An entry-level smartphone makes plenty of sense if you think about it. It did not used to be like this though. For the longest time, in the earlier days of Android smartphones, entry-level smartphones are ones you want to avoid unless you absolutely must get one, or on such a tight budget, your wallet looked like there was about to be a hole in it. Thankfully, as high-end smartphones get more powerful, so does entry-level smartphones.

It is true that higher-end technologies of the yesteryears get passed down to more budget friendly options for the masses. It is especially true in the smartphone segment and the entry-level smartphone segment. An entry-level smartphone today can be comparable to flagship level smartphone from about 5 years ago in some cases and at a fraction of the price.

One of those entry-level devices you can get soon is the realme C30.

While the most popular smartphone segment in the region are mid-range smartphones, entry-level smartphones like the realme C30 can be rather appealing. For one, its price itself is rather appealing in the sea of flagships costing north of MYR 5,000 these days. The realme C30 will only set you back MYR 499 at most.

It is not like other entry-level smartphones either that tries to stand out with funky designs and weird looks. It is rather subtle, simple, very much like modern flagship smartphones. Of course, it does come with its own unique design to still set it apart. The Vertical Stripe Design, as they call it, are etched lines at the back of the device to not just add a visual impact, it is also to add some texture and grip for a more secure feel in your hands.

No, you do not get a Qualcomm, or a MediaTek for that matter, in this price range. Rather, you get a Unisoc T612 processor. You do not get bleeding edge 5nm technology with the System on a Chip (SoC). You do get eight cores on the device though with clocks up to 1.8Ghz with Cortex A75 architecture. While it may not sound like much, the processor can work with everything you need in a basic smartphone. At the same time, UFS 2.2 speeds should ensure that the C30 still feels as snappy as it can be for the money.

The SoC powers Android 11 with realme’s UI Go on a 6.5-inch display. No, its not a Full HD display, but you still get about 270ppi out of the 720p HD+ IPS panel. The front display also houses a 5-Megapixel front-facing camera for selfies, and even video conferences via the smartphone.

Out the back is a single 8-Megapixel main camera with some AI magic. It is constructed with 4P lens to ensure that your photos look as clear as you see them with your eyes. It is also capable of 4x digital zoom for when you need it. The photos may not take up too much space, but you can add up to 1TB in microSD storage on top of up to 64GB of built-in storage.

To keep everything running as they should be for an entire day, there is a 5,000mAh built-in battery. It is not a fast-charging battery, so you do want to give it some time to charge. You get up to 45 days in quoted standby time though, which is a long time between charges. If you keep it to Ultra Saving Mode, a 5% charge can last for 45.3 hours (quoted).

Price and Availability

The realme C30 comes in three attractive colours – Lake Blue, Bamboo Green, and Denim Black. Not whites, unfortunately. You cannot complain much though when you realise that you are paying MYR 429 (3GB + 32GB) for the smartphone. To get 4GB of RAM and 64GB in storage, you pay just a little bit more money at MYR 499. The realme C30 will be available in all realme Malaysia authorized stores and resellers across the nation from the 16^th of July 2022 onward. For more information on the realme C30, you can head over to their website.