By now, we should know that Realme really targets the budget segment to dominate the smartphone market. In fact, its devices were always priced reasonably, allowing consumers to afford capable handsets without having to break the bank.
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| Realme C2 Review; Strong Budget Contender |
Now, we’re going to talk about our experience with the Realme C2 – an entry-level smartphone that packs attractive specs and features for its price. But can it really deliver its promises? Let’s dig deeper here!
PHYSICAL:
Unlike other budget smartphones, the Realme C2 is dressed with a unique physique that looks more expensive than its actual price tag. This was made possible by the brand’s trademark diamond-cut design that has matte-like finish. With this, although the handset is made of unibody plastic, Realme managed to deliver a good-looking smartphone that is hard to find in its segment. Also, you can expect that you don’t have to wipe its cover every now and then, as it doesn't attract fingerprints and smudges easily. The phone measures 153.7 x 73.7 x 8.5mm and weighs 166 grams, hence, the device could comfortably sit on our hands even on one-hand usage.
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| 6.1-inch IPS HD+ screen |
Its front is dominated by a 6.1-inch screen with a dewdrop notch to house its front camera. However, Realme couldn’t avoid its thick chin just like other entry-level smartphones. Flip the device on its back to reveal its dual-rear camera setup, along with its LED flash, on its upper left corner. It has the Realme branding on its lower part, too.
Moving on, its volume keys and card slots are located on its left side, while its power button is sited on its right cheek. With that being said, I found this a little confusing at first, as I’m personally used to having them at the same side.
On the other hand, its speaker grill, microUSB port, microphone, and 3.5mm audio port are all placed at the bottom.
And yup, it has no fingerprint scanner. Good thing, it comes with Face Unlock feature for an additional security option.
DISPLAY:
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| Dewdrop Notch |
The Realme C2 boasts a 6.1-inch IPS panel with HD+ 1560 x 720 resolution, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, as well. Compared to its predecessor, the C2 is mounted with a smaller notch, which enables users to enjoy more screen area.
For viewing experience, the device can give off accurate and vibrant colors with impressive sharpness. However, we noticed that it has dim brightness even if we put it at its highest level. As a result, we have a hard time seeing its details when we’re using it outdoors, and sometimes, even in indoors.
SOFTWARE:
The Realme C2 is loaded with ColorOS 6 skin based on Android 9 Pie OS. The phone comes with numbers of pre-installed apps including usual Google native apps, Facebook, Opera, Game Space, Phone Manager, Game Center, Webnovel, and Lazada. If you think that you don’t need these apps, then, don’t worry because you can easily uninstall them to free up some space.
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| Software |
Similar to other Realme devices, the handset has an app drawer to accommodate your apps. Hence, you can get rid of its multiple home screens, which is usually messy when not organized.
Its interface looks clean and youthful, while navigation is easy, as well. It sports an on-screen navigation keys, while users have options to choose its layouts or to switch to gesture-based navigation.
PERFORMANCE:
Realme equipped the C2 with Helio P22 octa-core processor paired with PowerVR GE8320 GPU. It can also be packed with up to 3GB RAM, and up to 64GB storage. Having these things on our mind, we didn’t get our hopes up that it could deliver flawless performance.
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| Realme C2 |
However, we could say that the device still exceeded our expectations, as it didn’t give us a serious problem when running multiple apps. As our main driver, the phone can accompany us on our daily mobile tasks such as basic communications, continuous social media browsing, and casual gaming.
Nevertheless, we noticed that the device slows down when we’re multitasking, and when we’re playing games with heavy graphics. Don’t get us wrong though, as it can give off a decent performance when doing these mobile activities. But of course, expect that it will not offer you your desired speed when switching from one app to another, or when you’re intensively using it.
Meanwhile, we tried to run it on various benchmark apps, but the phone crashes every time we do.
Related: Realme 3 Pro Review; An All-Out Smartphone
CAMERA:
If you’re looking for an affordable smartphone with good photography capabilities, then, you might find C2’s camera specs attractive on paper. The device is banked with dual rear shooters composed of a 13-megapixel f/2.2 main lens and 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor. For selfies, you’ll have a 5-megapixel front facing snapper that supports AI Face Beauty to enhance your photos.
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| Indoor |
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| Indoor |
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| Outdoor |
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| Selfie |
The Realme C2 can take good daylight photos with vibrant and accurate colors. However, in lowlight settings, the images lack some sharpness and details. Moreover, you’d notice that photos look too soft and has obvious noises. There were also times when the device delivers warm photos when we’re taking indoor photos.
Just like its main camera, its selfie snapper works well in places with good lighting. Its AI Beauty did its job, as it can really enhance your photos by removing blemishes and some facial flaws. Meanwhile, we prefer to not use its Portrait mode because its bokeh effect has poor performance from time to time.
Nevertheless, for its price, the device can surely satisfy you as it performs better than other devices at this price point.
See Also: Counterpoint: Samsung Tops Mobile Vendors, while Realme Records Fastest Ramp-Ups!
CONNECTIVITY:
The C2 is a dual-SIM device that supports basic connectivity features. The phone allows users to connect to WiFi, LTE, Bluetooth, and GPS. All of these worked well during our tests, as we never had a problem dealing with our signal reception.
Meanwhile, the handset also has microUSB port with OTG function, and 3.5mm audio jack.
BATTERY:
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| Diamond-cut Pattern Design |
Unlike other budget smartphones, the Realme C2 is juiced with a large 4,000mAh battery that can surely accompany you all throughout the day. Tapped as our main device, the handset can last up to 13 hours of usage. Our mobile activities include basic communications, heavy social media browsing, and casual gaming.
However, when we’re using it non-stop, the phone lasted for only 10 hours and almost 30 minutes.
Charging time, on the other hand, took almost two hours to fully charge its battery.
VERDICT:
Overall, the Realme C2 is one of the best budget phones for first-time smartphone users. It has unique design that can battle out other entry-level devices, while it comes with a trendy display, too, which will not make consumers feel like they are settling for less. Moreover, it has decent performance that can surely accommodate daily mobile tasks.
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| Realme C2 |
The phone has an underwhelming camera performance, but it’s already enough to impress you at this price point. Moreover, the C2 is only one of the few budget phones to offer a whopping battery capacity that can last for almost a day.
The Realme C2 is now available in the Philippines starting at Php5,490 – one of the most balanced handsets in its segment.
So, is it a yay or nay? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Realme C2 Specs (Philippines):
- Dual SIM, supports LTE connectivity
- 6.1-inch IPS HD+ (1560 x 720) capacitive touchscreen, 282ppi, Dragontail Glass protected
- Dimensions: 153.7 x 73.7 x 8.5mm
- Weight: 166 grams
- Android 9.0 Pie with ColorOS 6.0
- 2.0GHz 64-bit octa-core CPU, Helio P22 chipset, PowerVR GE8320 GPU
- 2GB/3GB RAM
- 16GB/32GB storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card
- 13MP f/2.2 + 2MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras
- 5MP front camera with AI Face Beauty
- Multimedia Player
- FM Radio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
- NFC
- MicroUSB with OTG
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
- Sensors: accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
- Others: Face Unlock
- Battery: 4000mAh non-removable
- Colors: Diamond Black, Diamond Blue
- Price: Php5,490/Php6,490