A new wave of budget smartphones is making design and endurance the main selling points, even in the Rp1 million class. Several models now borrow the clean, premium look associated with iPhone-style camera layouts, while also adding high-refresh-rate displays and larger batteries.
The most attention-grabbing name in the group is Tecno Spark 50 4G, mainly because it carries a 7,000 mAh battery. Tecno says that capacity can support up to 48 hours of nonstop calling, while the phone also follows the current trend with a rear camera design reminiscent of the iPhone 17 Pro series.
Battery life is now a major battleground
Tecno Spark 50 4G is not only about capacity. It also comes with a 50 MP main camera with PDAF, NFC, IP64 certification, a 6.78-inch 120 Hz display, and the MediaTek Helio G81 chipset. The phone runs Android 16 with HiOS 16, and its price is set at Rp1.99 million for the 4GB/128GB variant and Rp2.3 million for the 6GB/128GB model.
Other brands are taking different routes to win attention in the same price range. Honor Play 70C, for example, launched in China with a triple-camera design that immediately recalls the iPhone 16 Pro, while keeping its starting price at 599 yuan, or around Rp1.5 million.
Some models focus on speed, others on durability
In the entry-level segment, storage technology is also becoming a talking point. POCO C81 Pro stands out because it uses UFS 2.2, a feature that is still uncommon in this price bracket, and it is already available in Indonesia.
The device carries a 6.9-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, an Unisoc T7250 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, and a 6,000 mAh battery. POCO prices the 4GB/64GB version at Rp1,549,000 and the 4GB/128GB version at Rp1,699,000, while also pairing the phone with Xiaomi HyperOS 3 based on Android 15, a 13 MP main camera, and an AnTuTu score of 439,885 points.
Durability is the main idea behind Itel Zeno 200. The phone is built with MIL-STD-810H and IP65 protection, which gives it added resistance to certain harsh conditions, dust, and water spray.
Itel also gives the device a distinct look, with a camera module that sits somewhere between an iPhone-style layout and a Pixel-like approach. The phone uses a 6.75-inch IPS LCD panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, Android 15 Go Edition, 4 GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128 GB of storage, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 15W fast charging.
Phones with iPhone-like design are spreading quickly
Honor Play 70C adds another example of how aggressively brands are using familiar premium cues in low-cost phones. It measures 7.89 mm thick and is available in Lake Blue, Moonlit Silver, and Ink Rock Black, while also using the MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra, a 6.75-inch 90 Hz display, and a 5,300 mAh battery.
Honor says that battery can support up to 10 hours of video calls or 14 hours of social media scrolling. For now, the phone is still limited to China, and there is no official confirmation for Indonesia.
Honor X5c Plus may be closer to local availability. The phone has already secured Postel and TKDN certification from the Ministry of Industry with a score of 35.75 percent, which puts it on the radar for a possible Indonesia launch.
It also brings Magic Capsule, a capsule-shaped interface near the front camera that shows real-time information in a way similar to Dynamic Island, but adapted to Honor’s MagicOS ecosystem. The rest of the package includes a 7.9 mm thin body, a square camera module, a 6.74-inch 90 Hz display, a MediaTek Helio G81 chipset, a 50 MP main camera, and a 5,260 mAh battery with 15W fast charging.
Taken together, these phones show how the affordable segment is no longer limited to plain designs and basic batteries. Buyers at around Rp1 million can now choose between faster displays, more premium-looking camera layouts, stronger durability, and in one case, a 7,000 mAh battery that pushes endurance even further.
