Huawei Mate 9

Huawei Mate 9 price in Malaysia starts from RM728, which makes its Kirin 960 chipset and dual Leica camera setup worth a second look at that price point. The octa-core processor pairs 2.4GHz Cortex-A73 cores with 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 cores, backed by a Mali-G71 MP8 GPU and 4GB of RAM, enough for Android 7.0 Nougat to run without much fuss. Storage sits at 64GB, and there's a microSD slot if you need more room, up to 256GB extra.

The 5.9-inch IPS LCD panel runs at 1080 x 1920 with a pixel density of 373 ppi, giving a sharp enough image for a phone this size, though it's not an AMOLED panel. Around back, the dual 20MP and 12MP camera setup was co-engineered with Leica, with OIS, laser autofocus and a 2x zoom, useful for anyone who shoots a lot of low-light or zoomed shots.

Battery capacity is 4000mAh, non-removable, which should carry most users comfortably through a full day. Connectivity covers NFC, dual-band WiFi, GPS with multiple satellite systems, and a USB Type-C port, rounding out a spec sheet that still holds up for everyday use.