Aimed at those looking for a smartphone in the lower end of the Samsung A series market, the Realme C3 provides a decent alternative if you want to try something different. Released only in February, it is a follow up to last year’s C2, but is expected to be a little more expensive than the C2’s sub £100 price.
So, what does this budget handset offer. Well, it has a Gorilla Glass 3 screen combined with a plastic back and frame, weighing in at 195g. It is claimed that this is splash resistant, but to me that is a bit imprecise – exactly how much of a splash is it resistant to? In a lot of cases where manufacturers claim splash resistance, it is because they don’t want to spend the cash to get a handset IP68 certified, even though it might achieve it. But don’t go dropping it in the sink though to check!
The screen is a 6.5” LCD with an 82.7% screen to body ratio, a 720p resolution, 270 PPI density and 480 nits brightness. Not brilliant, but around what you would expect from a handset this price.
Decent internals powered by a big battery
Inside, there is the Mediatek Helio G70 processor, with 2,3 or 4GB of RAM options. While storage is available at 32 and 64GB and is expandable via a micro SD card. It ships with Android 10 and Realme’s own UI 1.0.
The C3 is powered by a big 5000 mAh battery, which should last more than a day. Which is just as well as it only has standard charging, so going from a 0 to 100% charge could take some time!
There is a single speaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack. But there is no fingerprint scanner although you can use face unlock to gain entry to your phone.
Three cameras in total
So finally, onto the cameras. As you would expect from a phone of this price, they are not class leading. The back has a dual array consisting of a 12MP f/1.8 wide supported by a 2MP f/2.4 depth. This combination gives good outdoor shots in daylight, but don’t go pushing it too hard outside of this. The cameras are arranged vertically in a black bar on the left top of the back and look quite neat and premium looking.
Now for the selfie camera. This is located centrally in a tear drop cutout. It is a perfectly usable 5MP f/2.4 wide lens, that should suffice for most people’s self-portrait needs.
Stand out from the crowd
The Realme C3 is available in 2 striking colours, Frozen Blue and Blazing Red. Despite the back being plastic these 2 colours look good and will make your phone stand out from Samsungs in this price bracket. Expected to cost in the £100 - £120 range, the C3 is well worth considering if you are looking for a budget priced phone with a big battery that should last you more than one day and will stand out from the crowd.
