Realme C1 vs Redmi 6A: Who Is The Budget Superstar?

Realme’s latest line of smartphones is a threat to Xiaomi’s existing domain. The Oppo sub-brand is aggressively scaling up with value-for-money smartphones directly aiming at Xiaomi’s dominated market.

Realme 2 is aimed at Redmi 6, Realme 2 Pro is aimed at Mi A2 and now Realme C1 is being pitted against Redmi 6A.

At a point where Xiaomi has stopped innovating with their phones, and almost every Xiaomi phone is identical to each other, Realme may give Xiaomi a run for its money. A big surprise from the Realme 2 Pro launch event, a budget killer: Realme C1.

So, what will happen if Realme C1 will go head-to-head against the bestselling budget smartphone Redmi 6A? Let’s find out.

Realme C1 vs Redmi 6A In-Depth Comparison

The Realme C1 has been officially unveiled and will be available exclusively via Flipkart. The first flash sale will be held on October 11 at 12 PM.

Let’s see, who wins the crown for the best entry-level smartphone in India.

Design

Redmi 6A has a very standard design. The smartphone comes in a unibody built in a polycarbonate body with a metal-like finish on the out. Realme C1 has a better form factor with higher screen space and smaller body shape. Its slim, sleek and easy to be held.

Realme C1 is definitely better in terms of design and form factor. We give the latest design a big thumbs up.

Display

Realme C1 comes with a 6.2-inch HD+ 19:9 elongated FullView IPS LCD display with a notch at the top. It’s the same display we found on the Realme 2. You may not like the notch, but it offers a higher screen space and more convenience.

Realme C1 has a screen resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels with an impressive 87.8 percent screen-to-body ratio.

Redmi 6A on the other hand comes with a 5.45-inch 18:9 widescreen HD+ IPS LCD display offering a screen resolution of 720 x 1440 HD+ pixels. Again, it’s Realme C1 who will stay ahead with a larger display and better looks.

Hardware

Realme C1 will come with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset coupled with 2GB of RAM. It will go against the quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 SoC of Redmi 6A paired with 2GB or 3GB of RAM.

Again, Snapdragon 450 on Realme C1 is going to beat the Helio A22 on Redmi 6A in terms of gaming and performance.

You may not be able to play high-end graphically intensive games easily on any of these phones, but Realme C1 will stay ahead in term of core hardware usage, performance and multitasking.

Storage

This is a major disadvantage for Realme C1. The smartphone is currently available in the country in a single storage variant i.e 16GB. It’s going to be a major letdown for several users, though you can still expand the memory with an external MicroSD card up to 256GB.

Redmi 6A, on the other hand, offers two storage options of 16GB and 32GB. Both are expandable up to 256GB.

Software

Coming to the software, Realme C1 will run Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box based on Color OS 5.1 UI. On the other side, the Xiaomi Redmi 6A runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system based on MIUI 9.6 based.

Both the smartphones have their own UI skins on top with certain tweaks and in-device features. So, it’s your take whether you are compatible with MIUI or Color OS.

Camera

Even at under Rs 7,000, the Realme C1 is going to come with a rear dual camera system. The Realme smartphone will come with a 13-megapixel primary f/2.2 sensor coupled with a 2-megapixel secondary depth f/2.2 sensor.

In comparison, Redmi 6A comes with a single 13-megapixel rear camera.

Both the smartphones can take well-detailed pictures in good lighting conditions. The colors are vivid and the HDR works fine. In poorly lit conditions, both the smartphones suffer, but Realme C1 still has better produced pictures.

The dual lenses help Realme C1 with additional stabilization and offers real-time depth effects.

Up front, both the smartphones come with a 5-megapixel shooter, capable of taking decent pictures.

Battery

Realme C1 has a huge 4,230mAh battery that can easily last more for more than a day, even two days with average use. Whereas the Redmi 6A has a 3,000mAh battery unit under, capable of running a whole day on a single charge.

Both the smartphones do not offer any sort of fast charging, but with Realme C1 you can run for more without worrying over the battery.

Pricing & Availability

Realme C1 has been priced at Rs 6,999 for its only 2GB/16GB storage variant. While Redmi 6A has two variants of 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB priced at Rs 5,999 and Rs 6,999 respectively.

Realme C1 will be available via Flipkart from October 11, and Redmi 6A is available on Mi.com and Amazon India via weekly flash sales.

Verdict: Realme C1 vs Redmi 6A

Both these entry-level smartphones offer value for money, but if you put Realme C1 against Redmi 6A, its a clear winner in almost every department. The only letdown on the Realme C1 is its single storage variant, but you have the option to expand the memory with an external microSD card.

Redmi 6A offers you convenience in terms of RAM and storage, but again you will have to them compromise on performance, cameras, display, and battery.

On any day, it’s going to be Realme C1 over the Redmi 6A. Realme C1 has set a new benchmark for budget smartphones.

Realme C1 is brilliant at its price and is definitely our top pick in the entry-level segment. If you are looking for a smartphone under 7,000 rupees, Realme C1 is definitely the best you can get at this price point.