During an event in Noida, Realme announced its most premium smartphone with the release of the Realme 2 Pro and alongside that came its cheapest device by the name of Realme C1. The Realme C1 offers a notched display with entry-level internals and dual camera setup at the back for a price of Rs 6,999.
The Realme C1 is Realme’s answer to the Redmi 6A which was recently launched by Xiaomi for the precisely the same price. With a large battery and unique-looking notched screen, does the Realme C1 have all it takes to rival the Redmi 6A? Let’s talk about that.
Display:
The Realme C1 offers a 6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels and tall aspect ratio of 19:9. The notch at the top reduces the screen real-estate by offering a screen-to-body ratio of 81.2 percent and the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Xiaomi’s Redmi 6A offers a smaller 5.45-inch HD+ (720 x 1440 pixels) display with a shorter aspect ratio of 18:9. There’s no notch, which means there are thick bezels on all sides amounting to a lower screen-to-body ratio of 72.7 percent. Xiaomi hasn’t mentioned anything about the glass protection on the front which means this round is a clear takeaway for the Realme device.
Winner: Realme C1
Design:
The Redmi 6A follows in the steps of its predecessors by offering a unibody aluminium design which has been standard in pretty much all of Xiaomi’s phones. The primary material on the Realme C1 device, however, is plastic and thus offers a glossy finish similar to more premium phones that have glass in them. But plastic has its drawbacks and won’t be as durable as metal on any given day.
Winner: Realme C1 for the looks, Redmi 6A for durability
Hardware:
The Realme C1 is powered by a Snapdragon 450 chipset which at any particular day will perform faster than the Helio A22 Processor inside the Redmi 6A. Both phones equip 2GB of RAM but for the Rs 6,999, the Realme C1 only packs in 16GB of storage while the Redmi device features 32GB of onboard memory.
Winner: Realme C1
Software:
Both phones run on Android 8.1 Oreo, topped over by their respective skins – MIUI 9.6 for the Redmi 6A and ColorOS 5.1 for the Realme C1. Both interfaces come with their own sets of bloatware and there isn’t much to differentiate between the two, if not for personal preferences.
Winner: Neither
Camera:
Moving on to the imaging department is when we get to see some noticeable changes. The Redmi 6A features a single 13-megapixel (f/2.2, PDAF) rear shooter with a 5-megapixel (/2.2 aperture) camera on the front. The setup is pretty standard and there’s nothing much to expect from a budget camera like this.
This is where the Realme C1 shines as its one of the only sub-Rs 10,000 smartphones to equip a dual camera setup at the back which is a combination of a 13-megapixel (f/2.2, AF) primary lens and a 2-megapixel (f/2.4 aperture) secondary depth sensor. The device like the Redmi 6A features a similar 5MP (f/2.2 aperture) lens on the front for selfies and it’s no doubt which one has an EDGE over the other.
Winner: Realme C1
Battery:
The Redmi 6A with its 3,000mAh power unit offers one of the largest battery capacities in under Rs 10,000 and lasts as much as a day on light usage. To beat Xiaomi in its own game, Realme has offered a larger 4,230mAh battery on the Realme C1 which through its more efficient Snapdragon 450 chipset will offer more than day’s power on a single charge.
Winner: Realme C1
Verdict:
The Realme C1 is an all-around budget smartphone with a powerful chipset, notched display that offers the most screen real-estate, dual rear cameras and a massive battery for a price of Rs 6,999. For the first time, Xiaomi looks to have been beaten in their own game as the Realme C1 isn’t just a mere competitor to the Redmi 6A but is more powerful than the Xiaomi device. The same can be said about the design language of the Realme phone which looks to be made of plastic, a strategy Xiaomi used to make its Poco F1 rival other flagship killers in the market. Sweet!