Realme C2 Unboxing and First Impressions

Realme C2 was released on the last day of May and have drawn the attention of many because of its specs and price.

Meet the realme C2

This is the immediate successor of the successful realme C1 which was launched late last year. But this time, the C2 features a tiny dewdrop notch apart from the iPhone-like notch of its predecessor.

For PHP 5,490, you get a 6.1-inch Gorilla glass protected IPS screen with FHD+ resolution, 12nm 2.0GHz 64-bit Helio P22 octa-core processor with PowerVR GE8320, 2GB RAM/16GB ROM or 3GB RAM/32GB ROM (PHP 6,490), and a large 4,000mAh battery. 

Realme C2 is labeled as the #EntryLevelKing, but let's see how well it performs in the first part of our review!

Unboxing/Accessories

What's inside?

Realme C2 arrived in a bright yellow colored box with a big C2 printed on top and a readable realme branding at the bottommost. Inside you'll find the 5V/2A USB wall charger, USB-A to micro USB data/charging cable, and a pre-installed plastic screen protector.

It does not have earphones included in the box. There's also no clear protective case and we're okay with it. Read why below.

Build Quality/Design

Diamond-cut design in spectrum blue variant

At first look, realme C2 is not like most budget smartphones. It highlights a polycarbonate body but with diamond cut design in spectrum blue and spectrum black color options that never wears out. 

Diamond-cut design on a budget phone

I personally like its design since I didn't have to wipe it from time to time because the smudges being left on it are minimal, thanks to its matte design.

Premium matte-design for under PHP 6K smartphone!

The closest design with the realme C2's diamond-cut that I can think of would be the OPPO F9's petal reflective design, but that one is made of glossy polycarbonate material.

It has a 2.5D curved Gorilla glass protected top with a pre-installed plastic protector in front. It comes with a large 6.1-inch display with 19:5:9 screen ratio, and slim bezels due to its 89.35 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Like what we stated above, it comes with a tiny dewdrop notch unlike other budget phones with thick iPhone-like notches. Only the chin bezel is a bit thick.

For a phone with large 6.1-inch display, the body of realme C2 is considered as small and very handy. It measures at just 153.7 x 73.7 mm.

It is also quite slim at 8.5 mm and not that hefty at 166 grams given that it comes with a large 4,000mAh battery.

There's nothing on top 

3.5 mm headphone jack, micro-USB port, and grille speakers at the bottom

Triple-slot try and volume rockers on the left

Power button on the right

You'll easily notice it's protruding cameras along with the LED flash on the side placed at the upper left of the smartphone's rear. 

Upfront, realme C2, as mentioned earlier, features a tiny dewdrop notch with very slim bezels that complemented its 6.1-inch screen. 

There's nothing on top while the 3.5 mm headphone jack is placed at the bottom along with the single grille speaker and micro-USB slot. The volume rockers are on the left side plus the triple-slot tray while the power button sits alone on the right side.

This smartphone is made of unibody plastic but feels solid when gripped and rests comfortably in the palm. 

Initial findings

Realme C2's AnTuTu and Geekbench benchmarks

1. Realme C2 looks premium given its price and design. It stands out among the now common glasstic design of smartphones in its price range by incorporating a sophisticated diamond-cut and matte finish. 

Its 6.1-inch screen can go very dim that goes well with my preference but won't get that bright where you can use it under direct sunlight. It is paired with a tint dewdrop notch with a cleverly hidden earpiece just right above it and thin chin bezel.

2. Inside are 2.0GHz 64-bit Helio P22 octa-core processor, PowerVR GE8320, a choice of 2GB/3GB  RAMs, 16GB/32GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB (dedicated), and 4,000mAh battery. 

The battery is a little bit smaller than its predecessor's 4,230mAh. 

3. It's good to know that the realme C2 is already running on the latest Android 9.0 Pie along with ColorOS 6.0 out of the box! The skin is the most clean version of the ColorOS. It now embraces more of the Android feels but still has the hint of western UI influences.

4. The realme C2 sports a dual-camera setup of 13MP f/2.2 + 2MP f/2.4, similar with the C1. But, it now has PDAF for faster and more accurate focus.

It also goes with AI scene detection/optimization, Chroma Boost technology to enhance the colors of your daylight shots further, bokeh mode, and up to 80fps 480p slow-mo videos.

Upfront, it has 5MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture size and 1.12μm pixels. The selfie cam also comes with AI face beauty, AI portrait mode, and AI face unlock.

Note: We'll put camera samples here soon!

5. Just like the C1, it has LED notification and responsive Face Unlock, but still, no fingerprint sensor. Other sensors include accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, and magnetic.

There is OTG support as well.

Realme C2 Specs

Display: 6.1-inch 2.5D curved Gorilla glass protected IPS screen w/ HD+ 1560 x 720 at 282 ppi 

CPU: 2.0GHz 64-bit Helio P22 octa-core processor 

GPU: PowerVR GE8320 

RAM: 2GB/3GB 

ROM: 16GB/32GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB (dedicated) 

Back Camera: 13MP f/2.2 + 2MP f/2.4 w/ PDAF and LED flash 

Selfie Camera: 5MP f/2.0 w/ AI face beauty 

Battery: 4,000mAh 

OS: Android 9.0 Pie w/ ColorOS 6.0 

Connectivity: WiFi, 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, FM Radio, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM 

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic 

Others: Face unlock, Colors: spectrum blue, spectrum black 

Dimensions: 153.7 x 73.7 x 8.5 mm 

Weight: 166 g 

Price: PHP 5,490 (2GB RAM/16GB ROM), PHP 6,490 (3GB RAM/32GB ROM)

As of the moment

The realme C2 didn't fail our now-high expectation when it comes to entry-level smartphones. It lived up to its predecessors standards with better improvements when it comes to camera and design.

On paper, realme C2 looks great and promising but we will of course, run our full tests on it. It has two variants of 2GB RAM/16GB ROM and 3GB RAM/32GB ROM priced at PHP 5,490 and PHP 6,490, respectively.

For our review: Realme C2 Review - Entry-level powerhouse