Realme C35: Well nice and cheap, a smartphone that enters through the eyes

The entry range of cheap phones is tremendously competitive, and Realme has given us its new bet for this year with the Realme C35, an economic phone, which bets very strongly on designbut with some interesting additions so as not to fall short in the hands of increasingly demanding buyers.

We have had the Realme C35 in our hands for a few weeks, and since we have been able to test and experience it in all its aspects, we are going to talk in this review about the good and the bad, for those who are interested in this equipment, know what to expect .

unboxing

We started with the Unboxing, and here we have had the first more or less negative surprise, because on many occasions we had gotten used to the fact that cheap entry-level cell phones are the ones that include the most things in the box.

The case of the Realme C35 is like a middle ground, since we have all the essentials such as the charger (which we no longer see in many high-end phones) and the charging cable. But misses a case to protect the phone that unfortunately they do not include us (and I already anticipate that in this phone I see it as quite necessary).

Headphones are not included either, and it is not that we need them, but brands like Vivo, for example, still place them in their entry range. For the rest, we have the usual, such as the pinchito, and the manuals and warranty.

Technical specifications of the Realme C35

Let’s move on to the specifications of the phone. Please, throughout the review, keep in mind that this is an entry-level phone, with a low price, so its hardware is modestly specced, however there are some very nice surpriseslet’s see what you have in this table:

As you can read, this is not a gamer phone, nor is it powerful, but it is very good for the average user who only wants to watch multimedia content, social networks and play casually. Already in the review we are going to see that a good surprise has been its main camera and selfie, which for this range in which we are not disappointing.

Another good surprise considering the range is the large size of the screen, and its huge 5,000mAh battery that promises a long life if we combine it with a less powerful processor that saves a lot of consumption, but, Could it be that it gives us all the autonomy that we are imagining? Read on to find out, because here’s another not-so-good surprise.

There are obviously a lot of weak points here and there, which Realme has had to weigh in order to deliver a budget phone. For example, in an Antutu test, we get only about 233,498 points, leaving it very far in the ranking, however, in normal Android use, we do not feel at all that the phone has a hard time opening apps or multitasking.

Design

The strongest point of the Realme C35, and what makes it really striking and desirable, is its design. This is certainly a very nice phone, which, At first inspection in the hands, it seems to us a much more expensive phone and much higher-end than it really is, which works a lot in its favor, since we never feel that this is a plastic phone.

The same must be said, that its design shows that it is quite inspired by the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, by exhibiting those rectangular and pointed edges, and that camera module with the triangle-shaped orientation of the three cameras. In my opinion, it is an intelligent design decision, since it gives that sensation of quality that the user is looking for.

On the front of the screen, we have some somewhat large frames, especially at the bottom, and a drop-type notch, which does not bother me at all. In my opinion this is another strong point of this phone, because we have a huge 6.6” panel, something rare in these ranges where manufacturers usually introduce smaller phones.

Talking about the screen a bit more, even though we don’t have an OLED panel, or refresh rates above 60Hz. If we have a Full HD resolution, and brightness of 600 nits, which is more than good for viewing multimedia content. Here the Realme C35 does not disappoint.

Sticking with the design, this phone’s 189g doesn’t feel heavy in the hand at all, and those angular edges give us a good grip. However, on the back, the triple camera module protrudes from the body of the phone, making us worry in the long run about scratches to the lenses. This is where that protective casing is sorely missed they do not include us in the box. Personally I think the C35 would not be at all well off in a fall to the ground.

The plastic material of the back cover is shiny, and while I love the way it looks, I have to mention that It’s a fingerprint magnet.. For example, this phone in black, it is only a matter of seconds for it to be “dirty” with our fingerprints all over it.

As final comments regarding the design, we have the fingerprint sensor on the left side of the power button. This is a location that is of personal taste of each one, I do not dislike it, and it behaves very well in the C35. On the right frame we have the SIM tray and the volume buttons (we do not have a voice assistant button). Nothing on the upper frame, and on the lower frame the headphone jack, the speaker and the USB-C charging port.

cameras

As is well known in entry-level phones, cameras are not a strong point, and the Realme C35 is no exception. Despite having a triple camera module, really only one of them is decentand the other two (the macro and the depth) contribute very little, so they are of merely occasional use.

The 50MP main camera performs well during the day, giving us good images, with vivid colors, and good handling of backlights. So we have no major complaints in that regard. At night, there is obviously the weak point of this lens, because, although it gives us very decent and usable images, if you notice that it has made use of the already popular watercolor effect, to soften the noise of the images.

In terms of video unfortunately too we have a weak point related to the lack of stabilizationbecause the movements of the hand are very noticeable, so it is best to record using a tripod, or avoid moving the phone as much as possible.

The macro lens is merely testimonial, and although we can take some good images, it is noticeable how the phone has a hard time achieving focus. Additionally, it seemed to me that it did not allow me to get as close to the objects as I wanted, something that other macro lenses that I have used have allowed me, so if you like super close-ups, this is not the camera for it.

Finally we have the selfie camera, which has surprised us for the better, because despite having only 8MP, it takes very good advantage of them, delivering vivid photos, and with an HDR effect that manages on many occasions, to rescue photos that otherwise they would have come out with the sky burned, or with our very dark face.

user experience

It is nice to see how mobile technology has advanced so much that even an entry-level phone such as the Realme C35 today does not feel so far from the highest-end phones in terms of fluidity and use of Applications.

With this cell phone, you can do practically the same as with any other in terms of using popular applications, such as social networks and multimedia consumption apps, without problems. Included, despite not being a phone optimized for video games at all, it allows you to open most of the fashionable titles such as Genshin Impact, or asphalt 9, albeit with low graphics and the occasional chop; so the most casual players will still be able to enjoy one or another game of video games.

On the Android side, we have a layer of customization from Realme, called Realme UI 2.0 that doesn’t feel too intrusive, so it’s very similar to a pure Android experience. If it caught my attention that the phone came with some pre-installed apps like Kwai or LinkedIn, as well as a video editor for social networks, something I could call Blotaware, which is a practice that I haven’t seen on a phone for a long time.

One point of the bear experience that has left us somewhat deflated is the battery life, because despite having those enormous 5,000mAh, we have not come across that spectacular autonomy that we were imagining, but it has been more good average or similar to that of phones with much smaller batteries What happened there?

Conclusions

The Realme C35 is a phone focused on casual users, who are looking for a budget phone, but with a premium look. Its design is its strongest point, which together with that huge screen, makes us think that we are facing a super mid-range phone when we are really facing an entry-level phone due to its internal components.

Despite not having a super camera, it allows us to take good photos, and if the processor allows us to use Android without problems, I have even played many of the popular titles in the application stores, yes, with low graphics.

If you are a rather casual user of the cell phone, who mainly uses social networks and video and multimedia content applications, and if your budget is rather small, the Realme C35 is a good alternative because it gives you very good features in a very aesthetically pleasing package. nice.

Currently you can get the Realme C35 in Colombia for a price of around $750,000 Colombian pesos in chain stores, or even less if you grab a promotion.

The good

• Its beautiful design, which makes it look high-end.
• Its large screen, according to Realme, the largest of the entry-level phones.
• The main camera and selfies are very good from this range, obviously we cannot demand much of them at night or in the video.

The bad

• It’s weird, but the 5,000mAh battery at least in our experience, and with average use, drained faster than we expected.
• They don’t give us a protective case, and the design of this phone we think needs it, so you better get yourself one soon.

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