realme C65 5G
realme C65 5G Review: Is This Budget-friendly Phone Worth Buying?
realme has introduced its latest budget-friendly 5G smartphone C65. Dubbed as the fastest entry-level 5G smartphone by the brand, it aims to make a strong impression in the market. The phone was released on 26th April 2024 in India. Let’s learn about all the unique features of the realme C65 5G.
Key Specs and Features of realme C65 5G
Design
The realme C65 in Feather Green has a sleek design inspired by the realme P1. Its matte plastic back has a feather-like pattern, giving it a unique look. It's one of the thinnest and lightest 5G phones in its price range with a dimension of 165.6 mm by 76.1 mm by 7.9 mm, outdoing competitors like the Lava Blaze 2 and POCO M6 Pro.
The phone's body is made of polycarbonate, with flat edges like its predecessor. While it's light, weighing 190g, the sharp edges can be uncomfortable to hold for long periods. However, using the included transparent case solves this issue. It has a super-quick side-mounted fingerprint sensor and is also dust—and water-resistant (IP54), which is better than the POCO M6 Pro's IP53 rating.
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The C65 sticks with a single speaker instead of upgrading to stereo sound, but it's loud enough for indoor use. It also has a headphone jack and a slot to expand the memory with an SD card.
Display
The realme C65 has a 6.67-inch IPS LCD screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which means it updates the image on the screen faster for smoother motion. However, the resolution is lower than some other phones in its price range, like the C55, which means the picture isn't as clear. The POCO M6 Pro, for example, offers a clearer picture at the same price but has a slightly slower refresh rate at 90 Hz.
Although the C65 doesn't support HDR (High Dynamic Range), it does support Widevine L1, which lets you watch HD content on streaming platforms. The 120 Hz refresh rate makes everything look smoother, which is a good thing since the phone's processor isn't the most powerful in its price range.
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Cameras
The realme C65 5G comes with a simple camera setup: a 50 MP (f/1.8) main camera and an extra camera. For selfies, it has an 8 MP (f/2.0) front camera, and both cameras can record video in 1080p at 30 frames per second. These cameras are pretty basic but work fine for taking photos during the day.
The main camera takes well-exposed photos with decent detail and contrast. The range of colours is good, but sometimes shadows appear too dark. Close-up shots, however, look great with vibrant colours and clear details.
One standout feature of the C65's camera is its ability to take excellent portrait photos for its price range. Skin tones look natural, and there's a lot of detail in the photos. However, the edges around the subject could be better defined.
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Performance and Hardware
The realme C65 5G runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor and offers up to 6 GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 128 GB UFS 2.2 storage. However, the base model only includes 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. While the RAM is acceptable for its price, the 64 GB storage feels outdated for 2024 when storage needs are increasing rapidly.
The phone supports external memory via a microSD card. In terms of performance, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage performed satisfactorily. It handles daily tasks smoothly, allowing you to use common apps like WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook without experiencing significant lag.
In benchmark tests, the phone scores well in AnTuTu v10 with 4,30,291 points, slightly behind the POCO M6 Pro. GeekBench results are decent, with a Single Core score of 785 and a Multi Core score of 1962. However, the Lava Blaze 2 outperforms it significantly in the PCMark Work benchmark.
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C65 5G runs on realme UI 5.0 with the latest Android 14, promising two years of software updates and three years of security updates, which is impressive for its price point. However, it still suffers from bloatware, with several third-party apps preinstalled, including Snapchat, Amazon, LinkedIn, Agoda, Netflix, and Public.
Battery and Charging
The realme C65 has a big 5,000 mAh battery, and when combined with the efficient Dimensity 6300 6 nm processor, it can last for about two days with light use. Even if you use it a lot, you can expect around six to eight hours of screen-on time, which is good.
In a test where the phone played a 4K video on a loop, the realme C65 lasted an impressive 15 hours before the battery ran out. When playing a demanding game like Call of Duty: Mobile for 15 minutes, it only uses up five percent of the battery, which is impressive. However, it takes more than two hours to charge the phone with the 15W charger fully.
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