Sony Xperia U

This is an entry-level Android phone from 2012, built around a dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 chip and just 512 MB of RAM. That's enough for basic Gingerbread-era multitasking but nothing more; the 8 GB of onboard storage is also cut down to roughly 4 GB once you account for the system, and there's no memory card slot to make up the difference.

The 3.5-inch TFT screen runs at 480 x 854 pixels, which was modest even at launch. Camera duties fall to a 5 MP rear sensor with autofocus and LED flash, plus a VGA front camera for basic video calls. Battery capacity sits at 1320 mAh, matching the phone's compact 110 g body but limiting it to light use between charges.

Sony Xperia U price in Malaysia starts from RM359. It shipped on Android 2.3 Gingerbread with an upgrade path to Ice Cream Sandwich, and came with swappable bottom caps in a few colour options.