Realme C25 Design: Built To Last
Realme C25 has an industrial design, and the smartphone looks similar to the other budget smartphones of this price range. The back panel of the phone is built using plastic, and I won't complain about it, as it ensures that the phone won't break easily and offers more than enough grip without requiring any case.
The display is protected by a 2.5D curved tempered glass. It has a little water-drop notch, which houses the selfie camera. The device has slightly thicker bezels when compared to smartphones that cost a bit more, and I won't complain much about them in this case, given the price of the device.
The device has a highly tactile power button and volume buttons on the right side, and the microSD plus SIM card slot is on the left side. The bottom portion of the phone houses a USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the speaker. At the rear, there is a fingerprint sensor that is fast and accurate and works almost every time without any issue.
The phone itself offers a good amount of grip due to the pattern, and adding a case will make this device a bit bulkier. Overall, the device has taken a more practical approach towards the design and the build quality, and I really liked how the Realme C25 is made.
Realme C25 Display: Vivid And Colorful With One Shortcoming
The Realme C25 has a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen with a water-drop notch. The display offers a native resolution of 1600x700, which makes it a 720p display, and it is one of the few things that I didn't like about the device. The phone has an 88.7 percent screen to body ratio, which is similar to some of the other popular smartphones at this price bracket.
In terms of brightness, the screen can go up to 450nits. However, under direct sunlight, it is hard to read the display. The phone also comes with a pre-installed screen protector. Another thing that I didn't like about the Realme C25's display is that there is no oleophobic coating, which means it easily attracts fingerprints and smudges and it is hard to wipe them out.
As for color reproduction, I was blown away by the Realme C25. In fact, when I was looking at the phone, I almost forgot that this is a sub Rs. 10,000 phone, as the screen is really vivid, and consuming content on the Realme C25 is a great experience despite having a 720p panel. If the company would have included a 1080p panel with an oleophobic coating, it would have taken the Realme C25 to the next level.
If you plan on consuming a lot of content on platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, then do note that the device has Widevine L3 certification, which can only stream content at 480p, which is a bummer. Though I have mentioned quite a few disadvantages on the Realme C25's display, these things take a side-chair when we look at the Realme C25 as a whole package, and the features it offers for just Rs. 10,000.
Realme C25 Camera: Should Get The Job Done
If you look at the Realme C25 from a distance, it looks like it has a quad-camera setup, but it actually has a triple camera setup, out of which, there is a single 13MP primary sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. Hence, despite having a triple camera setup, it is as good as having a single camera.
The main 13MP camera can capture some good shots in day-light conditions, and the same applies to the 8MP front-facing selfie camera. If you plan on taking macro shots on the Realme C25, make sure that there is a lot of light, else the images will carry a lot of noise.
As per the videography, the main camera can shoot 1080p videos, so is the selfie camera with a 30fps frame rate cap. Overall, for the price, the Realme C25 has a good enough camera setup. Instead of this triple camera setup, I would have loved to see a dual-camera setup with a dedicated ultra-wide angle lens.
Realme C25 Performance: Best-In-Class
The Realme C25 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G70, which is a mid-range processor, based on a 12nm process. This octa-core processor can easily handle most day-to-day tasks like browsing social media sites, watching videos, making a call, messaging without any issue.
This specific variant that I am testing has 4GB RAM (LPDDR4x) with 64GB internal storage, and there is also a dedicated microSD card slot for additional storage expansion. The device can easily hold more than six apps in memory without any issue, and the brand has done some good software optimizations too.
On Geekbench 5, the device scored 386 points on single-core and 1316 points on multiple cores. On the 3DMark Wide Life test (rendered at 1440p), the average FPS was 3.5 with an overall score of 588. Though these numbers look low when compared to expensive smartphones, the device does deliver a great day-to-day performance.
I was also able to play games like Temple Run and Subway Surfers without any issue. Not just that, I was also able to play COD: Mobile with low graphics settings with ease. So, if are a casual gamer, the Realme C25 won't disappoint you. However, if you need a little more performance, then it is best to look at the other options in the market.
Realme C25 Software: Latest Android OS With Added Customization
The Realme C25 ships with Android 11 OS with realmeUI 2.0 skin on top, which is a lot similar to the ColorOS 11. In my experience, the device performed pretty smooth very minimal stutters and lags, especially while opening heavy games like COD: Mobile.
When compared to stock Android OS, realme UI 2.0 offers a lot of customization options, enabling users to set the device according to their own will. The smartphone comes with a lot of third-party apps, some of them can be uninstalled, and some of them can't be uninstalled.
Some software features that I liked on the Realme C25 are the built-in dark mode, ability to change icon style, ability to change font style, font size, and ability to select the color profile of the phone.
Realme C25 Battery Performance: Easy All-Day Battery Life
The Realme C25 is fitted with a massive 6,000 mAh battery and it supports 18W fast charging via the USB Type-C port. Even with my heavy usage, I was almost left with 30 percent of the battery. However, If you really push the limits (playing games for more than five hours), you can exhaust the battery in a single day.
For most users, the Realme C25 should be able to last for at least one and a half-day, hence, charging once a day should be more than enough. On top of that, the smartphone can also be used for charging other devices too, as it supports reverse charging.
Though this is not the first smartphone with a 6,000 mAh battery, the Realme C25 is definitely one of the best smartphones when it comes to battery life. It's like having a vehicle with a large fuel tank and a small engine, which delivers stellar battery life but not as much performance. Yes, there are phones with a 7000 mAh battery, and the Realme C25 does come close as it has a drive a low-resolution screen, and a mid-range processor.
Realme C25: Calling And Networking
I used the Realme C25 with both Airtel and Jio network, and I didn't notice any sort of issues when it comes to connectivity or calling. For most of my testing, the device was connected to a 5GHz WiFi, and I was able to get the download speed claimed by my service provider.
The device can offer 4G LTE and VoLTE on both slots, so, you can easily use two Jio SIM cards or two SIM cards from different vendors with 4G LTE connection at all the time. Even with continues calling, I didn't notice any sort of heating on the phone.
Verdict
The Realme C25 is a well-balanced entry-level smartphone that tends to attract first-time smartphone buyers, and also those, who want a smartphone that works with an everyday scenario without needing any unique selling points or a flashy design.
The headline of this review says that the Realme C25 is a heavy-duty smartphone, and I stand by those words. This is a device that has almost everything that one might want from a modern smartphone and this is also a device that does the basics correctly.
A phone user at this price point wants a phone that has a good battery life, large display, and won't break easily, and the Realme C25 meets all those parameters. Even in terms of gimmicks, the Realme C25 has a triple camera setup, which makes it look modern for sure. Overall, Realme delivers another great entry-level smartphone in the name of Realme C25.