realme c67 Review

For years, realme always had some of the best entry-level smartphone series on the market, and it appealed to a lot of Filipinos and other Asian markets. In fact, the first phone that arrived in the Philippines was the realme C1. Now, the company aims to continue its success with its latest release, the realme C67.

Since realme‘s first local release 5 years ago, the budget C-series has become more powerful with better hardware, improved cameras, and faster charging. But how does this new model hold up against the competition? Can it keep up with the more demanding needs of modern consumers? We’ll find out in our realme C67 review.

realme C67 4G Specs

Android 14, realme UI
Dual SIM, Dual standby
6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, 392ppi
90Hz refresh rate
2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 octa-core processor
8GB RAM
Adreno 610 GPU
128GB/256GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
8-megapixel front camera
108-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF) + 2-megapixel (depth sensor) rear cameras, LED flash
IP54 dust and splash resistant
Stereo speakers
No headphone jack
HSPA+, 4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
360-degree NFC
USB-C
Dimensions: 164.6 x 75.4 x 7.6mm
Weight: 185g
Colors: Sunny Oasis, Black Rock
5,000mAh non-removable battery, 33W SUPERVOOC charging

Design and Build Quality

To make up for the budget-friendly hardware, smartphone brands go over the top in designing their entry-level phones, and the realme C67 is no different. The Sunny Oasis colorway that we’re reviewing is exactly what the name suggests: hues of green reminiscent of a glowing oasis in the middle of the desert. It has a green paint job but the reflections are yellow and it looks pretty cool. It also has a subtle pattern that looks like sun rays.

The rear plastic panel has a matte finish which retains fingerprint smudges, but it’s not too noticeable unless you’re really looking for it. There’s a rectangular shiny surface that surrounds the camera island where fingerprint marks are more visible, but the surface area is so small it’s not distracting.

We also have gold accents around the camera island and the two cameras, which adds to the premium look of the device. That same accent looks more prominent in the Black Rock color. The frame has a matte finish and matches the color of the rear panel.

The build isn’t of the highest quality, but it feels sturdy enough to last. There’s a free clear case that you can use to keep it protected, while also adding grip to this thin and light device. realme also pre-applied a screen protector for extra safety and, as a cherry on top, an IP54 dust and splash resistance.

Now, let’s take a look at the front, where we have the large 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display with impressively thin bezels all around. A neat punch-hole holds the selfie camera.

Left side has the SIM tray for two nano SIMs and the microSD card slot.

The right has the volume controls and the lock/power/fingerprint button. The flat profile of the physical buttons makes it look visually appealing, but I wish they were protruding higher, so they are easier to press. Still, they are very clicky.

We have the secondary speaker on the top, while at the bottom, we have the 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone, USB-C port, and loudspeaker.

Display and Sound Quality

The realme C67 has a 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display with a 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, 800-nits of brightness, 950-nits under Extra Brightness Mode, 90Hz refresh rate, and 180Hz touch sampling rate.

realme has also given us the option to fine-tune the color temperature and mess with the color modes. However, there’s no option to stick with the 90Hz refresh rate all the time. All we have is 60Hz or Auto.

Display quality is above average for the price. Small texts are easily readable if you’re into e-books, and colors are ample but not too vibrant so it’s close to reality. Watching content is great due to the large size and HD support on streaming platforms like Netflix.

We also appreciate how the high refresh rate is felt, especially on scrolling through the interface and social media feeds, unlike in other entry-level phones. Screen brightness is also good enough to make it visible at sunny outdoors.

We also appreciate the inclusion of the stereo speakers despite the affordable price tag. It delivers good stereo separation and enough volume that’s audible even in loud environments. It sounds muffled, though, but still impressive for the low price tag.

Hardware and Performance

The realme C67 4G is powered by a 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 octa-core processor, with Adreno 610 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB/256GB of storage. Sadly, it lacks 5G connectivity.

realme C67 4G Benchmark Scores

Performance was pretty stable during our tests. There’s the inevitable one second or two delay when launching apps like Facebook, TikTok, Shopee, Lazada, Spotify, and more. But once they are up and running, they run fine with not much jitters.

The gaming experience was surprisingly good. Call of Duty Mobile ran buttery smooth under medium settings. Genshin Impact ran fine on Medium, but if you’re playing for hours, dial it down to the lowest settings as the device can heat up after long periods of gaming.

Farlight84 was set to Extreme frame rate by default, but we dialed it down to Very High as we’re noticing frame drops every now and then. Other games such as PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang ran without any issues.

Game	Graphics Settings
Call of Duty: Mobile	• Graphics Quality: Medium • Frame Rate: Medium
Farlight84	• Graphics Quality: Balanced • Frame Rate: Very High • Resolution: Medium
PUBG Mobile	• Graphics Quality: Smooth • Frame Rate: Medium
Genshin Impact	• Graphics Quality: Medium
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	• Graphics Quality: High • Frame Rate: High • HD Mode: On

Camera Quality

The realme C67 4G boasts a sharp 108-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. I would’ve preferred a lower 64-megapixel main sensor to accommodate a more useful ultra-wide secondary lens, but I guess this is the trend brands are following now. An 8-megapixel camera is on the front for selfies.

It also features electronic image stabilization (EIS) and can shoot videos at 720p@30p and 1080p@30p, slow-mo, tilt shift, pro mode, panorama, movie, time-lapse, and text scanner.

Daylight shots look passable with ample details, nice contrast, fair dynamic range, with a clean and deep depth of field even without the portrait mode. Colors are social media-worthy, but we noticed the camera slightly oversaturating the dominant color in an image. A software update for better image processing could probably fix this.

Low-light shots still have a lot of details but with the expected noises and grains. Colors are more acceptable, just make sure you have steady hands as things can get blurry fast.

Night Mode makes images brighter and sharper, but then again, make sure you keep it steady until the shot is complete. The camera app also a Street mode with different filters to choose from like B&W Plus, sepia-like colors, and more.

The 8-megapixel front camera takes surprisingly good selfies with a lot of details and fine colors. Quality degrades fast as we got into the night, but still very usable.

While it doesn’t have the most flexible set of cameras around, the realme C67 can sure take decent photos that’s good enough for its asking price.

Software and User Interface

The realme C67 runs on a lighter version of realme UI but it does run on the latest Android 14 operating system. The interface on this one is so clean it looks closer to stock Android than realme UI. As you can see below, the home screen, control center, and notifications tab look as straightforward as they get.

Swiping up from the home screen reveals the pretty packed app drawer. There’s your search history below the search tab, which is on top of app suggestions that can impressively predict the app you want to use based on your habits.

If you’re not a fan of App drawers, you can disable it easily in the settings. Notification Dots can also be disabled, which we did since it’s a hit-or-miss anyway.

Unique customizations are also here, which we’ve never seen on any realme devices before. The layout of the settings is different with a section to automatically change system colors to match your wallpaper. Themed icons for the Home Screen are also present but don’t expect it to be accurate as it’s still in beta.

Android’s comprehensive yet easy-to-use Security and Privacy settings are also here, which instantly shows you what you need to adjust to keep your device and data safe.

We also tested the fingerprint scanner and we had no issues with it as it’s fast and snappy. The face unlock was also speedy, but don’t expect anything from it when it’s completely dark, unless you use the bright screen like a flash so the front camera can detect your face.

The storage is pretty generous with only 22GB allocated for the system. We did notice a few bloatware, which are sadly here to stay. For one, the realme C67 comes with two galleries: Google Photos which is native to Android, and realme’s own Photos app.

You can change the navigation buttons’ layout in the settings. Or, if you want to be modern, go with gesture navigation.

But what we did appreciate on the realme C67 is the software updates. In the 3 to 4 weeks we had this device, we’ve already received 2 patches. Hopefully, realme keeps this up.

Battery and Charging

The realme C67 has the usual 5,000mAh battery capacity like everyone else and comes with a speedy 33W SUPERVOOC charger.

It has one of the most impressive — if not the most impressive — scores we got on PCMark’s battery loop test. It was able to last for 21 hours and 38 minutes before dropping to 20% from 100% after a loop of synthetic workload.

In actual use, the realme C67 was able to last us for two days. That’s just casual web browsing, taking pictures, as well as occasional calls and texts. On the other hand, a day of heavy use with running benchmarks and testing games left us with 19% as the day ended.

The 33W SUPERVOOC was able to fully charge the realme C67 in just 1 hour and 38 minutes — not the fastest by today’s standards, but still quite fast for the price. You can check out our test results below:

15-minute charge: 0-19%
30-minute charge: 36%
45-minute charge: 54%
1-hour 15-minute charge: 88%
1-hour 38-minute charge: FULL

Verdict

The realme C67 4G is a good smartphone for those who want a reliable daily driver. It has a large display with stereo speakers for entertainment, a satisfactory CPU performance for daily tasks and gaming, runs on the latest Android 14, and of course, a long battery life that can last you for days of light to moderate use.

Are there better alternatives out there? Definitely, at least in terms of hardware. For the price, other devices already offer 5G connectivity and have a more useful ultra-wide camera and better image processing.

But if you’re invested in the brand, a big fan of everything they put out, and you trust their after-sales support — all while stuck in this particular budget, then the realme C67 is definitely a good option.

realme C67 price and availability in the Philippines

The realme C67 has a price of Php9,999 for the 8GB/128GB version. The unit that we reviewed here, which has an 8GB/256GB configuration, retails for Php10,999. They are available on realme physical stores, authorized sellers, and on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.

Pros

Comfortable, eye-catching design
Loud stereo speakers
Satisfactory performance
Runs on the latest Android 14 OS
Long battery life

Cons

No 5G
No ultra-wide camera
Image processing could be improved
Bloatware galore

realme C67 Review