Realme has been on roll lately with their smartphone offerings. The realme 6 series is currently one of the best value smartphones on the mid-range segment, the realme X3 SuperZoom has the specs to take on some of the biggest names in the flagship level, and the brand has recently debuted its first smartwatch the realme Watch in the country. Now the brand is looking to make another mark in the entry-level segment with the realme C11, a device they claim could be a solution for students taking online classes this coming school year.
DESIGN: 4/5
The realme C11 follows a minimalistic design. Ours was the Mint Green colorway which reflects light really nicely due to the new engraving design on the back. The new design at the also gives the phone a nice grip even without a jelly case.
The phone has a 6.5-inch mini-drop HD+ (1600 x 720) with a 20:9 aspect ratio. On front of the phone is the 5-megapixel front camera, at the back is the dual-rear camera setup which is now on a square formation which is a pretty nice touch.
Not much can be seen on the left side of the phone just the sim card/ memory card slot, on the right is the volume and power keys, and on the bottom are the microphone slots, microUSB port, 3.5mm audio port and downward-facing speakers.
HARDWARE: 4/5
The realme C11 has the latest MediaTek Helio G35 processor with our demo unit sporting 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 256GB via microUSB. The specs allowed for low graphics settings in graphic-intensive games such as PUBG:Mobile and CoD:Mobile but more about this later.
Camera-wise, the realme C11 has a 5-megapixel front camera. A dual-camera setup at the back that has a 13-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor at the back.
Finally, the phone is powered by a 5000mAh battery. As an entry-level phone, the realme C11 doesn’t any features we have grown accused to such as a fingerprint reader which realme has replaced with a face unlock for a more efficient log-in to the phone.
USER EXPERIENCE: 4/5
I have to say I was impressed with the realme C11, especially with the new MediaTek G35 processor. The phone can definitely game (albeit in lower resolutions) and surprisingly never heat up uncomfortably. I played some PUBG: Mobile and COD: Mobile and the phone plowed through it without any issue. I’m also happy to report that realme C11 did get uncomfortably hot during my heavy gaming sessions with it.
The screen of the realme C11 isn’t the best out there but for an entry-level phone it certainly is bright for one, usable even in outdoor settings. The 6.5-inch screen was also great for a bit of multi-tasking. As for media consumption, the 20:9 aspect ratio provides good screen real estate for viewing videos and movies.
The camera of the realme C11’s camera was also great considering it segment. The 13-megapixel camera provided great images when shooting outdoors. The camera had great portrait shooting capabilities that provided good subject and background separation. Lastly, the realme C11’s had decent digital zoom capabilities. You can check out my initial review to see some of the sample shots of the camera.
One of the qualms I had with the camera was its night photography. Images from night mode came out soft. Still, it’s good to know that phone has one even if it’s not that good. Indoor photos were also a bit lackluster, but were still usable.
Where the realme C11 really excels is the battery. The 5000mAh battery lasted me about two days of heavy use and more than a week of light use (a few hours of browsing and video streaming in a day). Charging the phone averaged about 2 hours for a full charge, not bad considering that the phone has no fast charging capability.
VALUE: 5/5
The realme C11 costs just PHP 4,990 for the 2GB and 32GB variant. Though our demo unit had 3GB RAM, I doubt a gigabyte less RAM will really bog down the needs of most students except for wider multi-tasking capabilities. With that in mind, I think that the realme C11 is definitely great value for your money.
Specifications:
- Display: 6.5-inch Mini Drop display with HD+ resolution (1600 x
- Processor: MediaTek Helio G35
- GPU: IMG PowerVR GE8320
- OS: realme UI 1.0
- RAM: 3GB
- Internal Storage: 32GB
- Camera: rear 13-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel depth sensor; front: 5-megapixel
- Battery: 5000 mAh
- Connection: MicroUSB, 3.5mm audio port, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi
- Features: NightScape, Slo-mo, Face Unlock
- Dimensions: 164.4mm x 75.9mm x 9.1 mm
- Weight: 196g
What’s Hot:
- Price
- Good camera
- Great battery life
- Casual gaming
What’s Not:
- Indoor photos aren’t something to write home about
- NightScape is meh
Bottomline:
The realme C11 is a great phone in the entry-level segment.
Reviewed by Gabriel Pe
Also published in Gadgets Magazine July 2020