PriceShop’s best smartphones in Malaysia priced under RM2,000 (April 2026)
We started off the year with a sub-RM1,000 smartphone buyer’s guide, but with a slew of midrange devices being launched since then, it seems only right that we come back with another one, this time with twice the budget.
The sub-RM2,000 budget is arguably one of the most tightly fought segments for smartphones in Malaysia, as this is where most people tend to find the sweet spot between performance and features without breaking the bank for a top-of-the-line flagship. For all the devices on this list, we’ve kept it to just brand new ones—so no second hand prices for now—with all of them launched within the last few months, so that you can have something fresh off the shelf.
With that out of the way, let’s start with the first smartphone on our list:
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G
While for the last couple of years you would’ve been able to get a Samsung Galaxy A50-something series for just shy of RM2,000, this year’s Galaxy A lineup sees the Galaxy A57 5G come with a starting price tag of RM2,399. Even after taking into account Samsung’s launch rebate, the starting price goes down to RM2,049, just shy of our required budget, so it’s more of an honorable mention. Instead, let’s take a look at the next best offering from Samsung: the Galaxy A37 5G.
The Galaxy A37 looks pretty similar to the Galaxy A57, but the key difference in its chassis is actually its plastic frame compared to the Galaxy A57’s aluminum frame. Other than that, you’re looking at a 6.7-inch, FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1900nits peak brightness, replete with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus+ over it for scratch resistance.
Under the hood, the Galaxy A37 gets an Exynos 1480 system-on-chip, with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It comes with Android 16 out of the box with OneUI 8.5, and one big advantage it has over rivals is its guarantee of six years of full software support. As for cameras, there’s a main 50MP, an ultrawide 8MP and a macro 5MP on the rear while a 12MP selfie shooter sits up front. You’ll also find a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging.
The Galaxy A37 5G officially starts at RM1,899, but with their launch promo you can get it from as low as RM1,699.
Nothing Phone (4a)
If the Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is the ‘safe’ option, then here we’ve got the wildcard pick of the bunch: the Nothing Phone (4a). Priced at RM1,999, you get the brand’s signature transparent back panel now with a vertical Glyph Bar lighting that alerts you on your notifications, battery status and so forth.
The Phone (4a) comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display pushing a 1.5K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak HDR brightness of 4500nits. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 system-on-chip, with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage. You’ll find Android 16 with NothingOS 4.1 out of the box, and Nothing guarantees three major OS upgrades and six years of security patches.
As for cameras, the Nothing Phone (4a) comes with a 50MP main camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom and an 8MP ultrawide along with a 32MP, f/2.2 front camera. Keeping the lights on meanwhile is a 5,080mAh battery with support for 50W fast charging.
Poco X8 Pro Max
If all you care about is performance and almost nothing else, the Poco X8 Pro Max might be more up your alley. Starting at RM1,999 for the base model with 256GB of storage, the Poco X8 Pro Max features a large 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED display capable of a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 3500nits and has a layer of Gorilla Glass 7i over it too for scratch resistance.
Under the hood is arguably the most powerful processor on this list, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s. This 3nm offers performance close to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and comes with 12GB of memory and up to 512GB of storage. It comes with Android 16 out of the box with HyperOS 3 over it, and support for four major OS upgrades and six years of security patches.
In the camera department the Poco X8 Pro Max comes with a 50MP main and an 8MP ultrawide, while a 20MP front camera is there for your selfies. Its battery meanwhile is also the largest on here, with an 8500mAh battery with support for 100W HyperCharge fast charging and up to 27W reverse charging.
Vivo V70
In contrast, if you prefer a camera-first experience, the Vivo V70 is another interesting candidate in the sub-RM2,000 segment. Starting at RM1,999, the Vivo V70 carries the Zeiss brand on its back, signalling its strong camera setup packing a 50MP main, a 50MP telephoto offering 3x optical zoom and an 8MP ultrawide together with a 50MP selfie shooter.
You get a 6.59-inch AMOLED display here with a 2750 x 1260p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a local peak brightness of 5,000nits. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 system-on-chip, with up to 12GB of memory and up to 512GB of storage. You get Android 16 out of the box with OriginOS 6 over it, and you can expect at least four major OS upgrades and six years of security patches. There’s also a 6500mAh battery keeping the lights on, with support for 90W fast charging.
Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G
We’ve got another Xiaomi sub-brand here on this list, as now we have the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G. Priced from RM1,699 for the 256GB base model and RM1,899 for the 512GB version, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 system-on-chip under the hood mated to 12GB of memory. Perhaps because it launched the earliest among the bunch here in January, it comes with just Android 15 out of the box with HyperOS 2, but still gets 4 major OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches.
You’ll also find a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 2772 by 1280p resolution capable of a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3200nits, along with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 over it for scratch resistance. There’s also a 6500mAh battery with support for 100W fast charging and 22.5W reverse charging. As for cameras, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G packs a 200MP main camera flanked by an 8MP, while up front you get a 32MP, f/2.2 selfie shooter.
Realme 16 Pro
While we would’ve liked to have included the Realme 16 Pro+ instead, it’s RM2,299 price tag means we’re including its non-Plus stablemate instead, the Realme 16 Pro. This midranger is our most affordable yet on our list at RM1,599 for the base model with 256GB of storage and RM1,899 for the 512GB variant.
That gets you a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max-powered smartphone with 12GB of memory and Android 16 out of the box, skinned with Realme UI 7.0 over it; Realme claims a guarantee of three major OS upgrades and four years of security patches too. There’s also a 7000mAh battery here with support for 80W fast charging.
The display is a 6.78-inch, 2772 by 1272p AMOLED panel with an up to 144Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 6500nits and has a layer of AGC DT Star D+ glass for scratch resistance. In the camera department meanwhile the Realme 16 Pro comes with a main 200MP shooter alongside an 8MP ultrawide while a 50MP selfie shooter sits up front.
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