realme C35 smartphone review - Great features for under 200 euros
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77.6 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2022 | Realme C35 T7255 (T616), Mali-G57 MP1 | 189 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2408x1080 | |
| 74.9 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2021 | Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F Exynos 850, Mali-G52 MP1 | 205 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 73.8 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2022 | Xiaomi Redmi 9C Helio G35, PowerVR GE8320 | 196 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.53" | 1600x720 | |
| 78.5 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2022 | Nokia G21 T7200 (T606), Mali-G57 MP1 | 190 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 |
Case and features - angular design
While the realme C25Y with its micro-USB port and gloomy screen still looked a bit old-fashioned, the new generation with the realme C35 already feels much more up-to-date. The C35 is available in two configurations:
- realme C35 64 GB mass storage / 4GB RAM: 179 Euros (~$189)
- realme C35 128 GB mass storage / 4GB RAM: 199 Euros (~$210)
Two color variants are offered by realme for its low-priced smartphone: Glowing Green and Glowing Black, both with a reflective back and a nice light refraction effect emanating from the main camera. The design is quite angular, which we like, and the smartphone does not feel uncomfortable in the hand at the same time. The casing is completely made of plastic.
In terms of stability, we like the realme C35 quite a bit: It can hardly be twisted, and you must apply strong pressure until visible spots appear in the liquid crystal. At the same time, the phone is relatively light with a total weight of 189 grams (~6.7 oz).
It is a bit annoying that NFC is missing. This is not completely unusual in this price range, but applications like mobile payments are not possible. The micro-SD reader is separate, so it can be used with two SIM cards at the same time. It is quite fast in the CPDT benchmark, but only on the class level in the copy test.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F (Angelbird V60) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.7 - 77, n=74, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C (Angelbird V60) | |
| Nokia G21 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Realme C35 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software and operation - Fast WLAN in the realme phone
Thanks to Wi-Fi 5 support, the realme C35 can convince in our Wi-Fi test with the reference router Asus GT-AXE11000: It uses the technology well with rates between 300 and 350 Mbps and is also quite stable overall.
In terms of wireless networks, we have to make do with LTE; 5G is not available. Furthermore, only a few frequencies are available: The LTE support of our review sample is sufficient for Central Europe, but you should check whether you can use the mobile Internet in the destination country before traveling far. In a sample test for cell phone reception, the smartphone does not prove to be on the level of high-end smartphones, but it can at least provide half the signal strength even indoors most of the time.
The realme UI is preinstalled as the software interface; it is based on Android 11. The security updates are from April 2022 at the time of testing, so they are very up-to-date. That is very pleasing, especially for such an inexpensive smartphone. You have to live with some third-party apps for advertising purposes, but they can be uninstalled without problems.
The fingerprint sensor is located on the casing's right. It can be easily reached with the thumb of the right hand as well as with the index finger of the left hand. You have tomust live with a short delay when unlocking, but the accuracy of the finger recognition is very good. Face recognition via the front camera can also be used for unlocking.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Realme C35 | |
| Nokia G21 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Nokia G21 | |
| Realme C35 | |
Cameras - wannabe upper class
With its 50-megapixel camera, the realme C35 seems on par with the much more expensive realme GT 2 Pro. However, our test device has a Samsung image sensor without image stabilization and with quite small pixels. At least it also uses pixel binning, so the user can choose whether shots in 50-megapixel quality or in 12-megapixel quality with higher light sensitivity are desired.
The image quality quickly shows that the sensor cannot keep up with high-quality smartphone cameras. Colors sometimes look flat and details are lost. The sky looks visibly grainy in the surroundings. In low light and high contrasts, details are barely visible in dark areas and the image sharpness is only moderate. The realme C35 photos are good but average for its price range.
Video recordings with the main camera are possible in Full HD and 30 fps. The autofocus and brightness adjustment work quite well, and the overall picture quality is satisfactory. A low-resolution macro camera can be used for close-ups, the third camera is only for support and does not take its own pictures.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera PlantMain camera EnvironmentMain camera Low Light
Display - High resolution realme screen
The display of the realme C35 is very bright with up to 582 cd/m² and has a high resolution for its price range with an expanded Full HD resolution. However, the color reproduction is only moderately accurate, which is not changed by the different modes that can be selected in the settings.
Furthermore, the smartphone has a rather high black value of 0.6 cd/m² and thus only achieves mediocre contrast rates. The display does not use PWM. Overall, the screen of the realme C35 with its high resolution and high brightness has two weighty advantages over other phone screens in the price range.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 585 cd/m²
Contrast: 975:1 (Black: 0.6 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 5.9 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
96% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.228
| Realme C35 IPS, 2408x1080, 6.6" | Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F IPS LCD, 1600x720, 6.5" | Xiaomi Redmi 9C IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Nokia G21 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -29% | -31% | -35% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 50 ? | 58 ? -16% | 60 ? -20% | 64 ? -28% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 24 ? | 34 ? -42% | 34 ? -42% | 34 ? -42% |
| PWM Frequency | 178.6 ? | 17120 | ||
| Screen | 8% | -5% | -8% | |
| Brightness middle | 585 | 446 -24% | 467 -20% | 492 -16% |
| Brightness | 558 | 423 -24% | 417 -25% | 484 -13% |
| Brightness Distribution | 89 | 88 -1% | 83 -7% | 86 -3% |
| Black Level * | 0.6 | 0.29 52% | 0.53 12% | 0.46 23% |
| Contrast | 975 | 1538 58% | 881 -10% | 1070 10% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.4 | 4.94 -12% | 4.14 6% | 6.02 -37% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.77 | 8.81 -0% | 8.49 3% | 9.13 -4% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.9 | 5.1 14% | 6 -2% | 7.1 -20% |
| Gamma | 2.228 99% | 2.145 103% | 2.291 96% | 2.345 94% |
| CCT | 8001 81% | 7890 82% | 7536 86% | 8918 73% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -11% /
1% | -18% /
-11% | -22% /
-13% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 51 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 50 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 29 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 21 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 85 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8492 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Good performance, good runtime
The Unisoc T616 SoC provides good performance rates in the price segment of the realme C35. However, that does not mean that you should expect completely smooth scrolling or super-fast loading pictures on websites: The realme phone is still a fairly inexpensive smartphone and you should not expect upper-class performance.
At least realme installs very fast UFS 2.2 storage, which easily outperforms other phones in the price range and contributes to a somewhat smoother experience and faster loading times for complex apps.
The warming on the casing remains within limits with a maximum of 40.9 °C (106 °F).
The small speaker on the bottom edge does not overdrive even at maximum volume and is sufficient to fill a medium-sized room with sound at a maximum volume of 85.5 dB(A). At the same time, the sound is very treble-heavy and thus sounds quite thin.
If you want to enjoy music or movie sound properly, you should connect speakers or headphones, which is possible via a 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth 5.0. aptX HD is supported, but the latest codecs like aptX Low Latency or aptX Adaptive are not.
With a battery life of almost 16 hours, the realme C35 is absolutely convincing in its class and in general. Thus, even two workdays with intensive use should not be a problem. Furthermore, the phone charges with up to 18 watts via the included charger and is thus fully charged again in just under 2 hours.
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Realme C35 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C | |
| Nokia G21 | |
| Average Unisoc T7255 (T616) (5.4 - 6, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5.5 - 166, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Realme C35 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C | |
| Nokia G21 | |
| Average Unisoc T7255 (T616) (6.1 - 6.3, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.4 - 321, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Realme C35 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C | |
| Nokia G21 | |
| Average Unisoc T7255 (T616) (3.4 - 3.8, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 144, n=207, last 2 years) | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Realme C35 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 9C | |
| Nokia G21 | |
| Average Unisoc T7255 (T616) (2.2 - 2.3, n=7) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1.2 - 129, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| Realme C35 | Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F | Xiaomi Redmi 9C | Nokia G21 | Average 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -65% | -59% | -56% | 8% | 199% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 907.1 | 302.3 -67% | 263.1 -71% | 257.6 -72% | 770 ? -15% | 2032 ? 124% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 271.1 | 74.5 -73% | 208.4 -23% | 180.6 -33% | 399 ? 47% | 1648 ? 508% |
| Random Read 4KB | 137.8 | 77.8 -44% | 54.5 -60% | 74 -46% | 156.6 ? 14% | 282 ? 105% |
| Random Write 4KB | 206.4 | 47.21 -77% | 39.7 -81% | 60.2 -71% | 177.7 ? -14% | 325 ? 57% |
Temperature
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.9 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.1 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Realme C35 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.8% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 66% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 29% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 80% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Nokia G21 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.2% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 51% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 69% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Realme C35 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A12 Exynos SM-A127F 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi 9C 5000 mAh | Nokia G21 5050 mAh | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi Websurfing | 958 | 879 -8% | 905 -6% | 1087 13% | 1027 ? 7% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - A good offer, but not for everyone
The realme C35 is a good alternative to other cheap smartphones under 200 Euros (~$211). This is mainly due to the good battery life paired with sufficiently fast charging technology, the high-resolution and bright screen, fast Wi-Fi, good performance, and fast memory.
However, it also strongly depends on one's own usage behavior whether the realme phone is suitable for one: There is no NFC, for example. If you do not use near field communication anyway, or only rarely, this is not a problem. However, if you are a fan of mobile payment services like Google Pay, the realme C35 is probably out of the question. You should not expect 5G in this price range, nor extensive travel capability when you want to access the mobile Internet locally.
The realme C35 definitely has unique selling points among budget phones with its very fast memory, long runtimes and Full HD screen.
Thus, you should consider what is important to you before buying. Overall, the C35 is definitely an interesting offer.
An OLED screen for a similar amount of money is offered, for example, by the Motorola Moto G31. With its 90 Hz screen, the Nokia G21 wants to compete but it offers a lower resolution than the realme C35.
Price and availability
You can get the phone directly from the manufacturer in the online shop. Other Internet retailers such as Cyberport or amazon.de also have the realme C35 on offer, and the price is around the RRP at the time of testing.
Realme C35
- 05/03/2022 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
Price comparison
