistance. You’ll also find a glass back and a metal frame on the side with this subtle bump over the volume and power button.
The Galaxy A55 is powered by their own Exynos 1480 processor, along with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It comes with Android 14 out of the box skinned with OneUI 6.1 over it along with Samsung’s word of four major Android OS upgrades and five years of security support, which is among the best in this price category.
As for its cameras, the Galaxy A55 has a triple rear camera on the back, housing a primary 50MP shooter alongside a 12MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro sensor while a 32MP selfie camera rounds things off. There’s also a 5,000mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging, stereo speakers, an IP67 dust and water resistance rating along with Samsung Knox Vault for greater privacy and security.
Samsung Galaxy A35
Next up on our list is actually also the newest smartphone here, and that’s because it’s the Galaxy A35. For three hundred ringgit less at RM1,699, the Galaxy A35 is basically the same phone as the Galaxy A55 barring some minor downgrades here and there.
I mean, there’s still the same 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with the same resolution, refresh rate and scratch resistance as before. The glass back is also the same and the only difference on the exterior is that the Galaxy A35 has a plastic frame rather than the metal one on the Galaxy A55.
Under the hood, the Galaxy A35 comes with the older Exynos 1380 processor, the same one powering the Galaxy A54 from last year. That’s been mated to 8GB of RAM so slightly less but the same 256GB of storage still. You’ll also get the same Android 14 out of the box with four years of major Android OS upgrades and five years of security support as the more expensive Galaxy A55.
And even in the camera department, you’ll be pointing and shooting with the same 50MP main camera. The only difference is that its ultrawide is now an 8MP camera while its selfie shooter is a lower resolution 13MP one too. Otherwise, it’s basically the same, with the same 5,000mAh battery, the same 25W fast charging, the same stereo speakers, Samsung Knox Vault and IP67 dust and water resistance rating.
Basically if you think you can live with the slight downgrades on the Galaxy A35, you may as well just save the three hundred ringgit and get this instead of the Galaxy A55.
Poco X6 Pro
Not everyone has the same criteria when looking for a smartphone, and if yours just so happens to be raw, unadulterated performance, then you might want to take a look at the Poco X6 Pro instead.
Not only is it perhaps the cheapest smartphone on our list with a starting price of RM1,499 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage as well as a price of RM1,699 for the one with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, it’s also the most powerful one thanks to the 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 8300-Ultra under the hood, offering performance similar to last generation flagships. The Poco X6 Pro comes with Android 14 out of the box skinned with HyperOS over it, and is slated to get three major Android OS upgrades and four years of security patches.
The rest of the Poco X6 Pro isn’t too shabby either, with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display pushign a 2712 by 1220p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1800nits. There’s also a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 over it for scratch resistance, stereo speakers, an IP54 dust and water resistance rating and a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging keeping the lights on. As for cameras, it gets a triple rear camera setup with a main 64MP camera flanked by an 8MP ultrawide a 2MP macro and a 16MP selfie shooter in front.
Realme 12 Pro+ 5G
On the flip side, if your main criteria isn’t performance but rather some of the best cameras you can get in this price segment, then the Realme 12 Pro+ 5G could be more up your alley. With a starting price of RM1,699 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the Realme 12 Pro+ certainly stands out from the others here on this list thanks to that gargantuan circular camera bump on the back.
It is home to a main 50MP camera using the Sony IMX890 image sensor next to an 8MP ultrawide and a 64MP telephoto shooter using the OmniVision OV64B sensor. That last camera in particular offers a three times optical zoom, a six times in-sensor zoom and up to a 120 times digital zoom. Oh, and before I forget there’s also a 32MP selfie shooter in front.
Elsewhere though it’s not too bad. The Realme 12 Pro+ has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a FullHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness of 950nits and full coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. Under the hood meanwhile is a respectable Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, running Android 14 out of the box skinned with RealmeUI 5.0 over it. No mention of how long Realme will support its software however. You’ll also find a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging, stereo speakers and an IP65 dust and water resistance rating.
Xiaomi 13T
Lastly, if you want perhaps what’s the most well rounded smartphone to get for under two grand in our view, then look no further than the Xiaomi 13T. It’s the only survivor from our last best smartphones under RM2,000 list, and there’s good reason why.
Starting at RM1,799, the Xiaomi 13T may be the oldest entry here but you’ll be getting plenty of bang for your buck. For starters you’ll find a 6.67-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display with a 2712 by 1220p resolution capable of a 144Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 2600nits, full coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and a layer of Corning Gorila Glass 5 over it for scratch resistance not to mention the IP68 dust and water resistance rating too.
Powering the Xiaomi 13T is the MediaTek Dimensity 8200-Ultra, with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You’ll find Android 13 out of the box skinned with MIUI 14 over it, meaning it’s technically a little out of date but fret not as Xiaomi has guaranteed a minimum of four major Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches for the 13T.
In the camera department meanwhile the Xioami 13T offers perhaps the one of the set of cameras yet for a point and shoot experience. That’s thanks to the Leica branded camera setup on the back with a main 50MP camera flanked by another 50MP telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide along with a 20MP selfie shooter. You’ll also get a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging and stereo speakers.
The Xiaomi 13T certainly sounds like a flagship smartphone at a sub RM2,000 price, and that wouldn’t be too far from the truth. Apart from the processor and no support for 8K video recording the Xiaomi 13T is basically the same as the 13T Pro that we previously reviewed and so dearly love.
Anyway, that’s been our list of the best smartphones we think you should take a look at for under RM2,000. Let us know in the comment section below if you think we missed out on any other smartphones in this price category.
