realme has been consistent in their entry-level smartphones, which made them the household name they are today. They are opening up this year with the realme C67 – a budget-oriented smartphone that packs a 108MP main camera paired with a decent list of hardware including a Snapragon 685 chip, a 6.72-inch FullHD+ display, and the brand’s Mini Capsule.

realme C67

realme C67 Review – Unboxing

The realme C67 comes in a traditional realme box. Inside its bright yellow box is the C67, a silicone case, a white USB-A to USB-C cable, a 33W SuperVOOC wall adapter, documentation, and a SIM ejector pin.

Design and Aesthetics

In terms of looks, the realme C67 doesn’t really detract from the brand’s current style but it’s still eye-catching. The Black Rock variant comes with a mostly black plastic rear with thin stripes for highlight. The rings around the camera are highlighted in gold, but the reflective finish and raised platform may lead to scratching in the long run if the device isn’t protected with a case.

Fingerprints may be a problem in its reflective parts, the C67 is rated with IP54 dust and water resistance. It won’t be able to resist heavy rain or dips in the water, but it won’t immediately break in a light shower.

The smartphone edges are flat while the corners are rounded – as is standard for realme’s range of budget-friendly smartphones. All of its buttons are clustered at the right-hand side with the power button doubling as a fingerprint scanner.

Placed at the bottom are grilles for its speakers and microphone, a USB-C port for data and charging, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Placed at the left-hand side is its triple-cut SIM tray that can house two SIM cards plus a MicroSD card.

Screen and Audio

At the front of the realme C67 is a sizeable 6.72-inch 2400 x 1080 IPS display with a punch-hole for its front-facing camera. Though not an AMOLED panel, colors look decent and vivid for a budget-oriented smartphone. Blacks aren’t as deep as an AMOLED screen, but they are good enough for an IPS screen.

Brightness reaches up to 950 nits at Extra Brightness Mode and it can be comfortably used outdoors even under sunlight. The screen also runs at 90Hz, which makes general and gaming much smoother compared to 60Hz screens.

There are no dual speakers here as the C67 relies on a single bottom-firing speaker for external audio. Audio performance is nothing groundbreaking but it does the job. Vocals are clear and most of the midtones are accurate but they sometimes become tinny at higher volumes. Bass is barely there plus there’s very little in the way of sound stage due to the single-speaker setup.

Software

The C67 runs on Android 14 with realme UI U Edition. This UI version is a slightly cut-down version of the realme UI for relatively modest hardware. It’s not as barebones as the T edition, but leaves just enough for additional functionality.

The UI sticks close to the stock Android 14 experience. The command center remains to have large icons with a double pull-down to reveal additional functions. There is some bloat that will be asked to be installed on the smartphone but they can be skipped in the setup. The AppHub will also push “suggested” apps that you might want to install on the device, but notifications can be blocked.

realme has also included their Mini Capsule 2.0 on the C67 – their version of the Dynamic Island. It’s functionality, however, is redundant. Since the screen is only IPS, there will be no Always-On Display and thus the Mini Capsule notifications can only be seen while the screen is open where you already have access to normal notification versions of them.

realme C67 Review – Cameras

The highlight of the realme C67 is its 108MP main camera – one of the most affordable in the market. Backing it is a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera plus an 8MP f/2.0 front facing shooter.

The camera app is pretty standard affair and is easy to use for most people. You can choose from three different zoom levels from 1x, 3x, and 5x. Modes include Street, Photo, Portrait, High-Res, Movie, Text Scanner, Panorama, Time-Lapse, Pro, Slow Motion, and Tilt Shift. Video is limited to only 1080p at 30fps for both the front and back camera. A shame that there’s no 60fps option for the former.

Main Camera

The highlight of the realme C67 is its main 108MP f/1.8 camera that uses a ISOCELL HM6 sensor. realme says that it can do “3x in-sensor zoom” but we suspect that it’s only capturing a higher resolution photo and then crops it after.

Photos are binned by default, which resizes them to only 12MP. Performance in well-lit environments is excellent. The 108MP shooter is able to capture sharp images with good color reproduction. Color accuracy can be a bit off at times, which may result in occasional drab or overly vivid photos.

Like most entry-level smartphones, quality takes a massive dip in low light scenarios and high-contrast scenes. There is noticeable noise in dark areas but there is still a bit of color present.

The 3x in-sensor zoom as a bit of a gimmic as it seems that it’s only a digital zoom with some marketing terms sprinkled on top. It won’t be able to top a dedicated telephoto zoom, but you can still use it in good lighting conditions.

realme C67 Review – Benchmarks

The realme C67 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 platform. It’s designed for entry-level smartphones though it backs out on the 5G support to keep costs low. They are offering two storage variants for the C67 – 128G and 256GB – both of which come with 8GB of RAM.

Benchmarks are nothing special since it made for the budget smartphone segment. It scores just above the 300,000 mark in AnTuTu and 7501 in PCMark Work 3.0. Not much here to be excited here for a new release.

Gaming is nothing spectacular as well but it should do for entry-level gamers that don’t demand much graphical power. We did play Mobile Legends: Bang Bang with the device and we were able to push a steady 60fps with the device even at the most demanding of scenes.

realme C67 Review – Battery Life

A 5,000mAh battery powers the realme C67 – a pretty standard battery size for most smartphones. Pairing the cut-down software with a proven chipset allows the smartphone to last more than a day with average use including work, browsing the Internet, light gaming, and watching videos. There should be some left over the next day.

PCMark Work 3.0 puts the C67 at about 17 and a half hours of straight use with medium brightness and volume. It does support 33W SuperVOOC so charging time will be cut down to an hour and a half from 20% to full.

realme C67 Review – Conclusion

The realme C67 proves that realme is still a solid choice in the entry-level segment. The smartphone is a well-rounded entry with a long-lasting battery life, decent performance, attractive design, and satisfactory 108MP main camera.

As usual, there are drawbacks to make the device affordable. The Mini Capsule might be attractive, but it’s just a bit of fluff to make the device seem more premium. Occasional ads on the software are still unforgivable in our book, and its main camera’s performance can dip a bit in low-light situations.

realme C67 Price and Availability

The realme C67 is priced at PhP 9,999 in the Philippines. It will come in two storage variants: 8GB/128GB for PhP 9,999 and 8GB/256GB for PhP 10,999. You can now get it via realme’s Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok stores, as well as authorized retailers nationwide.