Seven or eight years ago buying a smartphone was an occasion. As important as connecting people and getting online, it was about making a thorough study, like doing a mini dissertation. Moving from feature phone to a smart option was like trading in shoelaces for buckles. Now we can borrow a phrase from You’ve Got Mail: “Instead of a brain, a cash register. Instead of a heart, a bottom line.” The competition in the budget segment is insane. What you get for less than Rs 10,000 is certainly impressive. Adding to the fray is a new member of Realme — the C12.

Power up

Slipping out of the trademark yellow box, the first impression of holding the blue version of the C12 was: “Not at all flimsy.” Powering it is a 6,000mAh battery. Yup, you read that right, which adds to the heft. It stands at 209g which is a gram more than the latest flagship from Samsung, the Galaxy Note20 Ultra. So you can well imagine the weight of the battery and the bigger question is: “Worth it?” Giving the battery more muscles is helpful. If you are planning to buy a phone now, chances are you would be watching a lot of movies or shows. While at home, there will be some extra gaming. A lot of video conferencing. All these add up and take a toll on the battery. The C12 lasted nearly two days.

The display is also sizeable for a budget phone. The 6.5-inch HD+ screen is good at this price point. Doing day-to-day tasks is not too big an issue and scrolling social media feeds is not hard on the eyes. The only quibble is that the brightness has to be dialled up to get the most out of the screen, which takes a toll on the battery. The bezels holding the display are slim but the chin seems to be enjoying extra helpings! Realme has also managed to score a brownie point with the rear panel, which is not shiny. So fingerprints are not an issue.
Picture this

The camera module has three lenses and an LED flash. Keeping the 13MP primary camera company is a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP B&W lens. The primary shooter captures photographs without struggling during daytime and the colour reproduction is not bad considering the price. There is even a dedicated night mode in which you have to hold the phone steady for three-four seconds. Once the lights dim, the primary camera loses out and the night mode takes over, improving the situation slightly. Are the photographs Instragram-able? Daytime snaps, yes. Snaps under uneven lighting are passable. Absolute low-light situation doesn’t help. As for portrait mode, the bokeh effect is not bad. We are not getting into macro mode, which is being overused by most brands. An ultra-wide mode would have been helpful.

Powering the device is Helio G35, which is supposed to be power efficient and help gaming on budget phones. Games like Real Commando Secret Mission or WGT Golf worked fine and switching between apps is also not a problem.

Is it for you?

What Realme has managed is offer good specs at an amazing price point. Yes, the photographs are not always clear. Yes, the audio could be louder. Yes, you need to compare it to Redmi phones. At the same time, yes, there is no major problem at hand on the Rs 8,999 phone. The Realme C12 is a practical device for practical times.

At a glance

Device: Realme C12

• Display: 6.5-inch HD+ (splash resistant)
• Processor: Helio G35
• Battery: 6,000mAh
• Camera: Rear — 13MP + 2MP B&W lens + 2MP macro; front — 5MP
• Storage: 3GB+32GB
• OS: Android 10, Realme UI
• Price: Rs 8,999 (first sale at noon, August 24 on realme.com and Flipkart; available in offline stores on August 31)