Looking for an entry-level smartphone? We tested one of realme Philippines’ newest entry-level phones, the realme C33. See what we think.
What’s in the box
- Realme C33
- 10W Charge adaptor
- Micro USB Cable
- SIM Card Ejector
- Safety Guide (and Warranty Card)
Specifications
- Android 12 with realme UI S Edition
- Unisoc Tiger T612 Chipset
- Octa-core (2×1.8 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
- Mali-G57 GPU
- IPS LCD, 400 nits (typ)
- 6.5 inches, 88.70 % screen-to-body ratio
- HD+ 720×1600 pixels resolution, 20:9 ratio (~270ppi density)
- 164.2 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm (dimensions)
- Weight 187g
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by); microSDXC (dedicated slot)
- 64GB 4GB RAM
- 64GB UFS 2.2
- Dual Rear camera 50MP, (wide), PDAF; +0.3MP f/2.8 (depth)
- LED flash, HDR, panorama
- Supports HD 1080p@30fps video recording
- Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2, 27mm (wide), 1/5.0″, 1.12µm
- GSM / WCDMA / LTE
- Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot
- Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE with GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- microUSB 2.0
- Loud speaker, 3.5mm jack
- Face unlock with Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity
- Non-removable Li-Po 5000mAh Battery
Design
Shining shimmering splendid is how my daughter described the realme C33 the first time she saw it. I feel like its sparkly design is especially attractive to tweens and young adults set who are also into glitters and unicorns. Officially called the 8.3mm Ultra Slim Boundless Sea Design, the phone has flecks integrated into its metallic backing.
The C33 has a slim design with rounded corners and is easy to use with one hand. It sports the larger cameras with the bigger disks, as supposed to the older phones released up to early this year. It features a 6.5” HD+ LCD Display, giving a screen-to-body ratio of 88.70% even with the thick-ish bezel. The screen resolution is 720×1600 pixels.
The C33 has a waterdrop notch for its selfie camera at the top. To the right of the screen is the fingerprint sensor located on a slight indentation on the phone’s side, under the volume toggle. On the left is the SIM drawer that has dedicated slots for two Nano SIMS and one MicroSD. The top is clear of any functionality, but the bottom has (R to L) its 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone pinholes, micro USB port, and perforations that serve as the speakers.
Hardware
The realme C33 is powered by a Unisoc T612 Processor which has a 12nm octa-core processor. It houses two (2) Cortex-A75 cores that can clock up to 1.82GHz for a smooth operation even when multitasking. It houses a Mali-G57 GPU for great gaming performance and a 5000mAh battery for continuous use. The C33 comes with two rear cameras – the 50MP main camera and another one for depth – while the selfie camera shoots at 5MP.
Out of the box, it ships with Android 12 and realme UI S Edition.
User Experience
As with any new phone, it is still one of the best practices to be selective of which apps to install to avoid too much bloatware that occupies valuable resources.
Content consumption or video calls can easily be done without headphones as the speaker levels are pretty loud, even when used in crowded places (but don’t do that kids, it’s rude and very annoying. Haha)
The C33 can take good photos but can be sluggish between shots. The solution I found is to more purposeful when clicking, or if really needed, shoot in burst mode which has a maximum of 20 shots per go. I like how you can adjust the depth of field when taking photos in PORTRAIT mode. It gives you control over how blurred or sharp you want the background to be. The other camera modes that can be found by clicking MORE are 50MP, Pro, Night, Panoramic, and Timelapse.
While the phone isn’t the fastest one available, you can’t argue its value proposition. It’s very affordable, simple to use, and easy to hold – no matter the user’s hand’s size.
Sample Shots
No color enhancements were done to the sample phones and were only resized for uploading | Photos by Mika Fernandez-David
Value / Price / Availability
The realme C33 comes in three color options: Night Sea, Aqua Blue, and the new Sandy Gold. Its base price is pegged at a very affordable Php 7,499 for the 4GB+64GB variant but will be available for as low as P5,779 during the 12.12 sale on the realme official store on Shopee.
What we like
- It’s so sparkly
- Good enough screen for content consumption
- Enough processing power for basic tasks
What we don’t like
- Fingerprint Magnet yet doesn’t come with a free bumper
- Camera is a bit sluggish (but takes decent photos and videos)
- Micro USB charging