Content

1. Why follow the realme brand?
2. Realme C21 as the king of its market segment
3. Increased reliability and certification from TUV Rheinland
4. Graphic Design
5. Camera
6. Battery and Super Energy Efficiency Mode
7. Screen, performance and gauges
8. Shell and NFC
9. Advantages and disadvantages
10. How are realme smartphones different?

Why follow the realme brand?

Let’s do without stories about young and bright entrepreneurs striving to change the world. Only the main thing. So that everything is in essence, not even 5, but 4 main facts.

#one. Insane growth in the world

25 million users in January 2020. Already 50 million by November. And 70 million in February 2021.

Realme is somewhat of a phenomenon, as no other smartphone brand is growing that fast. The results are all the more unique because there is a pandemic in the yard, do not forget. At the end of 2020, according to research companies (Gartner), Apple came out to about zero, Samsung’s sales fell by 14.6%, and Huawei’s – by 24,1%. The entire smartphone market shrank 12.5%. And only realme, having shipped 42 million units in a year, showed an increase of 65% in a falling market (according to the Counterpoint report for the 4th quarter of 2020).

# 2. + 1179% per year in Russia

Realme smartphones have also been tested in Russia. 692% – such growth was shown by the brand at the end of the 4th quarter of 2020 (measured from 4Q20 to 4Q19). And for the year, sales grew by 1%.

For 2 years of its existence, realme has entered the top 7 global smartphone manufacturers. It is dangerous to give forecasts, but analysts agree that by the end of 2021 realme will enter the top five. Realme is already in the top 5 on the Russian market.

# 3. A bunch of awards

In 2020, realme received 181 awards, among them 159 for products and 5 for design; 16 of them are in Russia. The brand has been praised by everyone from the Financial Times to the Red Dot Design Award.

#four. Launch of a line of smart devices

Watches, TVs, headphones, smart speakers – more than 50 items in total, and the company plans to double this number in 2021.

Realme C21 as the king of its market segment

Next, we will analyze in more detail the technical characteristics, but if you are short of time, then the most basic thing about what is remarkable about realme C21:

• The price at the start is 9 rubles;
• There is NFC (only in the version for Russia, be careful if you decide to buy a “gray” device from AliExpress);
• 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, separate microSD slot;
• Triple slot – 2 nano-SIM + microSD;
• 5mAh battery + reversible charging;
• 6.5-inch IPS screen, 12 nm chipset;
• Triple camera 13 MP;
• Quality and reliability certificate from TUV Rheinland.

A few words about positioning. Realme C21 belongs to the C-series, the idea of ​​which is to, I quote, “change the standards in the field of affordable and high-quality multimedia devices.” Thanks to this positioning, they are one of the most interesting smartphones not only in the realme portfolio, but also on the market in general.

Last year there was material about realme C15 (link above), and it seemed that there was nowhere better. But in realme C21 it turned out not only to provide more technologies, but also to reduce the price (and this despite the fact that Russia is suffering from the weakening of the ruble). There is a certain dumping in order to knock out competitors and establish themselves in the market. It is necessary, as they say, to seize the moment, because further it will be worse. And the rise in prices is inevitable (read the material of the editor-in-chief at the link below).

Increased reliability and certification from TUV Rheinland

Perhaps this is the first smartphone in my memory to receive such a certificate. TUV Rheinland is an international company that independently audits and verifies equipment, goods and services for reliability and safety.

High reliability certification for smartphones includes 23 basic tests, including 10 daily use scenarios (for example, drop and wear level), 7 scenarios in extreme conditions (ultra-high and ultra-low ambient temperature, high and low humidity, with voltage fluctuations, static electricity and air pressure), as well as 6 scenarios to check the reliability of device components.

In my opinion, realme did the right thing by submitting the smartphone to an independent audit. Considering the characteristics, the presence of NFC and the price at the start of 9 rubles, the saying about a mousetrap and cheese comes to mind.

The TUV Rheinland certificate means that the smartphone will definitely withstand 3 years of hard use. And this is an excellent indicator of reliability.

Graphic Design

In promotional materials, realme takes pride in the look of the smartphone, emphasizing the “geometric design” and the fact that “the textured body of the model is made using laser engraving: 450 lines are located on it, the distance between which is only 0,1 mm.”

Visually, it seems, by the way, that there are more than 450 lines. Maybe someone will take the time and count. For my taste, the design is nice but basic. And others should be proud!

For example, the fact that the back cover has a ribbed texture, so that fingerprints do not remain and the smartphone does not slip out of hands. The smartphone uses the same plastic as motorcycle helmets.

Camera

Realme has a 5MP front camera and a system of 3 main cameras:

• 13 MP, f / 2.2, 26mm (wide), 1 / 3.06 ″, 1.12µm, PDAF
• 2 MP, f / 2.4, (macro)
• 2 MP, f / 2.4, (depth)

And if in terms of the number of megapixels the cameras are not amazing, the quality of the pictures is very good. Joyfully sharing photos on Instagram during the trip.

By the way, given that the next door posts from flagship smartphones for 70+ thousand rubles, it turns out a direct confirmation of the fact that for social networks the price of a smartphone does not matter. However, below will be the originals of the photos. You will be able to make sure that the quality is decent not only in social networks.

Dogs are a challenge for any photographer, as they don’t want to stand still. And sled dogs are a double test. Very friendly, sociable and communicative. Like, just met, and already climb to hug. Almost all photos of dogs are taken in motion. Excellent sharpness and color reproduction.

I would also like to show you these photographs taken during a dog sled ride. I took pictures, practically without looking, caring only about how not to drop my smartphone on bumps. There is also complex light in the dusk forest.

If we talk about a very complex light, then realme C21 performed well here too. I especially liked the pictures of the burning fireplace. I looked at the photo after the fact, because I did not expect something interesting. And it was worth checking the photos right away, then I would not be too lazy and would open the glass muddy flap, and there would be absolutely beauty.

The smartphone shoots normal daytime shots well.

It’s amazing how in Petrozavodsk KFC managed to knock out an entire building with columns on the main street. The smartphone, by the way, of course, is able to make panoramas and even almost completely compensated for the emerging fish-eye effect.

There is a stand of sister cities in Petrozavodsk. I was especially impressed that among the cities there is the Kirovsky district of St. Petersburg. Apparently, I really wanted to somehow fraternize with Peter.

Portraits with and without blur. Pay attention, despite the wind, the smartphone clearly managed to blur the area around the hair.

There are no questions about selfies either. Both statically and in motion on the snowmobile, excellent photos were obtained.

I especially love this shot with a suspicious dog in the background.

The smartphone has a 2 MP macro camera. I recommend taking photos for the main one. 2 MP is still too small for good macro. Check out the photo comparison of flowers below. On the main camera, the result is more interesting.

And finally, a couple of video examples.

Battery and Super Energy Efficiency Mode

A 5 mAh battery in 000 will surprise no one. Fast charging, reversible charging – everyone already has it (at least, if we talk about smartphones from 2021 thousand rubles).

But not everyone can boast of increased optimization of the soft-hardware bundle. Realme engineers have succeeded in this regard. Realme even came up with a 5% charge ad campaign. So, 5% of the charge is:

• 1,41 hours of WhatsApp chat;
• 1,36 hours of watching videos on YouTube (* the test showed that they don’t lie about YouTube);
• 4,78 hours of listening to music on Spotify.

I took my smartphone with me on a trip to nature. One charge lasted about 2.5 days. During this time, I took about 400 photos and recorded 40 minutes of video, used my smartphone as a navigator, and since I do not have a YouTube subscription, and it was a pity to discharge the main unit, in total realme C21 played about 4 hours of video lectures.

In games, the smartphone is able to hold out for 7.3 hours. And here is the result of the PCmark test. This test is good because it simulates daily workload, that is, this is the number of hours of screen operation you will have on average.

Screen, performance and gauges

At this point, I want to share the features that surprised me.

A screen for all the money. The realme C21 has a 6,5-inch screen. This is an IPS LCD panel with HD + resolution with an aspect ratio of 20 by 9. The screen has good viewing angles, but the main thing is a sufficient level of brightness. Since I took my smartphone for winter holidays, I used it for a lot of time on the street, taking photos and videos. The sun, white snow, blinded eyes, had to wear sunglasses. Realme C21 performed well.

Formally, the declared brightness is about 400 nits. So far, it has not been possible to take measurements, and I am typing this text in the train compartment, but it feels about 450 nits here. And this is surprising. In this price segment, manufacturers prefer to save money and install screens of the worst quality.

Memory 4GB + 64GB + 256GB. Surprise number two is memory and storage. Let’s frankly, in realme C21 (given the presence of NFC) there should be a 3 + 32 GB combination. The company not only chose 4 + 64 GB, but also used high-quality components. The RAM and storage do not set speed records, but these are solid indicators. The smartphone has a separate slot for microSD cards (up to 256 GB), so that the user can expand the drive to store photos and videos there.

Compass. I went to Google Maps only to clear my conscience, as I expected that there was nothing interesting there. A sensor called a magnetometer, or, more simply, a compass is usually not installed in smartphones for 9 rubles. This is perhaps one of the most favorite ways to quietly save money. Having a compass is important if you are using your smartphone for navigation. The compass shows which way you are looking. This is useful when you get off the subway in an unfamiliar area or when you are driving.

Shell and NFC

NFC is almost the main highlight of the smartphone. Firstly, NFC in realme C21 was made exclusively for Russia, so be careful when ordering via the Internet. Accordingly, Google Pay, payment in transport or replenishment of a transport card – everything works. The fact that the presence of NFC is a feature of Russian models is also evidenced by the fact that initially Google Pay was not installed on the smartphone!

Realme UI shell. This is not a advertised feature, but I can’t help but say since I love the realme UI style.

Firstly, I was glad that an update arrived on the third day of testing. In general, I can say that realme keeps the devices up-to-date. As an auxiliary smartphone, I have realme 6, which regularly receives patches. Now I’m waiting for both Android 11 and the new version of the realme UI 2.0 shell to arrive soon.

By the way, according to the list, realme C21 will also receive an update from Android 11. By the way, note that even the previous model, realme C15, will receive an update. In this regard, realme is strikingly different from competitors, since in this price segment smartphones do not receive updates to Android versions.

Secondly, I love the shell for its conciseness, beautiful interface, lack of advertising, and call recording. Did a great review of the current version of the realme UI 1.0 shell. Can be found at the link below. When realme UI 2.0 arrives, a new link will appear here.

Advantages and disadvantages

In conclusion, there are several pros and cons that I revealed while using the device.

Pros:

• Battery and battery life are definitely a plus;
• The quality of the camera is super!
• NFC availability;
• Compass in maps;
• Performance and amount of memory (4/64 GB);
• Shell realme UI 1.0. and in general, excellent optimization of software and hardware;
• The price at the start is 9 rubles;
• Pleasant body materials (texture, no prints left);
• The presence of a certificate of increased reliability from TUV Rheinland warms the soul;
• An update to Android 11 and realme 2.0 should arrive.

Cons:

• microUSB for charging (my TWS-headphones are charged via microUSB, so I didn’t go without a wire on a trip, but, in general, the connector is a thing of the past);
• macro camera 2 MP. Added for the sake of sonorous marketing (triple camera). Perhaps it was worth just making a double module;
• in theory, you can find fault with the fact that there is no silicone case in the kit.

The Realme C21 is a potentially powerful smartphone that should be a hit in its price range. It can only be hindered by the fact that the brand is still very young and has not become familiar in the market.

How are realme smartphones different?

Even if you are not considering realme to buy or are not going to update your smartphone in the near future, you should still keep a close eye on realme. The brand’s smartphones, in fact, have 3 main advantages:

1. Favorable price / performance ratio. Where other manufacturers have 3GB of RAM, realme has 4GB. Slightly better screen, camera, battery – this is the strategy. Doing slightly better than the competition.
2. Lack of advertising. Today, when advertising is found even in flagships for 100 thousand rubles, the lack of advertising looks like an anomaly.
3. Attention to your customers. A striking confirmation is the presence of NFC. In the world, realme C21 is sold without NFC, and only for Russia the company made an exception.

Buy Realme C21 at a discount

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Published – 24 March 2021

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