Redmi 10C appears quite tempting as Xiaomi’s newest hero in the entry-level realm. With a pocket-friendly price, this smartphone promises fast performance thanks to the Snapdragon 680 chipset. Curious as to what our experience was when trying Redmi 10C? Come on, just look at the reviews!
Slightly different design
As a more affordable version of the Redmi 10, the Redmi 10C puts forward a slightly different design offering. At the back, you will find a wider camera frame style that integrates with the fingerprint sensor. Yes, the fingerprint sensor is still on the back, not on the side.
The Redmi 10C has a pretty solid body and doesn’t feel cheap at all. The dominant material is polycarbonate. It is quite comfortable to hold even though the dimensions are rather wide and the thickness is 8.3mm. The back cover also has a diagonal motif from top right to bottom left. Fairly smooth when in contact with the skin, not slippery, and not easily dirty by finger marks.
The variant in our review article is called Ocean Blue. In addition, there are also Graphite Gray and Mint Green colors. Up front, you are presented with a 6.71-inch screen with slightly thicker bezels on the left, right, and bottom, as well as minimalist bangs to accommodate the selfie camera in the top center.
The Redmi 10C is a triple-slot phone, which means it is possible to install two nano SIM-cards and one microSD at the same time. The USB-C port is located on the bottom side by side with the mono speaker and microphone holes. On top there is only the 3.5mm audio jack port itself, without the IR blaster and additional mic hole.
In the sales package, Redmi 10C provides a 10W charger along with a Type-C USB cable. Yes, 18W is not yet according to the technology it supports. But we believe, this is part of Xiaomi’s strategy to keep prices down.
Wide screen with Gorilla Glass protection
As previously mentioned, the Redmi 10C is equipped with a 6.71-inch DotDrop Display screen. The panel used is IPS and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and Native Damage Resistance (NDR) technology which is claimed to be more resistant to scratches.
This screen resolution is still HD + only with a refresh rate that is also standard, which is 60Hz. Still reasonable for phones under 2 million rupiah. Importantly, the image display still looks sharp and in terms of performance it is even lighter than Full HD resolution. In addition, HD+ screens are theoretically more power efficient.
Interestingly, this device already has Widevine L1 certification, making it ideal for playing content from Netflix and Amazon Prime in HD quality. Suitable for those of you who like to watch Korean movies or dramas on-the-go. The brightness level is nothing special, but still adequate for outdoor use.
Talking a little about audio, unlike the Redmi 10 which offers stereo speakers, the internal speakers on the Redmi 10C are still mono. The good news, the resulting sound quality sounds clear and quite loud.
The typical camera of Xiaomi entry-level phones
Redmi 10C relies on a 50 MP f/1.8 main camera which is supported by 4-in-1 pixel binning technology, and is accompanied by a 2 MP depth sensor to help create photos with a bokeh effect. There is also a Night Mode feature for low-light and Movie Frame for cinematic effects. For those who like selfies, there is a 5 MP camera in front.
The photo results are typical of Xiaomi’s entry-level phones at the same price. Still quite sharp in some conditions with ideal light. The dynamic range is standard, and the color reproduction isn’t appetizing so it may take some editing before uploading to social media.
The portrait mode of the Redmi 10C can present a fairly neat and natural bokeh effect, as long as the light is bright. While the night mode is pretty good, sometimes the colors are not consistent. The selfie camera is mediocre. Not disappointing but also not able to be at the forefront of its class.
For videography, both the rear camera and the front camera of the Redmi 10C are both capable of recording at 1080p 30fps resolution.
Performance: one of the fastest in its class
This is the main dish of the Redmi 10C. From the performance sector, Xiaomi is armed with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 6nm chipset which in addition to being fast, also has good power efficiency. Users can choose two memory variants, namely 4/64 GB or 4/128 GB.
For everyday use is definitely more than enough. Performance is agile and responsive. Moreover, the screen resolution is only HD +, so everything feels lighter. Interestingly, Redmi 10C is supported by the RAM expansion function even though it is only limited to 2 GB (virtual). Plus the built-in RAM, on paper the total RAM is 6 GB. Suitable for those who like to multitask.
How about its gaming capabilities? Snapdragon 680 is able to provide performance above the average competitor smartphone. Mobile Legends can be played very smoothly at high graphics settings with High Frame Rate mode active. While Apex Legends is stable at Smooth-High settings even for a fairly long game duration. Genshin Impact ? Can and is still playable on Lowest settings.
Turning to power, Redmi 10C is supported by a 5,000 mAh battery that is able to accompany our activities all day long. Even if the use is not too intense, don’t be surprised if it can last up to 2 days. Efficient chipset and screen resolution that is not too high seems to play a role here.
What really disappoints is the charging speed. Indeed, Redmi 10 already supports 18W fast charging, but in the sales package, Xiaomi only provides a 10W charger. With this charger, it takes more than 3 hours for the battery to be fully charged 100 percent.
Conclusion
Redmi 10C is a smartphone that performance worshipers must look at. The Snapdragon 680 chipset is really an attraction that you will hardly find in other phones in the same price range. For those who have a budget stuck at 2 million rupiah and want a fast smartphone, Redmi 10C may be the answer you’ve been looking for all this time.
For those who are interested, the Redmi 10C is sold at prices starting from USD $130 for the 4/64 GB variant, and USD $144 for the 4/128GB variant.
Pros of Redmi 10C:
- Gaming performance above average competitors
- Snapdragon 680 is cheap
- There is a RAM expansion function
- Solid body and comfortable to grip
- Widescreen, already Widevine L1
- The camera can still be relied on in adequate light conditions
- Long battery life
Disadvantages of Redmi 10C
- Slow charging with 10W built-in charger
- No IR blaster
- MIUI has ads
- Can’t get softcase and screen protector
Redmi 10 is suitable for:
- Gamers on a low budget: Want to play popular games comfortably even if you have limited funds? Redmi 10C with Snapdragon 680 can be a very tempting option.
- Student/student: Its low price and powerful performance is a perfect combination for young people.
- Mobile employees: The battery lasts a long time. Suitable for employees who are always on the move and lazy to charge back and forth
- Netflix and drakor fans: Redmi 10C has a wide screen complete with Widevine L1 certification. Watch Korean movies or dramas on Netflix in HD resolution.
