Realme C65 5G Review: Entry-Level All-rounder with Six-Hitting Power

Realme is back. Yes, I know we have been saying these words too frequently in 2024, but then this is because they hold true. Realme has been on a roll this year. We are just four months into the year and we already witnessed nine smartphone launches by Realme. Crazy, right? But then, it is what it is. 

Realme started its 2024 journey with the launch of Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro+, followed by Realme 12 and Realme 12+ 5G smartphones. Shortly afterward came the Realme 12X and then the next in the Narzo series, the Realme Narzo 70 Pro 5G. Last week, the brand introduced a new P-Series, including Realme P1 5G, and two days ago, Realme Narzo 70X 5G was rolled out. Today, the brand has widened its C-Series lineup by introducing the Realme C65 5G in the country.

Realme C65 5G is the first to have a Dimensity 6300 chipset along with features like a 5000mAh battery, 50MP camera, Android 14 OS, and much more. All this is in the entry-level segment, with the price being under 10,000. Not only Realme but brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, Motorola, and Nokia also offer 5G smartphones in this segment, thus making it one of the most competitive markets right now. So the question arises: what has Realme done to make C65 different from all the ones available? Will Realme C65 5G be able to make its mark in this fiercely competitive market? Let’s find out.

Smartprix Score 3.7/5

Pros

• Stylish, smudge-free design
• Fast performance
• 5000mAh battery
• Sleek and lightweight build

Cons

• Underwhelming night photography
• Selfie camera needs improvement
• Inadequate display brightness
• Bloatware present

₹24,860 on Flipkart

Realme C65 5G Review: Design & Build

Design is one of the most important aspects of any Realme device. Whether it is a budget smartphone or a flagship one, the company always tries to do something different for the design. In Realme C65’s case, it also does away from the earlier C-Series models in terms of design. 

Moreover, the Realme C65 looks similar to the recently launched Realme P1 smartphone from the back. It has a plastic body, but a unique glass-like texture for the back makes it look more premium than it is. 

The smartphone comes in Feather Green and Glowing Black shades, out of which I received the former for review purposes. As soon as I unboxed the device, the color as well as the feel of the smartphone in hand impressed me. It weighs 190 grams and is merely 7.89mm thick, making it feel sleek and lightweight.

The back has a glass-like but matte panel that shines when light falls on it, and the best part is that it doesn’t catch smudges or dirt easily. There is a slightly protruded circular camera module at the back that has four cutouts for camera sensors. However, only two of them have a sensor, with one being an LED flash and one being a dummy. Realme branding can be found at the bottom, engraved in silver.

At the front is a 6.67-inch display with noticeable bezels all around, which is quite a turn-off when viewing content. Otherwise, the smartphone has rounded edges and a selfie sensor at the top.

Talking about functionality, the top edge has a SIM card slot, while the bottom edge houses a USB-C port, a speaker grille, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for those who still like to use their headphones the traditional way. The left edge has been left idle, while the right edge houses the power button and volume rockers. The power button has now become a dynamic button as it can be used to perform multiple functions. It can be used to change sound modes, enable DND, turn off flight mode, and much more.

Realme has equipped this entry-level device with a raindrop smart touch as well. This is the segment’s first device to get this feature, and I must say it worked well for me. The screen was able to detect whether my hands were wet or there was water on the screen otherwise. There were no unexpected touch actions even when I operated the smartphone with a wet screen. Not only this, the Realme C65 also comes with an IP54 rating that shields it against dust and minor splashes, so you don’t have to worry if you are on a jog and it starts drizzling. This is because even if the device gets water splashes, it will be completely safe.

Realme has made a solid smartphone in terms of design for a price of under 10k.

ALSO READ: Realme Narzo 70 Pro 5G Review: Power-packed Performer inside a Premium Glass Body

Realme C65 5G Review: Display

The Realme C65 5G sports a 6.67-inch HD display with a resolution of 720×1604 pixels. The display produces visuals that are bright, crisp, and detailed, with colors popping out, making them look attractive. The dynamic range and viewing angles are okay, but they could have been better. The display comes with thick bezels all around it, which makes the visuals look smaller than many other smartphones, but it does have a 240Hz touch sampling rate, which ensures a quick and responsive touch experience. For an entry-level device, having a 120Hz refresh rate is a big deal, and Realme has done this with C65. The refresh rate is adjustable between 120Hz, 90Hz, 60Hz, and 50Hz, which ensures battery life is saved, as every app and program requires a different refresh rate. 120Hz refresh rate gives a buttery smooth experience while scrolling as well as gaming.

Realme C65 comes with 625 nits peak brightness, which feels more than enough indoors, but outdoors, it does pose problems sometimes. It is the summer season in India at the moment, and during this time, the sun is at its harshest during the afternoon. I stepped out of my home with the C65 in my pocket, and when I took it out to check some messages, I found it difficult to read the display even at maximum brightness levels as the sunlight was harsh. I had to keep my other hand at the top to see the screen clearly. This can be problematic, but you can’t expect everything to be great with an almost 10k device.

There is a mini capsule at the top that indicates battery status, data usage, music details of the song currently playing, and weather updates. It also acts as your daily step count display.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus 5G Review: Middle Member with Maximized Power

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Realme C65 5G Review: Performance

Performance is being deemed as one of the highlights of the Realme C65 5G. Realme has partnered with MediaTek to make Realme C65 5G the world’s first-ever device to be powered by Dimensity 6300 chipset. Based on the 6nm process, MediaTek and Realme claim that C65 will be the fastest in the segment, thanks to Dimensity 6300 SoC. The chipset has received an AnTuTu score of over 400,000 and claims to support stable frame rates while gaming as well. Let us talk about the performance and software of the device as experienced in real-world scenarios.

The Realme C65 5G is fast during regular everyday tasks. The apps load and open quickly, and switching between them was hassle-free as well. Even if there were over 15 apps and games running simultaneously in the background, switching between them was seamless. This is not only due to SoC but also due to 6GB RAM that can be virtually increased by up to 6GB. 128GB storage offers a decent amount of space to store whatever you want.

The 5G antennas are arranged in a 360-degree layout so that you get strong 5G signals in horizontal as well as vertical modes. Both SIM cards can be 5G capable so you get dual 5G connectivity. Air Gestures that came out with Narzo 70 Pro have also been enabled on this one, however they are pretty limited. All you can do is flip your device to scan and pay from the home screen and double-tap on the sensor at the back to scan a code. Screen off-gestures can also be enabled. Using this, all you need to do is double-tap on the screen to wake up the device, draw V to open the torch, draw O to open the camera, and more. These work fine and came in handy when my hands were occupied with other tasks and all I could spare was a finger.

In terms of gaming, C65 can handle games like Temple Run, Candy Crush, township, Burger Shop, Goods Sort, and more for hours easily. Heavy titles like BGMI mobile and COD mobile were smooth when the session started. After about 20 minutes, the frame rates started dropping slowly, and slight stutters could be felt. If you want to run heavy titles for hours, you should opt for medium frame rates and graphics so that the stuttering doesn’t start soon. Some benchmarks were performed; here are the results-

Let’s talk about the software now. Realme C65 5G runs Realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14 out of the box. The smartphone comes with various smart features like a flexible window, kids mode, driving mode, smart sidebar, and split view to make usage even more convenient. The UI is fun and easy to use but comes with bloatware, as apps like Amazon, Snapchat, Linkedin, Facebook, and Netflix are all pre-installed. Though you can remove them if you don’t need them, it is high time smartphone brands stop stuffing devices with apps on their own. Users should be given the opportunity to load apps and use the device how they want to, right from powering it on. Realme has promised two years of OS updates and three years of security patches for this one.

ALSO READ: Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Review: Charging Ecosystem That Keeps You Going Nonstop

Realme C65 5G REVIEW: CAMERA

In terms of camera, Realme C65 5G has a 50MP primary camera at the front along with a 2MP secondary lens for close-up shots. The camera setup is also equipped with LED flash and HDR capabilities to enable better photography in lowlight conditions. At the front is an 8MP selfie sensor for social media enthusiasts and video calls.

The main 50MP camera clicks bright and crisp shots in daylight. The shots are detailed, and even when zooming, minor details can be viewed clearly. The colors seem boosted, which makes objects in the picture look fairer than they are and thus look artificial at times. While the photos are clear, color accuracy cannot be vouched for.

In lowlight conditions, the quality of shots goes down quite a few notches. Details are lost, and there is a lot of noise in these shots. The clarity of shots isn’t that good, and one might want to avoid clicking pictures in low light with this sensor.

Portrait mode works fine when clicking close-up shots in natural light. The following images of plants and flowers are clear, and colorful with some amount of detailing being visible. While the pink of the flower and green of the leaves do seem slightly boosted, but overall images are acceptable.

The 2MP lens is pretty much useless as it doesn’t serve any purpose.

The equally important 8MP selfie snapper at the front can take clear selfies during the day. However, the selfie camera also boosts colors a lot, and not only does the background but also the face of the subject look different from what it is. Even after turning Auto HDR off, my face seemed much fairer than it actually was. It might work for some, but for me, it took away the essence of the photograph as this didn’t look like me. The skin tone is not accurate, and it feels like I have used loads of filters to enhance my face. The face looked artificial, and the background, too, brightened up as if there were flashlights switched on. The Selfie camera should definitely have been worked on.

The camera department isn’t really up to the mark.

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Realme C65 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging

The Realme C65 5G packs the same 5000mAh battery that most of the smartphones have these days. With regular usage, the battery easily lasted throughout a working day. I started using it with 100% charge at 9 AM, and at the end of my workday, which was 7 PM, there was still 18% battery remaining. My usage included calling, messaging, reading articles, clicking photos, running benchmark tests, watching videos, listening to music, and even playing light games in between to take a break. The battery life is pretty impressive.

The brand has bundled a 15W adapter inside the box for charging purposes. It takes slightly over four hours to charge this battery from 0 to 100% using the charger which is a lot in today’s times. Even if you want to get a 50% battery level, you will need to give two hours to the adapter to recharge the battery. Realme could have improved the charging speed a bit as charging time was tiresome. You better use other fast-charging adapters that you have at home to charge this one.

To make battery life last longer, the battery tab in the settings menu gives you some smart options. You can enable the Power Saving Mode, and Ultra Power Saving Mode, and optimize battery usage to make it last longer. Safeguarding the battery of the device can be done by enabling smart charging and stop charging at 80% options.

All in all, while battery life is good, charging speed proves to be a big disappointment with this one.

ALSO READ: Realme P1 Review: The Best Bang for Your Buck?

Review Verdict: Should you buy the Realme C65 5G?

Realme C65 5G is an all-around entry-level device that comes with features like a 5000mAh battery, Dimensity 6300 chipset, Android 14 OS, 120Hz display, and a stylish design. The smartphone has been priced under Rs. 10,000, which means you can get all this without burning a hole in your pocket. While the camera setup is underwhelming, and there is bloatware as well, but then you can’t expect everything to be top-notch in a device this aggressively priced. So, if you are looking for a stylish, smudge-free, and decent-performing 5G device within your limited 10k budget, Realme C65 5G can be one of your options. Some other options that can be considered are Xiaomi Redmi 13C, Nokia G42, Motorola G34, and Samsung M14 5G.