Realme C21 in the test: (Not) a photo miracle for 120 euros?


So far, Realme has primarily placed particularly cheap smartphones on the German market. With the Realme GT 2 Pro, that is set to change in 2022 – but the Chinese company remains true to its main field. The C series combines the cheapest models from the manufacturer and is priced at less than 160 euros. Among them: the inexpensive Realme C21 with camera focus. Does it convince in the test? COMPUTER BILD checked the Realme C21.

Realme C21: Geometric design

Almost all Realme smartphones have an eye-catching back design. The C21 is no exception: With this model, Realme focuses on geometry and divides the back into four parts with two continuous lines. In the light, the different reflections of the individual areas catch the eye. Realme has installed the camera block and the fingerprint sensor in the top quarter. It is easy to use when the smartphone is in your hand – if it is on the table, the face scan is the simpler solution. The jack socket for wired headphones and the charging socket are on the underside. A special feature catches the eye here, which the Realme C11 (2021) also has: Instead of the usual USB-C socket, Realme installs a micro-USB port on the C21. After all, the right cable including the mains plug is included in the packaging.

The Realme C21 is equipped with an LC display.

Display dark and low-contrast

The 6.5-inch screen on the front is an LC display. In contrast to AMOLED displays from higher price ranges, this technology has disadvantages: the brightness is not sufficient to read all the necessary information, especially in sunlight. If you don’t look at the display from the front, the effect also occurs. In the test, the Realme C21 achieved a value of 438 candelas – only the Galaxy A03s is even darker. In terms of color fidelity and contrast strength, the smartphone does not win a flower pot either: The contrast is comparatively poor and the smartphone does not achieve good values ​​for color fidelity either.

Realme C21: photo miracle for little money?

With the Realme C21, the manufacturer focuses on the camera and the battery. Three lenses are built into the camera block on the back: the main camera has 13 megapixels (MP), there is also a black-and-white lens (2 MP) for portrait shots and a macro lens (2 MP).

If you hope for a cheap photo miracle with this equipment, you will be disappointed. Because even with normal daylight shots, details are not clearly visible. For example, in the following image, it can be seen that the camera has problems displaying the branches on the trees. Slightly faded colors and slight distortion further degrade the quality of the images. If the zoom is also used, the quality drops further. When enlarged four times, the images look more like pixel mash than the original motif. At least: The macro camera delivers solid shots – but the smallest details are not always sharp here either.

Realme C21 daylight shot

Even in daylight, the Realme C21’s level of detail is rather poor.

Realme advertises a special night mode that is supposed to improve the images in poor light conditions. However, the mode does not do enough: In a comparison between a normal photo taken in the dark and a photo taken with night mode, it is noticeable that the saturation is significantly increased in night mode – this does not make the pictures sharper. In general, details are missing in poor light conditions and a strong picture noise spoils the quality.

Night mode comparison Realme C21

In comparison, a difference can be seen between the night mode (right) and a normal recording (left).

The front camera is located in the middle of the upper edge of the front and has 5 MP. The camera struggles with a loss of detail in the background – but it’s not as noticeable as with the main camera. In the foreground, the shots look solid in daylight. Optionally activate a beauty filter that should make wrinkles and skin irritations disappear. The results quickly look too smooth ironed. The portrait mode can be used with the front camera and reliably blurs the background. Problems can only occur with subtleties: In the practical test, the software had problems with the gap between the brackets of the over-ear headphones and the head. In the lab, there was a lot of white image noise in poor lighting, and the image was dark outside of that.
Portrait mode Realme C21

The Realme C21’s portrait mode has issues with small gaps – seen here on the over-ear headphones.

Performance expandable

Inside the Realme C21 is a Mediatek Helio G35 with 4 gigabytes (GB) of working memory (RAM). The smartphone could not shine in the benchmarks with this configuration. The laboratory even rated some results as failed due to low results. Most models do more – but are also more expensive. The Wiko Power U30 is a more expensive model that lags behind the Realme C21 in terms of performance.

And what does that mean for everyday use? One thing is clear: the Realme C21 is not a performance miracle. This is also not necessary for most basic applications in everyday life – WhatsApp and other messenger apps run without problems. Nevertheless, patience is required with an operating delay of 66.67 milliseconds. It’s more difficult in the area of ​​mobile gaming: Current hits like “Genshin Impact” can be installed and also work – but only on the lowest settings. If you turn the setting screws, the game warns of crashes and the gaming experience is more like a stuttering game. If you are looking for a device for these requirements, you are wrong with the Realme C21 and should rather dig a little deeper into your wallet.

The internal memory is 64 GB and can be expanded with a memory card. In addition to the memory expansion, two SIM cards fit for real dual SIM. Bluetooth 5.0 is on board – NFC is missing, for example for contactless payment at the checkout.

There is a lot of power in the battery

The Realme C21’s battery has a capacity of 5,000 mAh. As already mentioned, the right power supply unit including charging cable is in the box. One advantage of the rather weaker hardware: the smartphone’s runtime increases because the processes don’t require as much power. In the lab, the Realme C21 ran under constant load for almost twelve hours without a break before the battery gave out. If the reserve is tight, the smartphone offers a super energy-saving mode: In this setting, the device shuts down all processes that are not required. The remaining energy is reserved for the important functions and according to Realme, 5 percent of the battery capacity is enough to use WhatsApp for another 85 minutes.

You have to allow time for the charging process: Unlike the top smartphones from Realme, the pit stop here takes a little over two hours, which is comparatively long. However, this is still a good value for the price range up to 150 euros. After all: After one hour, the display already shows 71 percent. Inductive charging of the smartphone is not possible.

Bottom of Realme C21

A surprise awaits on the bottom of the Realme C21: a micro-USB port.

Realme C21: colors, prices, availability

The Realme C21 is already available in Germany. The manufacturer offers the colors Cross Blue (light blue) and Cross Black (black). The recommended retail price (RRP) for the Realme C21 is 129 euros for the version with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory. For the version with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, the RRP is 139 euros. However, both versions are usually cheaper to obtain – in some cases the prices fall well below 100 euros.

Back of Realme C21

The back of the Realme C21 has a geometric design.

Realme C21: test conclusion and alternative

The Realme C21 is not the hoped-for photo miracle for little money. The main camera already weakens in detail in daylight, the night mode doesn’t change tack. However, the quality of the images should be sufficient for occasional snappers. The performance of the processor is also not a brilliant achievement – mobile gaming is only possible to a limited extent and you have to accept delays in everyday life. The battery benefits from this, because it lasts longer due to the low requirements. The Realme C21 is sufficient for using basic apps in everyday life. For higher demands you have to dig deeper into your wallet – otherwise you will be disappointed. An alternative in the field up to 150 euros is, for example, the Motorola Moto E40, which, among other things, convinced with a better camera and a faster operating speed.



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