Realme C3 review: Good performance overall, but camera disappoints

This smartphone could be a good option for those looking for a performer, but if you are looking for Instagram-worthy pictures, you might not be impressed.

Technology News : After launching several smartphones last year, Chinese smartphone brand Realme is continuing to bring more smartphones to the Indian market. After the Realme 5i, the company has brought the Realme C3, aimed at those who love to binge-watch movies and web series.

The Realme C3 comes with some notable software and hardware upgrades over the Realme C2, including MediaTek's Helio G70 Processor chipset and a 5,000-mAh battery.

In the first impression, we felt the smartphone was worthy of some praise but we couldn't just do that at its face value, so we used the phone for a few days and here is what we found:

Design and display

The phone's textured back panel is a deviation from the usual gradient design we see in most smartphones these days. Apart from that, the phone is lightweight, despite a 5, 000mAh battery.

The power and volume buttons are on the right and left sides, respectively. But they are very sleek, hence a bit difficult to locate. The phone has a tray for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. There are a Micro-USB port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a loudspeaker at the conventional bottom position.

Despite 195g weight, the Realme C3 feels light. The phone is available in Frozen Blue and Blazing Red colour options.

When it comes to display, the smartphone has a 6.5-inch LCD screen with 1,600 x 720 pixel resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, and 89.8 percent screen-to-body ratio. The screen has Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

The display may not impress much at first, but it seems fine when you get used to the phone. This smartphone is for those people who watch a lot of web series and shows on their phone. For that, it just fits fine. But you would have to adjust brightness when using it outdoors. Since it doesn't have a Widevine L1 certification, you will not be able to play HD videos on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.

Overall, it looks like any other smartphone in its price range, but the back panel separates it from others.

Realme C3 first impressions: Some noteworthy improvements over Realme C2

Realme's recently-launched budget phone Realme C3 has brought some notable hardware and software upgrades to the Realme C2.

Chinese smartphone brand Realme recently launched the Realme C3 budget smartphone, with some notable software and hardware upgrades when compared with the Realme C2. At a starting price of Rs 6,999 for the 3GB+32GB storage configuration, and Rs 7,999 for the 4GB + 64GB variant, the Realme C3 comes with MediaTek's Helio G70 Processor chipset, 6.5-inch mini-drop full screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and a whopping 5,000-mAh battery.

Realme C3 runs the new Realme UI on top of the Android 10-based ColorOS 7.

The phone has a dual-camera module at the back, with a 12MP primary camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The phone also has a 5MP selfie camera with features like Chroma Boost, slow motion video, HDR mode, and Panorama selfie.

The Realme C3 comes in 3 GB and 4 GB RAM and 32 GB and 64 GB storage variants. The phone also supports dual sim and has a USB port for charging, besides a 3.5 mm jack and speaker at the bottom.

The phone brings some major upgrades to the Realme C2. It has a 6.5-inch mini-drop display, compared with the predecessor’s a 6.1-inch HD-plus dewdrop display. While the Realme C2 had MediaTek Helio P22 chipset, the C3 comes with MediaTek's Helio G70 chipset. In terms of battery, the C2 had 4,000mAh, and the C3 has a 5,000mAh battery. Also, Realme has done away with the diamond-cut design seen in the previous phone; the C3 comes with a back panel that is resistant to smudges and fingerprints.

The Realme C3 is available in Blazing Red and Frozen Blue colours. The first sale of the Realme C3 is scheduled for February 14 at noon (IST).

terms of size and weight, the Realme C3 is easy to handle. The volume and power buttons are well within reach for single-hand use. So far, the phone comes across as a great improvement over the Realme C2, but it remains to be seen if it can be a threat to other phones in the price range.

So far, we liked the overall look and performance, however, it will be too early to pass a verdict.

We will soon gauge the Realme C3’s performance on several important parameters in our full review.