2021 realme C21Y Review: Performance Upgrade, Perfect Smartphone for Kids for Studying at Home
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| Photo of realme C21Y smartphone. Released: Jun 2021 key specs: · 6.5″ display · 3GB , 4GB RAM · 64GB ROM · Unisoc T610 chipset · 5000mAh battery · 13MP main camera. |
Many parents are looking for recommendations for mobile phone products for children who are studying online from home. With the increasing development of micro component technology, there are more and more choices that can have an impact on efforts to reduce production costs. Including the smart SoC technology that is now used in the realme C21Y.
In short, we can expect high performance at this price, thanks to the strategy of selecting SoC components without neglecting the design side and the toughness of battery life.
realme C21Y Price
Price in Indonesia: IDR 1,499,000, – (3/32GB).
Color Options: Cross Black, Cross Blue.
Sales Package: realme C21Y cellphone, 10W Power Adapter, Micro USB data cable, PIN ejector, Warranty Card, Manual Book, Screen Protector (installed)
realme C21Y Full Specifications
| realme C21Y Specs | |
|---|---|
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|
| Dimmension & Weight | 164.5 x 76 x 9.1 mm / 200 gram |
| Network & Connectivity | Dual Nano SIM, 4G LTE/HSPA+/3G/2G |
| Operating System (OS) | realme UI R Edition based on Android 11 |
| Supported External Storage | MicroSD Card |
| Display | 6.5 inci, 720 x 1600 pixels (~270 ppi density), IPS LCD, 400 nits |
| Processor / CPU | Octa-core (12 nm) ( 2×1.8 GHz Cortex A75, 6×1.8 GHz Cortex A55), GPU Mali-G52 |
| RAM & Internal Storage | 3 GB RAM/ 32 GB ROM eMMC 5.1 (tersedia juga 4/64GB) |
| Camera | Rear Triple: 13 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide); 2 MP f/2.4, B&W; 2 MP Macro camera, f/2.4 Video: 1080p@30fps, 720p@30fps Front Single: 5 MP, f/2.4 (wide), 1080p@30fps |
| Battery | 5000 mAh, OTG Reverse charging |
realme C21Y Features Check
| Removable battery | No | GPS | Yes |
| Multitouch | Yes | Fingerprint | Yes |
| Dual SIM | Yes | Dual Front Camera | No |
| 3G HSDPA | Yes | External Memory | Yes |
| 4G LTE | Yes | Gyroscope | Yes |
| 5G | No | Triple Rear Camera | Yes |
| NFC | No | 4K video recording | No |
| Infrared | No | Video player | Yes |
| USB On-the-go | Yes | Music player | Yes |
realme C21Y Advantages & Disadvantages
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Powerful performance for gaming and multitasking Large 5000 mAh battery TüV Rheinland certified Large and bright screen 13 MP camera |
No usual realme features, such as Game Space Very simple Camera UI |
realme C21Y Reviews
Design
At first glance, in terms of design, there are not many changes made by the realme C21Y. Especially when compared to the realme C21 that we have reviewed.
Starting from the choice of materials, the availability of colors to the approach to the back cover design, which again chooses to use 2 diagonal lines colliding with each other. Forming a crisscrossing design, providing two different textures in the 4 parts produced by the collision. Looks like an asymmetrical letter X. Or like an hourglass, right?
Still on the back, or back cover, we also find a fingerprint sensor in the form of a circular area that is slightly closer to the top so that it is easily accessible by our index finger, and two holes at the bottom as speaker funnels. Next to the realme writing.
Meanwhile, an area containing 3 main cameras in the form of a rectangle occupies the upper left area of the back of the cellphone, which will definitely remind us of the realme C21.
Likewise when we look at it from the front area. The part dominated by the screen displays a very small bangs on the top screen, to place the selfie camera lens. The screen size, resolution and screen type are still the same as the realme C21.
This new realme product also gets quality certification from TÜV Rheinland. Where this product has gone through testing containing 23 main tests, consisting of 10 daily usage test scenarios such as falls, use and damage, 7 extreme environmental test scenarios, at super high and low temperatures, then 6 component reliability test scenarios.
Ensures this phone will be fine when you use it, at least for the next 3 years.
What’s interesting is that, despite promising more up-to-date and relatively better internals, the realme C21Y is offered at a price that is actually cheaper than the introductory price of the realme C21. Let’s look at this review further so you can get a better picture.
Display
The realme C21Y phone carries a 6.5-inch wide screen. Because the screen to body ratio is 89.5%, this phone might be a little bigger than most new phones. Actually, it’s not that big, it’s still quite thin, considering the battery capacity it carries and each end of the screen can still be reached with just one hand.
Even though it carries a screen with an IPS LCD panel, you will easily praise the brightness shown by this screen. Very bright, up to 400nits brightness, making it look good even when used outdoors during the day.
The resolution is at 720 x 1600 pixels or HD+. For products in the millions, it is a standard resolution that can be enjoyed without any complaints. After all, the icons and text still look solid, making it easier for us to read schoolwork or recognize illustrations in textbooks.
User Interface and Default Applications
For the Indonesian market, the realme C21Y that is circulating is equipped with the latest interface based on Android 11. We have not confirmed it, but what is certain is that it is not realme UI 2.0 like on the latest realme phones that we have reviewed, such as the realme 8 5G and GT.
In the device info section itself, it is written that the interface of this phone is the realme UI R Edition. If you pay attention, it does not carry all the realme UI 2.0 features that should be the standard UI for Android 11, but a lightweight version that strives for users to still get the latest Android experience on affordable devices.
There is no Game Space typical of ColorOS and realme UI here, but realme has decided to still provide SoLoop as a pre-installation. This decision proves that this product is indeed intended so that you can focus on working and learning to create content as a responsibility for school assignments, for example.
Although for gaming needs, this cellphone is still capable for several reasons that we will discuss in the hardware section.
Hardware
Let’s get to the hardware discussion. Most interesting because this part will be the difference between the realme C21 and the realme C21Y. In order to offer better performance, aka a significant upgrade in terms of performance, but at a price that remains affordable, realme decided to try using an octa-core chipset.
From the benchmark results using the Geekbench application, for example, the performance of the realme C21Y can be seen to have increased. When the realme C21 only got a score of 164 in single core and 948 in multicore, the realme C21Y could reach 351 in single core and 1338 in multicore.
Disclaimer, this test was carried out at the same time and place so as to reduce other factors that might affect it. The benchmark score results you do may be different because there are many other unmeasured parameters that can affect it.
This octa-core SoC carries 8 CPU cores with a configuration of 2 big cortex A75 cores with a speed of 1.8GHz and 6 LITTLE cortex A55 cores with a speed of 1.8GHz. With a MALI G52 GPU that has a speed of 614.4 MHz. Both the CPU and GPU have been upgraded to the maximum by the chipset manufacturer.
To see the GPU’s capabilities, we also did our usual standard benchmark, namely 3DBenchmark on the Slingshot Extreme-OpenGL ES 3.1 test, and the results were also quite good, namely at 1134. Based on these results, we can expect better comfort when playing games on this realme C21Y.
That was then accompanied by the presence of a Gyroscope. For those who like to play games, they usually depend on this feature. So, once in a while when you are resting on the weekend, you can play games with this cellphone.
Okay, now let’s discuss the RAM and ROM carried. The product we are reviewing this time is the most standard product. Aka carrying 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM. How was the experience? Not too bad, even though you just switched from another realme C series. Realme also provides a larger memory variant, namely 4/64 GB.
To accompany the hardware performance of this cellphone, Realme has embedded a large capacity battery of 5000 mAh. With it, this cellphone can last for 44 hours to make phone calls, 21 hours to watch YouTube non-stop, 6 hours of online meetings and 5 hours of playing games.
If you are forced to delay, because there are many possibilities, such as not finding a charger around you, you can use Screen Battery Optimization or Sleep Standby optimization to reduce power usage both when the screen is on or when the screen is off, such as when sleeping.
And there is also the App Quick Freeze feature, which can reduce the power usage of an application running in the background.
Triple Camera
Moving on to the camera section. As discussed in the design section, this cellphone carries three main cameras with AI support. Consisting of 1 13MP f/2.2 camera as the main lens, 1 2MP f/2.4 camera for B&W lens, and 1 2MP f/2.4 camera for macro needs up to 4 cm.
The results are already capable for a million-dollar cellphone. Not bad and good if the lighting conditions are supportive. Especially for photographing school assignments, for example, the main camera of this cellphone can be relied on.
Or if you need a camera to record memorization videos, this camera can record videos up to 1080p with a frame rate raised to 30fps. Even though it’s only 30 fps, it doesn’t matter, we can produce cinematic videos with that frame rate.
Then the front camera is a 5MP camera with an aperture of f/2.4. Also capable of producing 1080p 30fps video. It can really support online school via zoom or Google Meet applications.
Conclusion
Still relying on the design and quality of previous realme photos, realme C21Y has made a significant upgrade in terms of performance. Allowing this phone to still be sold at an affordable price range, even cheaper than the introductory price of the previous product.
The addition of durability certification from TÜV Rheinland further adds to the selling value of the realme C21Y, ensuring it is durable for up to 3 years of use. It is rare for phones in the entry-level segment to have durability certification, so realme’s decision to add this certification is an added value for users.
With the increasing need for mobile devices for activities at home without having to burden family finances, the presence of the realme C21Y is considered timely and will be one of the solutions. Those who have been looking for the right product with tough hardware specs on the battery side and more updated performance at a low price can consider this phone as their next shopping target.