Xiaomi Hongmi

Under the hood sits a Mediatek MT6589T chipset, a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A7 setup paired with a PowerVR SGX544MP2 GPU and 1 GB RAM. That's enough for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean to run without much fuss, though it's clearly built for basic multitasking rather than heavy apps. Storage is a modest 4 GB, but a microSD slot takes you up to 32 GB extra. The 4.7-inch IPS LCD screen covers about 64.4% of the front, giving a reasonably compact footprint for the era.

Camera-wise, you get an 8 MP rear sensor with autofocus and dual-LED flash, plus a 1.3 MP front camera for video calls at 720p. The 2000 mAh battery is on the smaller side, so expect to charge daily with regular use. Dual SIM support, Wi-Fi, GPS and HSPA data round out the connectivity, and it comes in Black, Chinese Red, and a Metallic Gray option with swappable blue, green and yellow panels.

Xiaomi Hongmi price in Malaysia starts from RM520, positioning it as a budget pick for anyone after basic smartphone functions without extra frills.