Pros and Cons of realme C33 Smartphone

realme presents a variety of smartphones, from their top-tier GT series to the mid-level Number series. They also have the C series, mainly aimed at entry-level buyers, with affordable prices.

On September 7, 2022, realme India unveiled the latest addition to the C series, the realme C33. This was the successor to the realme C30, which came out a few months earlier, with improved features and specs.

The realme phone's popularity can be attributed to its affordable prices, making it an attractive choice for many consumers. However, it is worth highlighting that the realme C33 offers unique advantages that distinguish it from the competition. Let's summarize the pros and cons of this device:

To fully grasp this device, it's crucial to look closely at its advantages and disadvantages. However, before diving into those, let's take a look at its specifications!

Specification of realme C33

Pros of realme C33

If those details are not enough to give you an overview of the realme C33, let's check out the details below:

1. High-Performance Chipset, Great for Gaming

Normal expectations for entry-level smartphones are modest. Mostly, people choose these affordable phones for daily tasks such as texting, calling, and browsing.

Surprisingly, the realme C33, despite being an entry-level phone, can handle high-demand activities such as playing current popular games and rendering image edits.

The secret is in the Unisoc Tiger T612 chipset. While Unisoc may not be as well-known as MediaTek or Qualcomm, it's a cost-effective SoC manufacturer that should not be underestimated.

The Unisoc T612 is generally found in extremely budget-friendly phones like the realme Narzo 50i Prime, realme C31, and realme C30. An interesting feature of this chipset is the inclusion of the ARM Cortex A7x microarchitecture.

This microarchitecture typically signifies that a smartphone is geared for heavy gaming. It's not just about running casual games like Candy Crush anymore; it's capable of handling Mobile Legends, COD Mobile, and Free Fire on medium graphic settings, and with a reasonable frame rate.

The Unisoc Tiger T612 chipset uses a 12 nm fabrication process and comes with an eight-core (octa-core) processor setup. It's powered by two Cortex A75 units clocked at 1.8 GHz and six power-saving 1.8 GHz Cortex A55 cores. Additionally, this chipset features a Mali G57 GPU for graphic rendering.

According to 91mobiles.com, the realme C33 has good performance when operating and switching between applications. Chrome's performance remains acceptable even when multiple tabs are active.

However, the same review notes that the gaming experience can be less than optimal due to issues like overheating and a drop in frame rates after playing Asphalt 9 for half an hour.

You may have questions on your mind; is the gameplay still relatively comfortable, despite the frame rate drop?

For smooth gameplay, a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS is needed, as if the game can run around this frame rate, the smartphone is still considered gaming-friendly.

A review of Free Fire gameplay on the realme C33 by Glister Gaming suggested that this phone is well-suited for entry-level gaming. The graphics and frame rate settings were on High, and the game ran reasonably well.

There were moments when it dropped slightly below 30 FPS, but overall, it still offered a smooth gaming experience. In other words, the frame rate drop was not significantly disruptive and was still appropriate for casual gaming. Of course, professional gaming may require different standards.

Additionally, when tested on Geekbench 5, the realme C33 achieved synthetic benchmark scores of 341 points for single-core and 1409 for multi-core. Furthermore, this device also scored 209,197 points on AnTuTu v9, a good number in its category.

According to the CPU Throttling Test application, the realme C33 demonstrated minimal throttling. After 30 minutes of testing, the application did not detect any thermal suppression.

The performance level displayed was beyond expectations, especially considering its budget-friendly price. realme has once again demonstrated that an affordable price does not necessarily mean compromised performance.

The standard for modest phones has increased. No longer are they basically average smartphones; they also support the modern lifestyle of today's youth.

2. Good Quality Screen

When choosing a portable device for watching content, smartphones are typically the most popular option. In comparison to laptops, their portability, and light weight help users to access content anywhere and at any time.

However, not all smartphones can provide the best visual experience, especially if you're considering options in the lower price ranges, which often offer just standard quality.

Fortunately, the realme C33 boasts a fairly good screen to maximize your visual experience. With a generous 6.5-inch size, this screen, equipped with an IPS LCD panel, delivers a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. It carries a 20:9 aspect ratio with a pixel density of 270 PPI.

The phone's design includes a small waterdrop notch on the screen, resulting in a thinner bezel compared to older models that use a FullView design.

91mobiles.com praised the realme C33, mentioning that its screen can display a wide range of colors and rich detail. Also, the screen has a wide viewing angle, which makes it comfortable for group viewings with friends or a partner.

Onsitego, another website, added that the screen has a good touch response. However, they observed a slight resistance when swiping across the screen.

The screen supports a brightness level of 400 nits, making it suitable for daily use. If you're using it outside during the day, you might need to turn up the brightness to ensure that the content is readable.

The phone comes with a standard 60 Hz refresh rate and a 120 Hz touch sampling rate. While it lacks the high refresh rate found in many Android phones, this is understandable because of its very affordable price.

3. Using UFS Internal Memory

Typically, budget smartphones use eMMC storage, which is slower for data transmission. UFS (Universal Flash Storage) is mostly used by midrange and high-end smartphones.

With the increasing competition in the smartphone market, however, phones that are just a few steps above entry-level already contain UFS, reserving eMMC for the lowest-priced category. Even at budget-friendly prices, the realme C33 incorporates UFS 2.2, which distinguishes it.

This means you will experience better app performance, loading periods, and data transfers. The realme C33 is available in three memory configurations: 3 GB + 32 GB, 4 GB + 64 GB, and 4 GB + 128 GB.

4. Comes With a Dedicated External Memory Slot

This smartphone does not provide a RAM expansion feature, which, according to us, is not absolutely essential. It often seems more like a flashy feature than something that genuinely improves performance.

However, if you prefer to dedicate the entire internal memory space to your applications, you have the option to save your photos, videos, and music files on a separate microSD slot. Notably, this slot can support a microSD card of up to 1 TB, giving you plenty of room for all your multimedia files.

By providing a distinct slot for external memory, the need to compromise the use of the second SIM card slot is eliminated. This way, your productivity remains unaffected even if you decide to utilize additional storage.

The result is an abundance of space in the internal storage, which you can use to store more applications, games, and other types of content.

5. Convenient Side-Mounted Fingerprint Sensor

In the race to provide more user-friendly experiences, smartphone manufacturers have long been incorporating fingerprint sensors to simplify the process of unlocking screens. Following this trend, the realme C33 also offers this handy feature.

Strategically positioned on the side of the smartphone, the sensor is integrated with the power button. This design choice ensures a natural and seamless screen unlocking experience.

The fact is, users are accustomed to interacting with the power button, using it frequently to turn their phones on or off. Therefore, the positioning of the fingerprint sensor on the side doesn't cause any new complications.

In addition to the fingerprint sensor, the phone is fitted with a single speaker and a microphone at its base, close to the charging port. There is also a 3.5mm audio jack port for plugging in wired earphones, offering options for those who prefer private listening experiences.

According to a review by 91mobiles, the fingerprint sensor of the realme C33 performs exceptionally well, unlocking the screen almost instantaneously. realme asserts that the sensor can unlock the screen in just half a second, showcasing their commitment to user-friendly design and efficient performance.

Setting it apart from competitors, the realme C33 sports a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a feature often only found in rear-mounted designs. This side-mounted design contributes to the sleek and clutter-free aesthetic of the realme C33's back panel.

6. Stylish and Captivating Body Design

Say goodbye to plain and uninteresting phone body designs. Despite its budget-friendly, realme has put considerable effort into designing this phone.

Its flat shape makes it easy to hold, in part because it's notably light, weighing only 187 grams. On top of that, the realme C33 is impressively thin at just 8.3mm, making it not just user-friendly but also conveniently small enough to slip into your pocket.

The design theme of the realme C33, known as the "Boundless Sea Design," employs an innovative unibody style. The back of the phone creates an illusion of an endless, expansive sea.

realme included glitter accents into the body of the phone, causing a dazzling effect like sunlight reflecting off the ocean's surface.

Compared to the usual "camera island", the two cameras on the realme C33 are contained within their own large circles. A smaller circle adjacent to the larger one contains the LED light. For certain markets, the phone is available in two color options: Aqua Blue and Night Sea.

While people's tastes may differ, Carisinyal believes the realme C33's body is among the best for affordable smartphones. The way the body reflects sunlight when struck by light from certain angles is a really special selling point for a phone in this price range.

7. Good Enough for Camera

As an affordable smartphone, the realme C33 does not offer great photography. However, in comparison to other phones of a similar price, its camera specifications will probably surprise you.

realme C33 features a high-resolution 50 MP primary camera, whereas its competitors only offer 13 MP primary cameras. This primary camera is also equipped with Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF), removing the need for manual focusing.

Additionally, there's a 0.3 MP support camera with an f/2.8 aperture for portrait mode. This camera seems to simply increase the number of cameras without giving any details of value. The presence of dual cameras is more attractive than a single camera.

When it comes to video recording, it doesn't hit 60 FPS, but only 30 FPS. Thankfully, it can support up to 1080p resolution.

In addition to its two rear cameras, the realme C33 features a front camera for selfies and video calls. It has a resolution of 5 MP, an aperture of f/2.2, and a focal length of 27mm. This front camera features a waterdrop-shaped indentation. Here are some sample photographs taken with the realme C33.

According to 91mobiles.com, the rear camera has an acceptable shutter speed. During daytime shooting, details are preserved.

The problems come when having pictures in low-light conditions, as only minimal exposure is provided. The Night Mode function does not provide much assistance and displays worse details. Observe the lighting on the ceiling; its dynamic range has increased slightly.

It is unreasonable to expect an affordable phone like the realme C33 to provide outstanding night photography. Despite its weaknesses, this phone's camera can capture images of good enough for online sharing.

8. Does Not Use Android Go Edition

Considering its price, you might initially assume that this phone uses Android Go Edition, a stripped-down version of the operating system. This version is commonly found on entry-level smartphones with 2 GB or less of RAM.

Android Go Edition is significantly easier to operate. It includes YouTube Go, Gmail Go, and Google Go, as well as other "Go" variants of Google's lightweight applications. Despite this, standard versions of applications can still be downloaded from the Play Store.

Some people enjoy having this operating system on their entry-level smartphones because it helps to make their devices more responsive. Although it provides a comparable user experience in general, it has certain limitations. It lacks Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and split-screen capabilities, for example.

realme C33 provides the standard Android version, specifically Android 12, along with realme UI S, which is an advantage. This differs from the realme C30, which uses realme UI Go Edition (Android Go).

realme UI S is a simplified version of the standard Android operating system, but it offers more features than realme UI Go Edition. Users will get Android version updates for two years following its release, and security updates for three years.

Cons of realme C33

As an affordable, entry-level smartphone, it is expected that the realme C33 has the following limitations. Let's see what are the limitations below!

1. Poor Battery Life

Despite having a 5,000 mAh battery, the realme C33 comes with low expectations in terms of battery life.

When set through PC Mark's Battery Test by a 91mobiles.com writer, the realme C33 survived only 8 hours and 9 minutes. This is not good for a phone with a battery capacity of 5,000 mAh.

According to onsitego, reports indicate that the realme C33 can last anywhere from a full day to a day and a half on a single charge. They claim that the realme C33, with its HD-resolution display, should, in theory, have an extended battery life.

This reduced battery life can be attributed to its 12-nanometer chipset. If it utilized a Snapdragon 680 like other mobile devices, its battery life could be improved.

Redmi 10 is the least expensive smartphone (at the time this article was written) to feature a Snapdragon 680. It is slightly more expensive than the realme C33, but its battery life and gaming performance are better.

Lacking fast-charging features, the realme C33 can only be charged with a 10W power adapter. The device takes about three hours to charge from 0% to 100%, which is quite slow as current standards.

2. Still Using MicroUSB

Do you know that the European Union requires that all electronic devices utilize USB-C ports, a directive that is anticipated to take effect in 2024.

The majority of Android smartphones are currently using USB-C connectors with symmetrical shapes and support for blind mating interfaces. This makes it simpler for users to plug in their chargers by removing the "wrong way round charger" issue.

However, budget phones, the majority of which still use micro USB, are often disregarded during this transition. The realme C33 is an example. As evidenced by the Redmi 10C, Advan G9 Pro, and realme Narzo 50A Prime, it is not impossible for low-cost smartphones to support USB Type-C.

Due to the need for precise alignment to connect to the connector, the use of microUSB can pose challenges for users. In addition, microUSB is known to transfer data slower than USB Type-C.

3. Missing Dual-Band WiFi Support

If you're unable to connect to public WiFi with the realme C33, it could be because the location is using a 5 GHz router which offers faster speeds.

This phone only supports WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, so it can only connect to the 2.4 GHz frequency. This band offers slower speeds but has a greater range.

In addition to Bluetooth 5.0 with A2DP and LE, the phone also includes GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BDS) and GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BDS). However, it lacks NFC features.

Conclusion

So, is the realme C33 a good budget-friendly smartphone? It could be, especially if you're looking for a device with reasonable performance, a nice screen, and a decent camera.

Its design is attractive, with a body that is comforting to hold and an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Moreover, given its price, the use of a side-mounted fingerprint sensor is a unique feature.

However, the realme C33 has disadvantages that may be deal-breakers for certain people. These include the lack of 5 GHz WiFi support, a disappointing battery life, and the use of micro USB instead of USB Type-C. Considering these limitations, would you consider buying it?