ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini

A Snapdragon 615 chipset runs the show here, pairing four 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 cores with four 1.0GHz cores and Adreno 405 graphics. That's a mid-range setup, backed by 2GB RAM and 16GB storage that expands up to 128GB via microSD. The 5-inch display sits in a body that's just 8.2mm thick and weighs 147g, so it's easy to handle one-handed. It runs Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with ZTE's Nubia UI 2.8 layered on top.

Camera-wise, you get a 16MP rear shooter with autofocus and LED flash, plus an 8MP front camera for selfies and video calls. Dual SIM support and LTE Cat4 mean decent data speeds on the move. The 2900mAh battery is non-removable, which is standard for this class, and there's a proper 3.5mm jack alongside a loudspeaker for media playback.

ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini price in Malaysia starts from RM599, and it's expected to land around April 2015. It comes in Black or White, both fairly understated color choices for a phone in this bracket.