Realme C35 Review: Using Some time My Opinion and Details

Realme C35 Review, Let's take a look at the Realme C35 specifications, features, and other information that is currently available.

Realme C35 Review: Using Some time My Opinion and Details
Realme C35

REASONS TO BUY

 +  Great price point to rival the Motorola G31

 +  Accomplished 50-megapixel main camera

 +  Decent battery life

REASONS TO AVOID

 -  Performance is (predictably) not that advanced

 -  Screen doesn't resist fingerprinting too well

 -  Extra cameras are just excesses

We frequently review the best cheap phones here at 91, and I believe the Realme C35 will be one of the budget Android phone contenders in 2022. It combines an appealing design with eye-catching colour options and a high-resolution main camera, and while its specifications aren't top-tier by any means, it's got the goods to be a capable contender.

I've been using the Realme C35 as a backup device for a few weeks now to see if it's powerful enough to keep Motorola's Moto G31 at bay when it comes to making an outright Android purchase. In general, I've been impressed, though there are always some caveats when it comes to budget purchases. So, should you purchase the C35? Here's my take on it...

REALME C35: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Realme C35 is now available in the UK for £149 for the 64GB model and £169 for the 128GB model. I'd recommend going with the extra storage option because operating systems and apps can quickly consume space and affect overall operability.

Outside of the UK, the same larger storage model is available in Europe for €199. However, one of the most important markets in India, where the same model costs Rs11,999. Whatever currency you're working with, it's a relative steal.

REALME C35: DESIGN AND DISPLAY

It's clear from the start that the Realme C35's design is about capturing your attention. It's available in Glowing Green (pictured) or Glowing Black (not pictured, but I can't imagine how it 'glows', really). It's a pretty appealing green colour, and I'm glad Realme has toned down the branding to a more approachable level – some earlier handsets were littered with slogans and massive logos that, well, I'm not sure anyone truly wants. This, on the other hand, is quite clever – but rather plasticky, so don't be fooled into thinking it's in any way premium.

A camera enclosure protrudes slightly from the upper corner of the rear, but not significantly. Yes, it causes some 'desk wobble' when the phone is laid on its back, but it's not as bad as I've found with some higher-end phones with ridiculously large camera arrangements. Not that the C35 has much of an excuse: it's a thick phone, at 8.1mm, and the display is flat, so I'm surprised the cameras couldn't be designed flush with the body.

Realme separates the power button from the volume up/down switches on the device's right and left sides, which is unusual for an Android device (when facing the screen). I still find this odd, as it's to no real benefit, not that it's a deal-breaker in terms of purchase potential, but because so few other manufacturers use this arrangement. The power button also houses the fingerprint scanner, which I've found to be adequate.

And now for the display. The Realme C35's low price does not imply that it has been skimped on features. This 6.6-inch diagonal LCD panel is of adequate scale and certainly brighter than I've seen on many budget phones over the years (Realme quotes 600 nits). However, in order to conserve battery life, auto-brightness does kick in and dim the screen a little too much at times. Also, I've noticed that fingerprints are a bit of a pain on this screen; it's just less resistant to natural oils than other devices I frequently use.

Elsewhere on the screen, the specifications are excellent: even the resolution is more than adequate (at 1080 x 2408 pixels). Only the refresh rate, which is limited to 60Hz, will not compete with step-up devices (not the 90Hz or 120Hz smoother potential of some competitors). Oh, and if you don't like teardrop notches, you're out of luck: there's no separate punch-hole version for the front-facing camera here, which I don't mind.

REALME C35: PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY

It's what's beneath the Realme C35's skin that brings things down a notch. The processor is a Unisoc Tiger T616, which may make you wonder, "What, no Qualcomm?" But, to be honest, it's not the end of the world: the C35 still works perfectly, and I've had no trouble navigating between apps, software screens, and even games.

I've even played Lemmings on occasion, and there have been no animation issues, stuttering, or the like. No, the C35 will not be a PUBG Mobile champion device, but that is to be expected with this type of hardware. If you don't care about that, however, you'll be fine playing casual play games. And it's far superior to what you'd get from a Nokia 3.4, for example.

As previously stated, the C35 is fairly thick, which is due in part to the 5,000mAh battery on board. That's a respectable capacity, especially with a processor that doesn't turn the device's body into a miniature furnace. It keeps cool and lasts a long time – I've been getting well over a day of 'normal' use, so 16 hours plus with no problems.

The charger is an 18W charger, which isn't particularly fast by today's standards. It was taking me over an hour to get the phone fully charged again. It's not a big deal, but it shows where the C35 fits in Realme's lineup – especially since Realme was the first to announce 150W DartCharge.

REALME C35: CAMERAS

When it comes to low-cost phones, cameras are usually a compromise. The Realme C35, on the other hand, does things a little differently: it combines one decent main camera with, well, what I can only call two throwaway lenses. However, this is fairly typical of many low-cost devices – latching on a slew of less useful optics to increase the number count.

I'll start with the bad news: the 2-megapixel macro and 0.3-megapixel are extremely limited in use, as the macro quality is low-res, blurry to the edges, and requires some guesswork to get the focus right (because it's all about distance, i.e. it's manual). I've also discovered that using the normal camera instead of the 'Macro' setting within the app yields far better close-up images!

What about the depth sensor? I've never seen much use for these, as the 'fluffy' blurred edges around subjects' faces make for unconvincing portraits. If you want to use it, there is a 'Portrait' setting to make some use of it, so it's not completely useless.

But – yes, there's a but! – stick with the main camera and things get a lot better. The camera app is easy to use, the lag is minimal (I frequently didn't realise I'd taken a picture because it's that fast), and the resulting images from that sensor – which uses four 'pixels' to render one in the final image, at 12.5MP rather than 50MP – are clean and clear.

There's automatic high dynamic range (HDR) to compensate for shadows and highlights, as well as post-production editing options if you want to make changes to your shots. Backlighting isn't an issue, as a simple click-to-focus/expose on the screen handles a wide range of subjects with ease.

So it's no surprise that the C35's camera lacks a wide-angle lens, optical zoom, and other bells and whistles. But if you concentrate on the main optic, it's a good buy at this price point. It also performs admirably in low-light situations, such as when I was riding the London Underground, which adds another string to this low-cost phone's bow.

REALME C35 REVIEW: VERDICT

If you're looking for a budget buy, the Realme C35 is a mighty impressive Android handset for the price, delivering a strong main camera, reasonable performance for the price, and an eye-catching design that doesn't go overboard with its focus on logos and branding. Don't expect miracles for your money, but there isn't much else available at this price point.