Today(18/08/2020) Realme C12 and C15,two entry level smartphones were launched in India.These phones were first released in Indonesia.The C12 and C15 are members of the Realme C family which had a Realme C11 already.
Both the Realme C12 and C15 are budget friendly devices.The C12 costs Rs.8999 for its 3GB/32GB variant which by the way is the only variant.The C15 comes in 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB variants and is priced at Rs.9999 and Rs.10999 respectively.The top model being in the same price bracket comes in direct comparison with Realme’s own Narzo series.
Table of Contents
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
Realme calls it the geometric gradient design.The Realme C12 and C15 feature the same looks actually they are identical in shape and size.They both come in two colours the Power Blue and Power Silver.On the back is a square camera module and the fingerprint sensor.
On the front is a mini drop notch selfie camera.Bezels are thin with slightly bigger at the chin.The C12 and C15 house a triple slot tray for two 4G nano SIMs and a micro SD card for expandable storage.3.5 mm jack for wired headphones is present.
A 6.52″ LCD display is featured in these devices.The resolution is HD+(1600×720) and the aspect ratio is 20:9.The advertised maximum brightness is 420 nits.Obviously at this price point high refresh rate display is not expected and hence the Realme C12 and C15 come with standard 60Hz screens.
CAMERAS
REAR CAMERA
The square camera module on the Realme C12 houses a triple camera set up with primary 13MP f/2.2 sensor,a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens and a 2MP f/2.4 B/W depth sensor.Super Nightscape mode,in other words Night Mode for low light photography is present along with loads of other features.Portraits are taken care of by the dedicated depth sensor.
The C15 has an extra 8MP ultrawide sensor in its quad camera set-up.In place of the macro lens there is a 2MP sensor which the company calls Retro lens.I assume it is named after the filters in the camera settings.
1080p @30fps videos can be captured.There is also option for Slow motion videos.
FRONT CAMERA
The Realme C12 sports a 5MP selfie shooter whereas the C15 has a 8MP front camera.
OS, PROCESSOR AND STORAGE
The Realme C12 and C15 run on Realme UI based on Android 10.Realme UI is relatively new but is quite similar to the ColorOS of Oppo phones.
Under the hood is the Mediatek Helio G35 SoC which is a chipset for these entry level smartphones.It is a gaming centric chipset and the octa core processor clocks a maximum of 2.3GHz.
3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage is available for both the C12 and C15.The Realme C15 has a 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage variant also.You can expand storage upto 256GB via micro SD card.
BATTERY
The massive 6000mAH battery is the USP of these devices.The Realme C12 provides 10W proprietary charging while the C15 supports 18W fast charging.Reverse charging is supported and so you can use either of the Realme C12 and C15 as a power bank.
CONCLUSION
There was no fingerprint sensor on the Realme C11 which I felt was a bad move.But the Realme C12 and C15 have the rear mounted fingerprint sensor and face unlock is also supported.At the price point both the phones are offering quite a lot specially the huge 6000mAH battery.
The problem I have is with the storage variants.3GB RAM is not upto the mark these days.32GB internal storage is never going to be enough but you can expand it.
Again I have to say something about the 2MP cameras.It has become a trend and almost every company is giving these cameras to increase the number Practically they are of very poor quality and I feel that companies should focus on giving a better primary camera with whatever they are spending on the 2MP cameras.
What do you think of the Realme C12 and C15? Please let me know in comments.