Hands-On

Realme C2 hands-on: The new budget king?

Cheap yet good

Published

June 1, 2019

Daniel Morial

After releasing a midrange phone capable of handling graphics-intensive games, Realme is back to catering to the budget segment. The successor to the entry-level Realme C1 is here, and it doesn’t look like a rebranded OPPO phone anymore.

The Realme C2 is the company’s newest affordable phone. Designed to be really friendly to people’s wallets, is the Realme C2 worth the hard-earned money?

Let’s find out in this hands-on.

It’s got a 6.1-inch IPS LCD display

With a pretty low HD+ resolution

The power button is on its right side while…

A plastic button for the plastic frame

… the volume keys and card tray are on the left

Two separate buttons for adjusting the volume

The card tray accepts a microSD and two SIM cards

A triple card tray is always great to have

The micro-USB port and 3.5mm jack are at the bottom

Along with the microphone and loudspeaker

The phone’s back features a prism-like textured pattern

It easily resists fingerprints

It’s certainly different from your typical budget phone

The camera has a yellow ring for added style

Unique-looking body

Since the Realme C2 is a budget phone, it’s not packing the best hardware available. It doesn’t have a powerful processor, but it has a body that’s unique. It’s pretty hard to sell an entry-level device with its low specifications, although the Realme C2 is not reliant on its power alone.

Realme markets their new phone to have what they call a “Diamond Cut Design.” The Realme C2 doesn’t have any fancy stones, although it has a textured back panel that kind off mimics the look of a shining diamond. It’s still made of plastic, but I certainly appreciate this over a glossy, smudgy glass-like back.

In front, it has a 6.1-inch display with a dewdrop notch that’s way smaller than before. The screen’s resolution remains at HD+ which is not the sharpest panel available, yet it’s alright. I find the display to be adequate for everyday use.

The whole front is protected by a smooth slab of Gorilla Glass 3, so you don’t have to worry much about scratches. It does come with a pre-installed plastic screen protector.

Overall, the physical design of the Realme C2 is okay. It doesn’t elevate the budget segment with any premium materials, but the textured pattern on the back is a welcome touch. We don’t get to see a smudge-free phone every day.

Decent performance

There’s nothing exciting in the specs department, although the Realme C2 gets its job done. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset which has an octa-core CPU. Compared to the Realme C1, the Realme C2 is slightly faster and more efficient with its new processor. The model I have has a fairly standard 3GB of memory and 32GB of expandable storage.

Out of the box, the phone runs the latest version of ColorOS 6 with updated icons to give it a different identity over OPPO phones with the same operating system. ColorOS is already based on Android Pie, so it’s pretty much up to date with the core Android features.

So far, the Realme C2 performs smoothly with my day-to-day usage. I have yet to encounter any frustrating lag or hiccup. Multitasking is pretty limited due to its low memory, although let’s not ask too much from a budget phone.

Gaming-wise, graphics-intensive titles are not advisable for the Realme C2. It can run games in low settings fairly smooth, but Asphalt 9 and PUBG Mobile are not fun to play with low frame rates.

Decent cameras

Equipped with a 13-megapixel shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor on the back, the Realme C2 can take decent stills in broad daylight. Indoor and night shots can get noisy, but it’s still usable for posting online. It has an LED flash to help fill light, just in case you need to.

For selfies, there’s a 5-megapixel front-facing camera sitting inside the display’s notch.

Check out these samples:

: Beauty mode off

: Beauty mode: AI

The phone’s main camera doesn’t have AI scene detection, but the front camera has built-in beauty filters. Surprisingly, it takes good selfies as long as there’s a lot of light available.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

To appreciate the Realme C2, one should see it as a budget phone that tries to offer something different. To be honest, most buyers will just slap on a case to keep their phone protected. However, the Realme C2 doesn’t disappoint in delivering the basics and it’s a well-rounded phone.

The Realme C2 starts at PhP 5,490 in the Philippines and INR 5,999 in India for the entry-level configuration with 2GB of memory and 16GB of expandable. If you wish to get the 3GB+32GB variant, you’ll have to shell out PhP 6,490 or INR 7,999.

Those who find the Realme C2 inadequate could check out the Realme 3 and the Realme 3 Pro. Of course, higher-end models cost extra.

Accessories

Apple AirPods Pro 2: USB-C vs Lightning

Are there even any changes?

Published

September 22, 2023

GadgetMatch

The 2nd Generation of AirPods Pro (or AirPods Pro 2) was launched not too long ago.

It’s got all the nifty upgrades from the first iteration including better ANC, better battery life, better chip with UWB, more sensors, a MagSafe charging case with speakers, and many more.

Then Apple introduced the USB-C version of the same AirPods Pro model.

You might be wondering: Are there even any changes? Or is it just that new USB-C port all along?

Spoiler alert! There are changes you need to know and might convince you to buy one.

Head over to our comparison of the refreshed AirPods 2 USB-C versus its Lightning counterpart (and a mini unboxing in between).

Hands-On

Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Series Hands-on

Which iPhone 15 is your GadgetMatch?

Published

September 18, 2023

GadgetMatch

It’s the time of the year again!

Wonderlust — it’s the theme for this year’s annual Apple Event held at the ever-popular Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

The shining and glimmering stars of the show are none other than the newest iPhone 15 and 15 Pro lineup.

Excited to see what’s new? How about the latest colorways?

Are you even convincing yourself to upgrade?

More of your questions might just be answered by heading over to our iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Series Hands-on video.

Hands-On

Answering your Infinix GT 10 Pro questions

Performance, pricing, and more

Published

August 30, 2023

GadgetMatch

The Infinix GT 10 Pro has been a lot more popular than we expected. Our unboxing video got over a million views on TikTok and over a hundred thousand views on Facebook (make sure to follow and like our page!).

In case you missed it, this is the unboxing video.

@gadgetmatch

Meet the new Infinix GT 10 Pro! ✨ #Infinix #InfinixGT10Pro #Unboxing #Smartphone #fyp

♬ original sound – GadgetMatch – GadgetMatch

Naturally, people had questions and we’re here to answer them.

Ads on UI?

This is likely a case-by-case basis depending on the region you’re in. For our review unit specifically, the UI did not have any ads, annoying or otherwise.

Price and Availability?

At launch, The Infinix GT 10 Pro retails for between US$ 240 to US$ 250, and will be available in Cyber Black and Mirage Silver colors.

As of writing we don’t have any other pricing and availability information. We’ll update this pace when we learn more.

Overheating issues?

The only time the Infinix GT 10 Pro overheated during our testing is when we cranked up all the graphics settings to very high while playing Honkai: Star Rail. In fact, it got so hot, the phone voluntarily restarted.

For the generally smoothest gameplay experience, keep settings to medium. These games are optimized for that anyway.

Are ghost touches frequent?

As far as ghosting goes, other than our Managing Editor’s romantic prospects, the phone also did exhibit such tendencies. Not ideal for any phone marketing itself as for gamers. Granted, most of it happened not while playing but during general browsing.

Game crashes?

We already mentioned the phone crashing earlier. As far as games go, no such thing happened during our time with it. Do note that after the initial crashing incident, we mostly kept the games at medium settings.

Storage?

The unit we have has 256GB of internal storage. As of writing, that appears to be the only variant available.

Camera Zoom?

The zoom capabilities are all digital. You can toggle from 1X to 2X and if you pinch-to-zoom, it goes all the way up to 10X. But that isn’t advisable. The Zoom on this thing is pretty negligible. See photo below.

But the 108MP main camera takes decent photos ready for whatever social media platform you want to post them on.

Selfies are nice too. Here are some taken by our lovely Japanese Tech Journo friend.

Does the battery drain fast?

This ultimately depends on your usage. During days that we actively played games to see how the phone performs, the battery tends to lose somewhere between 40-50% after an hour or so of gameplay.

On standby mode, this thing is a beast. It knows when to stay active or not when receiving notifications. There was a time we left the phone on standby for a little over a day. It went from 77% to 50%. That’s pretty handy for days when you forget to juice up.

Unsolicited thoughts

You didn’t ask but we feel compelled to share anyway. Here are a few things of note that we noticed.

It might just be us being used to higher-end displays, but the Infinix GT 10 Pro doesn’t quite get to a level of crispness that we like. Compared to other phones in its price range, it’s fine. Not a standout but not being left behind either. This is surprising considering it’s supposed to be an AMOLED screen.

We absolutely love that the packaging offers some form of utility. If there’s one thing the Infinix GT 10 Pro isn’t lacking in is its absolute flair when it comes to presentation. The back design is an eye-catcher especially if it appeals to your sensibilities.

The phone is pretty light to hold. You won’t feel any strain playing games for an extended period.

Overall, the Infinix GT 10 Pro is a visually pleasing piece of gadget that delivers on the midrange gaming performance that it promises. It’s not perfect, but what phone is?

Infinix GT 10 Pro specs

Display — 6.67″ AMOLED
Processor — MediaTek Dimensity 8050 (6nm)
RAM — 8GB + 8GB Extended
Storage — 256GB Internal, Option for microSDXC slot
Battery and charging — 5,000mAh, 45W wired
OS — Android 13, XOS 13
Cameras: