Introduction
realme’s C-series has always been about delivering a good experience for more budget-conscious users, with performance and features that often cater to the usual day-to-day tasks, plus a bit more. This time though, the brand is upping its game with the newest addition to the lineup – realme C67.
The realme C67 boasts some nifty updates, such as a Snapdragon 685 processor, which, just a year ago was usually found on more pricey devices in the mid-range segment. Add to that, a 108MP camera that’s powered by a Samsung ISOCELL HM6 sensor, which, again, is usually reserved for more pricey phones.
On paper, these should contribute to take the C-Series to the next level and raise the standards of what a phone in the PHP 10,000 price range should be able to do.
Design and Build Quality
I’m a fan of the flat design, so the realme C67’s overall look is right up my alley. I love that they used the same color for the rear panel and the sides, which adds to the overall cohesion.
The brushed metallic finish at the back means its less prone to fingerprints and smudges. The cameras are also tucked in a small glossy island, for good contrast. The device boasts an IP54 rating, which means it is able to withstand some splashes.
I’m surprised that realme opted to keep the headphone jack, but I’m not complaining, since I still use my wired headphones from time to time. This phone also features dual speakers, which I think should be a standard for any phone at this price range.
As for the quality, there’s good crispness and clarity in vocals, the volume is decent, but the low-end is a bit lacking. There’s no noticeable distortion at max volume as well.
The realme C67’s 6.72-inch display has a resolution of Full HD+, bolstered by a 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, and 800 nits of brightness. Colors are rich enough but will not come close to more expensive devices with AMOLED displays.
Performance
realme C67 packs a 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 processor, along with 8GB of RAM and a generous 256GB of storage. There’s no provision for a microSD card though. I’m not sure if it’s the best choice, as there’s the Helio G99, which, at least on paper performs better, and also supports a 108MP camera.
When asked about why this is the case, realme’s official response was that it’s to create a clear separation between the C-Series and the number series, and that considering the software improvements they have made for various chips, a lot of learning was involved in utilizing the SD685. Consequently, this allows the device to have years of software support versus competing models.
Throughout my time with the device, day-to-day use was more or less, smooth for most of the time, apps opened as quickly as expected, and the device handles a bit of multitasking with no issues.
Since this phone houses a slightly more capable version of the Snapdragon 680, I was expecting gaming performance to be just slightly better, if not the same.
Gaming Performance (FPS)
As usual, we threw in the usual suite of games that we test phones with, and this one I’d say did fairly well, but I just can’t help but think that it really could benefit from a better chip. To be fair, the only game where it felt like it was struggling was Honkai: Star Rail. The game is playable, but you will really notice the drops in fps.
I’m not sure if it’s because of lack of optimization, but for Farlight 84, I could only set it up to Balanced, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang can only run on High Framerate and High Graphics. Not that these two games don’t run well, they do, with very smooth gameplay, I just wasn’t expected to be limited with the settings.
Unfortunately, the tool that we’re using for benchmarking couldn’t capture thermal information accurately, as it isn’t fully working on Android 14 yet, but what I can confirm is that the phone never got too hot to a point that it’s uncomfortable.
Camera
realme C67 is equipped with a 108MP main camera that uses an ISOCELL HM6 sensor, something that is usually found in more pricey mid-range devices. This introduces a number of benefits, such as improved focusing capability and low-light shots.
It’s also the first C-Series device to launch in the Philippines with a 108MP camera.
The main camera also features 3x in-sensor zoom, which is supposed to give you better image quality vs digital zoom, and this kind of shows in our samples, which show good levels of sharpness in detail. They won’t match a dedicated telephoto camera with optical zoom, but for the price of this phone, it’s a good feature to have when you need to get up close.
Street Mode is also present here, which gives you a more detailed view of your available focal lengths + access to the various stylistic filters that can give your shots that additional zing.
Video recording maxes out at only 1080p 30fps (though the Snapdragon 685 supports 1080p 60fps). You also get EIS, which is enough reduce shakes a bit, but will still require very stable hands. Quality-wise, well, in low-light, it’s not so good. Things looks smudged out and there’s even some flaring.
Software
realme C67 runs on realme UI U Edition on top of Android 14 and is expected to receive 2 major software updates and up to 3 years of support which include minor updates.
This version of realme UI looks closer to stock Android, but still introduces a couple of folders that have shortcuts to install a bunch of apps. Some are probably useful. There are pre-loaded apps, though the number is negligible.
Mini Capsule 2 is here, and functions mostly the same as before, but with additional capabilities such as being able to show the track that’s currently playing, skip to the next or return to the previous track by swiping left or right, and briefly showing weather information.
Apart from these, this UI is pretty simple and straightforward.
Battery
The realme C67’s 5,000mAh battery can easily last 1.5 days with light to moderate use. In my case, that’s a mix of social media, YouTube, Spotify, email, and photography.
Using the charger that came with the box, the realme C67 was able to recharge from almost empty to full in slightly under 1.5 hours, which I’d say is a decent result.
realme C67: Verdict
I like this phone. The design looks great and premium, it performs smooth and snappy for daily use, and its camera can capture some good-looking photos, even in less-than-ideal lighting, not to mention it also has excellent battery life, and is bound to get a few years worth of major and minor updates, something not so common in this price-range.
While its gaming performance is more or less what I expected from what it has, I feel like it could really use a better chip. Then again, not everyone buys a phone for gaming. But they really need to get rid of those unnecessary folders on the home screen.
Other than those things, this is very well-thought-out device, and one that really takes realme’s C-Series to its next chapter. If you’re primary focus is anything but heavy gaming, this phone should be in your list. It’s priced at PHP 9,999 for the 8GB+128GB version and PHP 10,999 for twice the storage.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
