realme has been on a roll recently launching the realme X3 SuperZoom, its first high-end flagship smartphone in the country, as well as the realme Watch, the brand’s first smartwatch. Less than a month later, the brand is launching a new entry-level smartphone that could be an option for students taking online classes this coming school year.
The realme C11 is the latest in the brand’s C-series range, but don’t dismiss it so easily. The realme C11 is powered by MediaTek’s newest G35 processor. In our review unit, this was mated to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage that’s expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The phone runs on the realme UI 1.0 based on Android 10.
The realme C11 features a 6.5-inch mini-drop screen with an HD+ (720 x 1600) resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, making it a perfect viewing companion in most cases. The screen was bright even when I was outdoors testing the cameras. Atop the screen is the phone’s 5-megapixel selfie camera, which does deliver good photos considering its specifications.
Design-wise the realme C11 is definitely different from its predecessor. The back feels more like the brand’s i-series smartphone. The phone offers a good grip even without a rubber case. According to realme the back cover’s texture was processed using a German radium engraving machine and consists of more than 450 curves. The curves also give the back some shine thanks to light reflecting off it. The realme C11’s dual-camera setup is now also presented in a square configuration, which I think is pretty stylish.
The camera on this device is great for considering its class. The realme C11 has a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel shooter and a 2-megapixel secondary depth sensor. The camera did provide great images when shooting outdoors in great weather but somehow feels a little bit lackluster when shooting indoors. Also the camera’s night mode produced bright images but initial tests yielded very soft images.
The realme C11 does a good job in color reproduction for its segment. 
The camera’s hardware level bokeh is true as advertised. It does a great job separating the subject for the background. 
When the elements are right the camera does produce almost true to life colors. 
The camera does have good digital zoom capabilities. Here’s a look at the quality in non-zoom. 
At 2x zoom the realme C11 still produced sharp images. 
At the maximum 4x zoom, the realme C11 still captures decent images but not as detailed. 
Indoor shots still capture the subjects but does feel a bit more lackluster compared to the outdoor shots 
The night mode is not the best but hey atleast you have one for the price.
What the realme C11 excels at is definitely its battery life. Since receiving the phone (which was about a week ago), I’ve only charged it once—though all I’ve done so far is light usage. Charging time was about 2 hours, which is decent, considering that the battery is a massive 5000mAh.
Coming in at PHP 4,990 for the 2GB + 32GB variant, the realme C11 does show promise as one of the entry-level smartphones to get. Still I need to tinker with the phone a bit more so I can do a more in-depth review.