Chic and classy are not the usual terms used to describe an entry-level smartphone, but with the arrival of realme’s Philippines latest addition to its C-series lineup, those adjectives have never been more fitting.
There was a time when it was very easy to spot entry-level phones--they were bulky, plasticky and the design looked like something that arrived a few years too late.
In contrast, the realme C35, stands out with its modern, squared-off look, glasstic back and unique glow colorways.
But is it more than just a fancy-looking phone? Here is our unboxing and first impressions of the realme C35.
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UNBOXING:
The phone comes in realme’s tradmark yellow box. Unlike the redesigned box of the realme 9 series, it retains the same look as its predecessor.
Inside the box you’ll find the “Welcome to the realme family” greeting and the compartment which stores the SIM ejector tool and some paper documentation. Underneath is the realme C35 unit, and at the bottom is a 18W charging adapter and USB-A to USB-C charging cable. The screen protector is already preinstalled on the unit.
Sadly, it doesnt include a pair of earphones or a silicone case--something you should really get.
BUILD AND DESIGN
The phone is made of a combination two “glasstic” panels with a polycarbonate frame thats made to look like metal. The sides of the phone are flat with rounded edges. The glasstic back has a clear and reflective finish which makes it prone to fingerprints and smudges and can be quite slippery. This is why I suggest you get a case to protect your phone and make it a bit easier to hold. The phone comes in a 8.1mm Ultra Slim Design, the thinnest and lightest in the C-Series as it weighs only 189 grams making it very easy to use with one hand.
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The realme C35 comes with a screen-to-body ratio of 90.7%, with an almost bezel-less design. Paired with the aesthetics of the Dynamic Glowing Design, which gives off an effect when reflected on by light, the realme C35 allows for a visual experience.
It comes in two colors; Glowing Black, and the one we have is the Glowing Green which more like “mint” and it is unlike any color we’ve seen in a smartphone. It will also be available in two variants 4GB+64GB and 4GB+128GB variants.
Exploring the ports and button placements, on the right you’ll find the power button, which also acts as a fingerprint scanner. Located on the left is the SIM tray (two nanoSIM cards and a microSD card slot) and volume rocker, while on the bottom is the USB-C charging port, along with the speaker grille, microphone, and 3.5mm headphone jack. To guarantee its quality the phone has undergone and passed the rigorous TÜV Rheinland Smartphone High-Reliability Certification.
FEATURED SPECS
Now let’s look at the main highlights of the this smartphone.
The realme C35 is the first in the C Series to feature a 6.6" FHD+ Large Display and a resolution of 2408x1080 pixels. It also supports a touch-sampling rate of 180Hz for a more responsive experience.
The LCD IPS display has a notch and a slim earpiece on top. The bezels are quite thin except for the bottom chin. Besides the FHD+ resolution it maxes at up to 480 nits of brightness in normal lighting conditions, and up to 600 nits on auto under direct sunlight making it a standout feature at this price point and the screen should still be quite readable even in daylight.
For its cameras, the realme C35 has a triple camera setup with a 50MP primary shooter a f/2.8 B&W
for portrait shots and a f/2.4 macro lens from up to 4cm. So far our initial test shots proved to be quite unexpected--in a good way. It seems realme has found a refined balance of tuning camera hardware to the processor along with overall software optimization resulting in much better photos than other smartphones in the segment.
Selfie lovers should also be excited with the realme C35’s 8MP Sony IMX355 front camera that provides clearer images and good level of detail. Now you don’t have to worry about turning on your video for those livestreams or video calls.
Running things is a Unisoc T616 Processor, a powerful and efficient 12nm octa-core processor that houses two Cortex-A75, six Cortex-A55 cores and a Mali G57 GPU that allows for easier processing and transitions between one task to another. So far its been running smoothly in my usual daily usage of watching videos playing games and the usual multitasking apps for social media and blogging.
The realme C35 supports expandability of up to 256GB via microSD card.
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Powering this smartphone is a 5000mAh Battery with 18W Quick Charge making the phone last for 39 days on standby and can charge from 0% to 100% much quicker than most smartphones in its price category.
Initial impressions: With a starting price Php8,499 for the 4GB + 64GB variant and PHP9,499 for the 4GB+128GB option, the realme C35 faces a lot of competition, but so far we were impressed by how it looks, the photos taken by its 50MP camera and we never had to bring a powerbank becasue of its 5000mAh battery. But we will still be testing it in the next few days and will have our full review out soon!
realme C35 Specs
Dimensions: 164.4 x 75.6 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 189 g
Display: 6.6-inch LCD (IPS) screen FHD+ 2408 x 1080 resolution at 400 ppi (w/ 180Hz touch sampling rate)
CPU: 12nm 2.0GHz UNISOC T616 octa-core processor GPU: Mali-G57
RAM: 4GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 64GB/128GB UFS 2.2 expandable via microSD card slot up to 1TB (dedicated)
Rear Camera: 50MP f/1.8 w/ PDAF + 2MP f/2.4 4cm Macro Lens + 2MP f/2.8 B&W Lens + LED flash
Selfie Camera: 8MP f/2.0 Sony IMX355
Battery: 5,000mAh w/ 18W Quick ChargeOS: Android 11.0 w/ realme UI R Edition
The realme C35 is now available via the realme Official Store on Lazada and Shopee, and all realme stores and partner dealers nationwide.
Check out these links
Lazada - https://bit.ly/realmeC35PR
Shopee - https://bit.ly/realmeC35PRSHP
