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Despite the price hike, the Realme C1 is still a great budget option and a solid Redmi 6A alternative.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Realme C1 was announced with most of the same specs as the Realme 2, but at a much lower price point of Rs 6,999 which made it even more appealing. But the company was recently forced to hike the price by Rs 1,000 due to depreciating rupee and so the Realme C1 now costs Rs 7,999. In a budget segment, this hike can make a world of a difference, so what we have to do now is figure out whether the C1 still makes sense at its new pricing. Here's what I found after using the device for a little over a week.
Design
Realme's whole philosophy circles around offering phones for a youth-centric audience. For this to work, the company feels design is just as important as the specs. So the Realme 1, Realme 2 and the Realme 2 Pro have tried to deliver that. The Realme C1 is an entry-level smartphone and you would think that the company would make some trade offs with the design, but it hasn't. The C1 looks similar to all the other Realme phones in that it gets a glossy reflective rear panel and an edge-to-edge display. It's closer to the Realme 2 because it gets the same kind of wide notch, while the missing fingerprint sensor makes it look similar to the Realme 1.
The rear panel is plastic, but the glossy sheen to it makes it look good in the Deep Black variant that I received as my review unit. There's also an Ocean Blue option that is a little more bright attention-grabbing. The phone manages to stay pretty compact despite a tall display on board. It also has a solid build quality with firm and tactile buttons around the frame. The SIM tray on the top left side can hold two nano SIM cards (dual 4G VoLTE support) and a microSD card.
Since the Realme C1 looks identical to the Realme 2, it also comes with the same design issues. The display feels disassociated with the body as it doesn't seamlessly curve around the sides. It feels like the glass has been cheaply glued on top and this is a very common sight to see on Realme and Oppo phones. The glossy plastic rear panel will see scratches and scuffs after a few days so it's best to go for a dark colour option or a protective case.
Display
The biggest thing going for the Realme C1 is its tall 6.2-inch HD+ (720x1520) display. It's one of the biggest you will find in the entry-level segment. Thanks to the notch and the chin, you get a generous amount of screen real estate with an 88.8 per cent screen-to-body ratio as per Realme's claims. This is a good display panel that's bright and colourful indoors. The colors on app icons look deep and saturated. Brightness levels are good outdoors, but it can suffer under harsh sunlight and viewing angles are pretty average.
The display will lack in sharpness while watching videos, but you won't be able to spot this during day-to-day use. The quality of the display is quite similar to the Realme 2, and it is great to see Realme bring that to an even lower price point. Of course, the 6.2-inch display is best utilised while watching videos in full screen.
Performance and software
When the Realme 2 was announced with a Snapdragon 450 chipset, it felt like a major downgrade over the Helio P60-powered Realme 1. The Realme C1 gets the same Snapdragon 450, but it feels right considering the phone's entry-level price. This is an octa-core processor that pairs with 2GB of RAM, so it's not going offer a terrifically smooth experience, especially while multitasking because. The C1 is mostly lag-free while performing basic day-to-day tasks like messaging and calling. It will start to stutter when scrolling through social media apps like Facebook or Twitter. It's not a snappy device while opening and loading apps, but the chipset is capable of running PUBG in case you were wondering.
That being said, you may want to keep your PUBG play time to a minimum because the device does show some stress. The game will work on low graphic setting by default so it won't look sharp and it will run smooth enough for the first 5-10 minutes. However, you will notice some lags if you play for a prolonged period. The good news is that the battery level does not drop at a significant rate even while playing games.
The Realme C1 ships with Android 8.1 Oreo with Oppo's ColorOS 5.1 on top. It's a fairly thick ColorOS skin that I'm not particularly a fan of. The biggest reason is because the software is still not optimised for the notch. This means that notch tends to intrude and eats into some of the content which makes it harder to get used to. The software also looks quite dated in general with big app icons that look unappealing. Additionally, the slide to remove notification is still missing and we hope it makes with ColorOS 5.2.
Oppo's custom software comes with a few notable features that includes Smart Assistant, split-screen multitasking, Game Mode and some new security layers including the ability to make app payments and purchases via face recognition. I noticed a few apps like Zalo IM and Bao Moi which told me that I received a Vietnamese unit for review. These were deletable, however, so that's good to know. The software does not have a lot of bloatware but there are a lot of features and customisations that may compromise the performance of the Realme C1 after a few months.
Like the Realme 1, the C1 also misses a fingerprint sensor. But you do get a snappy face unlock feature that works well in good lighting conditions. In darkness, however, you will have to unlock the phone with a pattern or pin. The single speaker grille on the bottom has average volume levels, and it's only on max setting that it really gets loud, but the clarity is pretty poor.
Cameras
The rear cameras on the Realme C1 are similar to the Realme 2. You get a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor that allows you to take depth-of-field photos. The front camera has been downgraded from 8-megapixel t 5-megapixel. The iOS-like camera app will look familiar and it's easy enough to work with. You also get modes like Time-Lapse, Stickers and Panorama and additional features such as face beauty and HDR.
IMAGE SAMPLES
The Realme C1 captures good detail when there is sufficient light around. In bright outdoor conditions, photos will look sharp and colour reproduction is fairly decent. There's also a good amount of contrast and light so photos will look bright enough. Shutter speed is as fast as ever and autofocus is snappy as well. In low light, photos are noisy, but the sensor manages to retain some detail which is good to see. The camera also struggles to focus on a subject in low light. Indoor shots were decent but still showed some noise.
Battery
Charging the Realme C1 made me feel like I was five years in the past. The phone takes over 4 hours to charge from zero to 100 per cent using the bundled 5W charger, which is just painful. Using a 10W charger should make things a bit faster, but the Realme C1 does not support any form of fast charging so expect a good 3 to 4 hours of charge time. You're probably going to charge the phone overnight when you do.
The good thing is that you won't be reaching for the charger too often. The Realme C1 delivers a terrific battery life that will easily take you through two days. It gets the same 4,230mAh battery capacity as the Realme 2. Because the Realme C1 has fewer pixels to push and a chipset that does not demand a lot of power, you'll get a pretty solid screen on time of around 6 hours.
Should you buy the Realme C1?
Despite the price hike, the Realme C1 is still a great budget option and a solid Redmi 6A alternative. If you liked the Realme 2, you will love the Realme C1. It gets an attractive design that makes it stand out from generic plastic smartphones in this segment. It gets a big, immersive display and is one of the cheapest notched phones in the market. Perhaps the icing on the cake here is that the C1 delivers a terrific battery life that none of the Redmi phones in this range can boast of.
The only aspect that is likely to frustrate you about the Realme C1 is the incredible amount of time it takes to charge the device. If you're a patient soul, you may just deal with it better than most people. The limited amount of RAM may also disappoint you if you're looking to multitask, but as an overall device the Realme C1 will not offer you a lot of reasons to complain and is still a great buy at its new pricing.
Source- https://www.indiatoday.in/technolog...get-competitor-to-redmi-6a-1390381-2018-11-17
HIGHLIGHTS
- If you liked the Realme 2, you will love the Realme C1.
- The Realme C1 delivers a terrific battery life.
- The rear cameras on the Realme C1 are similar to the Realme 2.
The Realme C1 was announced with most of the same specs as the Realme 2, but at a much lower price point of Rs 6,999 which made it even more appealing. But the company was recently forced to hike the price by Rs 1,000 due to depreciating rupee and so the Realme C1 now costs Rs 7,999. In a budget segment, this hike can make a world of a difference, so what we have to do now is figure out whether the C1 still makes sense at its new pricing. Here's what I found after using the device for a little over a week.
Design
Realme's whole philosophy circles around offering phones for a youth-centric audience. For this to work, the company feels design is just as important as the specs. So the Realme 1, Realme 2 and the Realme 2 Pro have tried to deliver that. The Realme C1 is an entry-level smartphone and you would think that the company would make some trade offs with the design, but it hasn't. The C1 looks similar to all the other Realme phones in that it gets a glossy reflective rear panel and an edge-to-edge display. It's closer to the Realme 2 because it gets the same kind of wide notch, while the missing fingerprint sensor makes it look similar to the Realme 1.
The rear panel is plastic, but the glossy sheen to it makes it look good in the Deep Black variant that I received as my review unit. There's also an Ocean Blue option that is a little more bright attention-grabbing. The phone manages to stay pretty compact despite a tall display on board. It also has a solid build quality with firm and tactile buttons around the frame. The SIM tray on the top left side can hold two nano SIM cards (dual 4G VoLTE support) and a microSD card.
Since the Realme C1 looks identical to the Realme 2, it also comes with the same design issues. The display feels disassociated with the body as it doesn't seamlessly curve around the sides. It feels like the glass has been cheaply glued on top and this is a very common sight to see on Realme and Oppo phones. The glossy plastic rear panel will see scratches and scuffs after a few days so it's best to go for a dark colour option or a protective case.
Display
The biggest thing going for the Realme C1 is its tall 6.2-inch HD+ (720x1520) display. It's one of the biggest you will find in the entry-level segment. Thanks to the notch and the chin, you get a generous amount of screen real estate with an 88.8 per cent screen-to-body ratio as per Realme's claims. This is a good display panel that's bright and colourful indoors. The colors on app icons look deep and saturated. Brightness levels are good outdoors, but it can suffer under harsh sunlight and viewing angles are pretty average.
The display will lack in sharpness while watching videos, but you won't be able to spot this during day-to-day use. The quality of the display is quite similar to the Realme 2, and it is great to see Realme bring that to an even lower price point. Of course, the 6.2-inch display is best utilised while watching videos in full screen.
Performance and software
When the Realme 2 was announced with a Snapdragon 450 chipset, it felt like a major downgrade over the Helio P60-powered Realme 1. The Realme C1 gets the same Snapdragon 450, but it feels right considering the phone's entry-level price. This is an octa-core processor that pairs with 2GB of RAM, so it's not going offer a terrifically smooth experience, especially while multitasking because. The C1 is mostly lag-free while performing basic day-to-day tasks like messaging and calling. It will start to stutter when scrolling through social media apps like Facebook or Twitter. It's not a snappy device while opening and loading apps, but the chipset is capable of running PUBG in case you were wondering.
That being said, you may want to keep your PUBG play time to a minimum because the device does show some stress. The game will work on low graphic setting by default so it won't look sharp and it will run smooth enough for the first 5-10 minutes. However, you will notice some lags if you play for a prolonged period. The good news is that the battery level does not drop at a significant rate even while playing games.
The Realme C1 ships with Android 8.1 Oreo with Oppo's ColorOS 5.1 on top. It's a fairly thick ColorOS skin that I'm not particularly a fan of. The biggest reason is because the software is still not optimised for the notch. This means that notch tends to intrude and eats into some of the content which makes it harder to get used to. The software also looks quite dated in general with big app icons that look unappealing. Additionally, the slide to remove notification is still missing and we hope it makes with ColorOS 5.2.
Oppo's custom software comes with a few notable features that includes Smart Assistant, split-screen multitasking, Game Mode and some new security layers including the ability to make app payments and purchases via face recognition. I noticed a few apps like Zalo IM and Bao Moi which told me that I received a Vietnamese unit for review. These were deletable, however, so that's good to know. The software does not have a lot of bloatware but there are a lot of features and customisations that may compromise the performance of the Realme C1 after a few months.
Like the Realme 1, the C1 also misses a fingerprint sensor. But you do get a snappy face unlock feature that works well in good lighting conditions. In darkness, however, you will have to unlock the phone with a pattern or pin. The single speaker grille on the bottom has average volume levels, and it's only on max setting that it really gets loud, but the clarity is pretty poor.
Cameras
The rear cameras on the Realme C1 are similar to the Realme 2. You get a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor that allows you to take depth-of-field photos. The front camera has been downgraded from 8-megapixel t 5-megapixel. The iOS-like camera app will look familiar and it's easy enough to work with. You also get modes like Time-Lapse, Stickers and Panorama and additional features such as face beauty and HDR.
IMAGE SAMPLES
The Realme C1 captures good detail when there is sufficient light around. In bright outdoor conditions, photos will look sharp and colour reproduction is fairly decent. There's also a good amount of contrast and light so photos will look bright enough. Shutter speed is as fast as ever and autofocus is snappy as well. In low light, photos are noisy, but the sensor manages to retain some detail which is good to see. The camera also struggles to focus on a subject in low light. Indoor shots were decent but still showed some noise.
Battery
Charging the Realme C1 made me feel like I was five years in the past. The phone takes over 4 hours to charge from zero to 100 per cent using the bundled 5W charger, which is just painful. Using a 10W charger should make things a bit faster, but the Realme C1 does not support any form of fast charging so expect a good 3 to 4 hours of charge time. You're probably going to charge the phone overnight when you do.
The good thing is that you won't be reaching for the charger too often. The Realme C1 delivers a terrific battery life that will easily take you through two days. It gets the same 4,230mAh battery capacity as the Realme 2. Because the Realme C1 has fewer pixels to push and a chipset that does not demand a lot of power, you'll get a pretty solid screen on time of around 6 hours.
Should you buy the Realme C1?
Despite the price hike, the Realme C1 is still a great budget option and a solid Redmi 6A alternative. If you liked the Realme 2, you will love the Realme C1. It gets an attractive design that makes it stand out from generic plastic smartphones in this segment. It gets a big, immersive display and is one of the cheapest notched phones in the market. Perhaps the icing on the cake here is that the C1 delivers a terrific battery life that none of the Redmi phones in this range can boast of.
The only aspect that is likely to frustrate you about the Realme C1 is the incredible amount of time it takes to charge the device. If you're a patient soul, you may just deal with it better than most people. The limited amount of RAM may also disappoint you if you're looking to multitask, but as an overall device the Realme C1 will not offer you a lot of reasons to complain and is still a great buy at its new pricing.
Source- https://www.indiatoday.in/technolog...get-competitor-to-redmi-6a-1390381-2018-11-17
