As expected, Realme has launched a different variant of the Realme C3 budget phone in Thailand and Indonesia, although both versions are nearly identical in design and specifications.

(Update, February 29: Read our hands-on review of this version: Realme C3: First impressions, benchmarks, camera samples.)

(Update, February 27: The phone gets a Philippine launch date! Read Realme C3 launching in the Philippines March 5.)

The difference is, the C3 for the Thai and Indonesian markets has an extra camera sensor for closeup shots and a physical fingerprint reader around the back, which, according to Realme, can unlock the phone in 0.27 seconds. Recall that the C3 launched in India earlier this month has two rear cameras and no fingerprint scanner.

SEE ALSO: Realme 5i review: Best all-around budget phone

Realme’s C series is its most affordable offering, so compromises are acceptable, if not expected, given the low price tags. The Thailand and Indonesian version, however, goes beyond what its rivals can offer, and even includes a fingerprint sensor. The hardware itself remains mostly unchanged, and that’s a positive, seeing how closely the Realme C3 resembles the 5i. It’s still available in blue and red colors, too.

Talking about the rear-facing system, the phone has a 12-megapixel, f/1.8 shooter and a pair of 2-megapixel secondary cameras for macro and portrait photography. The added macro lens has a shooting distance of 4cm. The selfie camera, meanwhile, houses a 5-megapixel sensor behind f/2.4 lens. You also get AI beauty and AI HDR shooting modes on the front camera.

READ ALSO: Realme UI initial review: Big step forward in the right direction

As for the rest of the specs, the Realme C3 has a MediaTek Helio G70 chipset; a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD screen with a waterdrop notch; and a 5,000mAh battery with support for reverse wired charging. It will run Realme UI on top of Google’s latest Android 10 operating system out of the box.

Understandably, the Realme C3 with improved specs costs more than its Indian counterpart, with the 3GB and 32GB storage variant retailing at ฿3,999 (around P6,456 or $127 converted) in Thailand and Rp1,549,000 (P5,748 or $113) in Indonesia. We’re fairly certain Realme Philippines will launch the C3 here as well, but we’re not sure which version will hit local stores.

Realme C3 official product video

Realme C3 specs

• 6.52-inch waterdrop LCD display, 1,560 x 720 resolution (20:9)
• Octa-core MediaTek Helio G70 processor
• 3GB/4GB RAM
• 32GB/64GB expandable storage
• Triple 12-megapixel, f/1.8 (main), 2-megapixel (depth), 2-megapixel (macro) rear cameras
• 5-megapixel, f/2.4 front camera
• 5,000mAh battery with reverse charging
• Fingerprint sensor
• Realme UI based on Android 10

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