Realme has established itself as the brand to watch in 2022, with the GT 2 Pro and 9 Pro Plus delivering premium features to the mid-range market. Now, the corporation appears to be focusing on low-cost phones as well.
It’s also reasonably priced. The Realme C35 is part of the company’s ultra low-end range of gadgets, which aren’t generally worth a mention. Perhaps that could be said about the C31, which was released alongside the C35; nonetheless, this higher-end phone, although still quite inexpensive, is a stunningly competent phone for the amount you’re paying.
The Realme C35 will easily make it onto the list of the best inexpensive phones, thanks to its 50-megapixel primary camera. It makes use of Sony’s IMX766 sensor, which is now found in a number of phones and is excellent for low-light photography.
The Realme seems perfectly enough for daily usage, whether you’re switching between applications or surfing the web. Sure, you’re unlikely to have a wonderful time playing top-tier games, but this gadget isn’t designed for folks that prioritise gaming.
What will you see here?
Price and Availability
The Realme C35, which debuted with the more priced C31, went on sale in April 2022.
The handset is available in the United Kingdom but not in the United States or Australia. The former isn’t surprising given that Realme doesn’t sell its phones in the United States. However, it’ll most certainly appear in Australia in the near future.
The device costs £149 for 64GB storage and £169 for 128GB storage. It is preferable for individuals who shoot a lot of photos; a minor price increase for double the capacity is a terrific value.
The C35 is the most costly Realme C phone we’ve seen. Nonetheless, it is less expensive than anything in the company’s primary line of numbered smartphones, as well as most rivals from Xiaomi’s Redmi or Motorola’s Moto G lines.
Design
From a distance, the Realme C35‘s vivid Glowing Green colour may catch your eye – unless you’re gazing at the black edition of the device.
Close inspection reveals a more standard-looking phone, with a USB-C connector and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, a volume rocker on the left side, a power button with an integrated fingerprint reader on the right edge, and a rectangular camera bump protruding from its plastic back.
The fingerprint sensor was a little finicky to operate.
The phone is a little bothersome in the hand. Its large size and flat sides combine to form an angular instrument that isn’t especially pleasant to grasp in one’s palm. As a result, It’s recommendable to purchase a case.
Realme C35 display
It’s surprising that the C35 comes with FHD (1080 x 2400) screen resolution, as most low-cost phones use HD. This implies that you may use online streaming or play games at their native quality. The 6.6-inch-wide display seems rather large, with the surface area divided up by a slight notch.
The resolution is excellent, but the LCD technology and maximum brightness of 600 nits are not. Although these are price-tier features, they do mean that colours are less bright and the screen is a touch darker. Although there are problems reading the screen in brighter environments on occasion — not frequently, occasionally.
Cameras
The primary camera on the Realme C35 is a standout feature. This 50-megapixel f/1.8 device employs the Sony IMX766 sensor seen in a number of phones, and it’s quite capable.
It’s excellent at absorbing light, which has two advantages: it picks up colour well and records greater detail in low-light and night scenarios. Sure, you won’t be capturing iPhone-level night photographs with the Realme. However, the results are surprisingly good for a phone at this budget.
The Realme C35 is one of the greatest affordable camera phones on the market thanks to its sensor – but it’s “one of” rather than “the” of two minor flaws.
To begin with, the other cameras are inadequate. There’s a 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro and a 0.3-megapixel f/2.8 depth sensor, although neither is really useful. Second, the lack of HDR – or anything remotely like it in the AI area – renders identical colours in some photos indistinguishable.
If you navigate to the camera app’s list of modes, you’ll discover a reasonably well-rounded selection that includes Night, Pro, and Panorama. There are, however, one or two conspicuous omissions. There is no document-scanning feature, and the front-facing camera cannot capture Portrait photos.
The selfie camera itself is an 8-megapixel f/2.0 camera that is perfectly suited to the task of producing bright and crisp images. However, don’t anticipate high levels of detail or subtle color reproduction – or, as previously said, a Portrait mode. Video recording can be done at 1080p at 30fps, which is sufficient for any clip taken for social media.
Software
The Realme C35 runs Android 11, with the Realme UI on top. This is mostly a design adjustment, as many Chinese businesses choose to employ forks of popular open-source software. However, in the instance of Realme UI, the menus seem extremely similar to stock Android.
The result is a clean-looking menu structure, whether you’re on the main menu, app drawer, or the Quick Settings list that you can access by swiping down from the top. Furthermore, there is less bloatware than on other phones.
Because Android 11 wasn’t the most recent version at the time of the Realme C35’s debut – most phone makers are a touch inconsistent when it comes to upgrading their cheap phones.
Battery life
The Realme C35 has a large 5000mAh battery. As a consequence of the LCD 60Hz display and the lack of 5G connection, the C35 is one of the longest-lasting phones recently.
The phone readily made it through a day of use and typically made it through the second day as well. This includes a lot of social networking, photography, and the odd app download.
The charging speed is 18W, which isn’t quick; it will take you more than an hour to charge the phone completely. This is a handset for folks who charge their smartphones overnight rather than in the morning.
Conclusion
The Realme C35 is one of the greatest cheap camera phones of early-2022, with a 50-megapixel primary camera that captures stunning photos at any time of day or night, and it also punches beyond its weight in terms of software and performance. Some may find the design and display to be lacking, although this is understandable given the device’s pricing.
The Realme C35, like the majority of inexpensive phones, will last a long time among charges, closer to 2 days than 1. Sure, charging isn’t very quick, but how many low-cost smartphones do?
