realme launched a new member of its budget series, the realme C25, and it’s designed to be the best of that line yet. And we got sent a review unit ahead of its launch. So, instead of just sharing its specs, I wanted to put it through its paces immediately, specifically that big 6,000mAh battery it comes with.
I set myself a task to use it as my primary smartphone on a typical yet busy workday as the editor for LiTT and a freelance writer/editor. I would use it as much as possible for as many tasks as possible to see if it could keep up.
But before we get into that, here’s a quick unboxing of the realme C25.
Now, let’s get into what you came here for:
April 13, 2021
7:53 a.m. – 100%
I left the realme C25 to charge while I slept so it would be fully charged when I woke up.
After hitting snooze a few times, I finally got out of bed a bit before 8 a.m. to start the day with a workout. Or at least that was the plan. I got distracted and ended up scrolling through different social media feeds for a bit. It’s a bad habit, I know.
8:15 a.m. – 99%
Time to workout, I guess. (Haha!) I put on the 1More Stylish earbuds, connected them to the C25. Opened YouTube for a quick Yoga with Adriene workout. After that, I headed outside for a bit of cardio using a jumping rope.
I switched to listening to a podcast on Spotify (Second Life‘s interview with Leigh Davenport) while I was working out. Being outdoors, I realized I needed to crank up the brightness on the realme C25’s 6.5-inch HD+ screen if I wanted to see it when I was out on a sunny day.
The realme 25’s face unlock is quite responsive under most conditions, so when I wanted to check the time while I still had the jumping rope in one hand, I could. The fingerprint sensor is slightly higher on the rear panel than I’d prefer, so there was a bit of shimmying happening when I needed to unlock the phone that way.
8:50 a.m. – 97%
Post-workout, I took a shower with the podcast still playing. But, of course, the buds are out now, and I’m just listening through its bottom-firing speaker while I shower. The speaker isn’t the loudest I’ve heard. Environmental noise, like a noisy fan or aircon, can drown it out.
After the shower, I grabbed a quick breakfast with some tea and YouTube on the C25. With a 1,600 x 720 resolution, you can watch Full HD clips on YouTube.
9:46 a.m. – 92%
And then it was time to check the news, emails, and a bit more social media. Even as a big phone, the realme C25 is comfortable to hold. I have the Water Blue model with me, and it’s a lovely calming shade. (There’s also a Water Gray option.) And realme employs what it calls a “Geometric Art Design.” The back is textured, so it offers a good grip even without the included silicone case. It isn’t a fingerprint magnet either.
10:11 a.m. – 89%
Now, I needed to shoot some more photos of the realme C25 and try the cameras out. This C series phone is the first one to get a 48-megapixel primary camera. It has a triple camera setup at the back with a 2-megapixel macro lens and a monochrome sensor, plus a single 8-megapixel selfie camera in front. I would’ve wanted a telephoto lens instead, but I’m managing my expectations given the phone’s price point.
As expected, it works best in bright conditions. It’s the first time I’ve seen the realme watermark at the bottom center, which reminds me of OnePlus’s new flagship phones.
You can check out a few photos taken here.
Here are some quick notes on its photo features:
- The realme C25 has a 48MP mode, too, so if you want that extra detail, you can use that.
- I’ve noticed it takes some time to focus when the photo is zoomed in, especially if the subject is moving a bit (like plants in the wind).
- Bokeh levels are adjustable while you shoot. But the main camera itself has some natural bokeh, too, which is nice.
- You can zoom in up to 10x.
- As for video, you can shoot up to 1080p at 60fps for the rear camera and 1080p at 30fps for the front camera. If you want more stable, handheld clips with the rear shooter, use the 30fps mode.
12:28 p.m. – 67%
After shooting and playing around with the camera, it’s time to grab some lunch, which I’m dubbing lunch with a Viu. Catching up on some 2 Days 1 Night while I eat. Halfway through the day and we’re a little over 50%. I disabled auto-brightness this morning because I mostly spent it outdoors, and I needed to see what’s on the screen.
1:33 p.m. – 59%
After getting some sustenance, it’s time to get ready for a Zoom meeting, which is actually on this new phone.
realme wanted to emphasize that the C25 is the first smartphone to get a TÜV Rheinland High Reliability Certification. It’s been tested based on a three-year life cycle of smartphones and passed through 23 major tests, including 12 daily use test scenarios like drop, wear and tear, and extreme environmental conditions. realme wants to assure you that even if you’re getting a budget device, you’re getting a quality one. And the company plans to get all its future devices certified, too.
3:12 p.m. – 48%
Just finished a Zoom meeting and used this phone as a secondary screen, so that’s why it drained the battery a fair bit.
I’m taking a quick TikTok break and posting something while I’m at it. The realme C25 is armed with a MediaTek Helio G70 with 4GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage, and realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. I’ve had no trouble with it whatsoever. I haven’t experienced any significant lag or crashes.
Pro tip: Activate Smooth Scrolling in the Settings. Look for the realme Labs tab to improve your scrolling experience.
4:00 p.m. – 43%
After getting distracted for a fair bit, it’s now time to get back to work. I open up the Spotify app again to play some music while I write.
I try to type out a quick story for LiTT using Google Keep on the C25, and I’m still pretty impressed with its responsiveness. In a pinch when I need to write, I know I can use this phone.
4:41 p.m. – 39%
But since I do get more work done on the PC, I switch back to that. But I use the realme C25 as a second screen while I continue to listen to music through its speaker.
I’m already below 40% at this point, but it’s important to note I’ve kept the phone’s screen on for most of the day. It was playing one form of media almost continuously.
6:08 p.m. – 32%
I’m just about ready to cook dinner, but first, I need to recheck some emails and the news. I’m still playing music on Spotify.
6:30 p.m. – 30%
Before I headed into the kitchen, I saw the sky was looking particularly dreamy, so I wanted to take some sunset sample shots. It isn’t really seen from my home, but I wanted to try out the C25’s low light capabilities for a bit.
After that, I head in to prepare dinner and listen to John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit audiobook on Scribd.
7:17 p.m. – 27%
It’s time to eat with my family and watch a show to unwind for a bit. I put the C25 down and wanted to see how much it’ll drain while I left it alone.
9:10 p.m. – 22%
With notifications on and the phone just running, I lost around 5% in the last almost two hours. I washed dishes around this time while listening to Mindhunter again.
9:39 p.m. – 19%
After that, I put on a Girlboss Radio podcast interview with Isabelle Cossart on Spotify while I showered. And then I wanted to squeeze in some last-minute work before turning in for the night. I continued to playing music while I worked on my PC.
10:55 p.m. – 14%
While I was still working, I put the C25 into Do Not Disturb until the morning. I wanted to put it away for the night to leave it on standby.
April 14, 2021
7:41 am – 11%
I just woke up, and we’re close to that entire 24-hour period with the realme C25. That busy workday left me with just 11% of battery life.
As I mentioned, I made the conscious decision to use the realme C25 as much as possible. By the time I completely drained the battery at around 9:30 this morning, the smartphone’s screen was on for 11 hours and 38 minutes, which is a decent run.
Under heavy use, there will be no worry about completely draining the realme C25 so quickly. Admittedly, I don’t really play games regularly, and it was a hectic day yesterday, so I couldn’t really squeeze some time to try it out yet with this phone.
For those who have tight budgets for their next smartphone, you’re offered a lot of value with the realme C25. You might want to check it out.
You may purchase the newest realme C25 starting April 16 at 12 midnight during Shopee’s Brand Day Sale. realme Philippines is offering discounts on the realme C25 during the said sale from April 16 to 18.
The realme C25‘s SRP starts at PHP 7,490, but during the sale, you can buy it at PHP 1,500 off or PHP 5,990. realme is also offering free shipping on April 18.