Redmi A2+ Malaysia: Bargain basement phone with 8-core chip, fingerprint sensor priced at RM399

Xiaomi Malaysia has introduced its latest entry-level smartphone, the Redmi A2+, the replacement for the A1 that was launched in October. This new model may look almost identical to its predecessor, but it comes with two significant improvements in return for a slightly higher price.

Redmi A2+ Malaysia price and availability

The Redmi A2+ is available in just a single configuration with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage; interestingly, this is double the amount of storage that is offered to other markets. It’s priced at RM399—RM40 more than the A1—and will go on sale on May 9 on the official Shopee store, authorised Xiaomi stores and other official retailers.

Redmi A2+ specs and features

The biggest change on the A2+ is the fitment of an octa-core chip—the MediaTek Helio G36—for the first time, replacing the quad-core G22. It’s paired with 3GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, with support for up to 1TB of expandable storage via a MicroSD card slot on the dual-SIM tray.

Also new is a fingerprint sensor on the rear of the phone, which is also what separates the A2+ from the A2 that’s not sold here. Otherwise, the A2+ is identical to the A1, including a sizeable 6.52-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a teardrop notch and up to 400 nits of brightness. There’s also a large 5,000mAh battery and 10W wired charging via a Micro USB port.

As for the cameras, Xiaomi claims the A2+ features a 8MP dual camera setup. That’s true for the main camera, which has an f/2.0 aperture, but the “auxiliary lens” is a tiny QVGA depth camera with a resolution of just 248×328 pixels. Still, the phone does have a portrait mode, supports HDR and can shoot 1080p videos at 30fps. The front camera is a 5MP unit with an f/2.2 aperture, which can also shoot 1080p video.

Other features include a 3.5mm headphone jack with an FM radio function that activates when you plug one in, along with 4G, Bluetooth 5 and WiFi 4 connectivity. The A2+ runs on the lightweight Android 13 Go Edition; Xiaomi is promising two years of security support but no major Android upgrade. The phone comes with a textured plastic back with a leather-like finish and is available in Light Blue, Light Green and Black.

The Redmi A2+ plays in a rather limited space that also includes the Nokia C20 and the Realme C30s. They’re all very similar, but the Redmi has the advantage of a faster chip and more base storage. If you want a slightly better deal, Xiaomi also sells the Poco C40, which retails at RM599 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage but regularly dips below RM400 during sales. This one offers a 13MP main camera, a USB-C port with support for 18W fast charging, IP52 dust and water resistance and a Gorilla Glass front.