By the numbers: Affordable Android Smart Phones Below RM600 compared

If you’re looking for a decent Android smart phone without busting your budget, here are some handsets that are priced below RM600. To get the best bang for your money, we’ve narrowed down to devices with at least 1GB of RAM and has a decent display size of about 4.5″-5″. After scouring around, we finally short listed the Huawei Honor 3C, ASUS ZenFone 5, Xiaomi Redmi, Nokia XL and the Lenovo A680 which are priced below RM600. You can click on the image above for a larger view of its specs and dimensions.

Among all 5, each of them are having a decent 5″ display size with the exception of the Xiaomi Redmi at 4.7″. In terms of display resolution, the Honor 3C, ZenFone 5 and Redmi pushes a higher 1280×720 pixels resolution which is rare for a smart phone in this price range. The same trio also packs a decent 8MP camera which supports Full HD video recording. However for those that prefer to take a Selfie with its front camera, the Honor 3C offers a 5MP shooter at the front which is the highest in this comparison.

Overall, the Honor 3C seems to be the better all round device with having the most RAM, a decent 5″ display, largest battery and the slimmest profile. Connectivity wise, the ZenFone 5 has the edge with its supports for DC-HSPA+ up to 42Mbps. All 5 smart phones listed here supports dual-SIM cards too, which is perfect for those juggling between 2 different plans for cheaper calls, SMS and data.

Another factor worth pointing out is that these affordable smart phones are running on alternative processors like MediaTek and Intel. If you look at the table, the only mainstream Qualcomm contender is the Nokia XL but it runs on a slower 1GHz clock speed and comes with just 768MB of RAM. Despite its low cost credentials, MediaTek is proven to deliver affordable performance which is no surprising why most smart phone makers are turning to them for their low cost models.

While high-end smart phones are getting the most visibility, the real battle is actually happening on the affordable smart phone segment. Entry devices are a major source for smart phone players to drive volumes and market share. This is one of the reasons why HTC has been struggling in the past 2 years and they are in a dire need to push more affordable smart phones in 2014. The Chinese smart phone players are definitely stirring up the budget scene, which means the guys over at Samsung, Sony, HTC and even Motorola can no longer be complacent like before.

As usual, if you spot any errors or if there’s a smart phone under RM600 worth mentioning, do share with us in the comments below.