• expired

Optus Realme C3 3GB/64GB Red $69 @ Woolworths (Limited Stock)

790

All time low. This is a lot of phone for the money.

Easy for existing Optus customers to ask for a complimentary unlock.

  • Headphone Jack
  • SD Card Slot
  • 5000mah Battery
  • Helio G70 (2x A75, 6x A55 Cores)
  • 3GB Dual CH LPDDR4
  • 64GB EMMC
  • Micro USB Port*
  • 6.5" 720p Teardrop Display
  • 12MP Camera

Mod 520pm: Only minimal stock left. Stock spotted at Barrabool Hills VIC and Newtown TAS stores. You may be able to purchase online in those areas.

Related Stores

Woolworths
Woolworths

closed Comments

  • +20

    $69.00

    • +9

      Nice.

    • +15

      ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    • +4

      69 is the sex number

      • +3

        Dinner for two

      • Position

      • -1

        34 + 35 = 69 Ariana Grande quik maffs

    • -1

      Locked.

      • +2

        then u need more practice to unlock it ^-^

      • +1

        Lockjaw from too much 69.

  • Locked to Optus? (if you use them.. fine)… Anyone know how much to unlock?

    • +3

      If connected for than 6 months a $80 fee applies
      If your handset has been continuously active for more than 6 monthly a $25 fee will apply

      • +1

        Usually it means the phone simply needed to be turned on once 6 months ago

        • You mean connected to Optus at least once in the last 6 months?

    • +3

      Does this apply to amaysim too given Optus own them?

      • +1

        Yes

      • +1

        yeah amaysim and vaya and whatever other company that uses optus is fine

  • +7

    Decent basic phone. The battery is easily the main highlight here coming in at 5,000 mAh. That's huge, and that low-res 720P display will only sip on the power.

    The camera and basically every part of the phone is very average and is basically just there for the phone to operate. E.g. The camera setup is basic, the performance is acceptable (3GB RAM - Helio G70).

    • +3

      I'd agree that the camera is just average, however, the performance at this price is unmatched by anything else. It has faster single thread performance and dual channel ram as opposed to single channel on the Oppo A72. Graphics are a little weaker though.

      • +1

        That's true, but the A72 is slightly better than this phone in CPU performance, not to mention the extra 1GB RAM which is very important considering how RAM hogging everything has become over time.

        3GB just feels a bit low imo. I do have to agree tho, the CPU performance is excellent for the price, but I said:

        the performance is acceptable

        … due to that 3GB RAM and fairly under-powered graphics

        To be fair tho, it's a $69 phone :)

        • i went with the Oppo A72 for $100 in the recent Target deal as it had NFC and all network bands. The Realme apparently didn't.

          • @tunzafun001: Ah well there you go, not having NFC is commonplace on cheaper phones such as the C3

            The Oppo is clearly a much better phone than the C3 due to the better screen (1080P), better camera (4K - 48MP) and slightly faster processor too

          • @tunzafun001: It has NFC.

            • @skysurfer: Ah ok, must have been a band issue then. Ie limited Telstra/ Voda support. Definitely some reason I was anti ozbargain and paid a few $ more.

        • +1

          The A72 is definitely a more rounded phone, but only beats this is multi-thread. Which hardly important for a glorified web browser. Single thread is king on Android, although the GPU may be a little weaker. In terms of efficiency this will also beat the A72 as A55 > A53.

          3GB is a little low and for what it's worth, for my time with both the A72 and the C3, the C3 was more responsive. 3GB is adequate. Just don't have 50 Chrome tabs in the background :).

          • @TeddyBear: I guess it once again comes down to the simple question of, "What do you use this phone for?"

            For a $69 phone, I'd expect that this will deliver sufficient performance in every aspect (Even camera performance lol), and will be worth the money.

            Definitely don't have 50 Chrome Tabs open, but tbh Android would just remove them from cache when RAM starts running out

        • +5

          I got a C3 and a A72 back when Target had them on clearance. I found the C3 to be surprisingly good and snappy in performance regardless of only having 3gb of ram. I would not let the ram size put me off buying one.
          In many ways I preferred it over the A72. For someone wanting a good phone for everyday use, but not for gaming, it would be hard to go past the C3 for value & performance.
          (Opinion is based on actually having one.)

          • @Cheeper: Yea fair enough, it's an excellent phone for the price. The RAM size is just something which people should consider, but for a $69 phone you'd be wrong to expect much more than what this phone has to offer.

            Good to see that it's a snappy phone in real world usage. I guess it's really all about the software optimisation then.

            The Oppo does clearly have a better screen, camera setupsetup, additional 1GB of RAM, and also the ability to fast charge (18W) compared to 10W on the C3

          • +2

            @Cheeper: We also have both in my household from the Target clearance. I've had that same experience.

          • @Cheeper: What are your thoughts on the rear facing camera?

            • @whats up skip: Again that also surprised me with the C3. It seemed just as good as the Oppo A72 and maybe better in some shots. Dont judge a product by specs alone, this phone is a testament to that.
              The screen on the C3 is also fine, perfect for the everyday user. You will not regret getting one but it seems WW may be sold out at this price? Plenty still around under $100 and better than some phones costing more than 2x that price.

              • +1

                @Cheeper: Does the C3 handle all the Telstra and Vodafone bands though once unlocked?

                • @tunzafun001: If it is "Optus" Realme C3, it would be modified to "suit Optus network".

                  Network Compatibility: Handset has been modified to be optimised for the Optus network and performance on other networks is not guaranteed. Handset has also been modified to have its dual SIM capability removed and it is a single SIM device. Please refer to the Specifications section for specific network compatibility.

                  Also, I have an Optus phone. On the box it is mentioned: "Check with you network operator before unlocking as some networks (850 MHz) are not supported on this model"

                  Given that Telstra (Incl. Boost, Belong, Woolworths Mobile, Aldi Mobile) use only the 850 MHz 3G band for Voice calls, Optus phones will not be able to make/receive calls on the Telstra Network, even after being unlocked.

                  • @djoz: Yeah, I went with the Oppo (which i recon has the same warning on the box) but does have all band support.

                    • @tunzafun001: Which Oppo, and which all bands do you mean? Does it have the 850 MHz 3G band used for Voice Calls by Telstra? Have you tried using a Telstra (or Belong / Woolworths Mobile / Aldi Mobile) SIM in the device for voice calls?

                      • @djoz: A72. Haven't tried it yet, it's still in its box, but Optus gave me the unlock code (as the Optus tower near me has been down for 5 months!) and the Optus website says it has Band 28. Doesn't state which 3G support it has.

                        https://www.optus.com.au/prepaid/phones/oppo/a72

                        I'll clean up and backup my old phone (Nokia 3 - which has worked with every carrier no problems) and hopefully setup the Oppo and let you know.

                        • @tunzafun001: Yes, they usually dont mention the 3G Bands, but there is a catch. Check your phone box – does it mention this in small font on the side?

                          "Check with your network operator before unlocking as some networks (850 MHz) are not supported on this model"

                          If yes, then the phone wont work on Telstra network, as:

                          1. This phone wont support VoLTE on Telstra / Boost
                          2. Other MVNO Operators of Telstra – Belong, Woolies, Aldi, Lyca do not provide VoLTE anyway
                          3. Without VoLTE, you need the 850 MHz 3G band to be able to make / receive voice calls over the Telstra network; which is not available on this phone.
                          • @djoz: Hi are there any issue with the bands?
                            850 MHz isn't that band 5? Please see below what the sticker says:

                            On the sticker it says:

                            GSM: 850/900/1800/1900Mhz
                            WCDMA: Banks 1/2/4/5/8
                            LTE FDD: Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28
                            LTE FDD: Banks 38/40/41
                            Checker: P1110D

  • OOS around me

    • Out of stock on most areas. Has been this price for a while now, so there are only a few stores left with them. Surprised this hasn't been identified as insufficient quantity.

  • showing "Temporarily unavailable"

    • Still available to buy on mine.

      • hmmm… im in NSW and it also shows no stock in any nearby store

      • Found this previous deal but pricier, $88 delivered. I tried the coupon code and it still works.

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/639610
        Realme C3 (Optus Locked) Red & Blue Colour $88 ($74.8 with ETIKA) + Free Optus $30 SIM Delivered @ Cellmate

  • +1

    Its a good phone

  • +2

    It has pretty good custom ROM support, meaning you won't have to rely on the Manufacturer for updates which can be rare in this price range
    eg
    https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-11-0-0_r37-official-a…

    • +3

      I explored this possibility for the purpose of making this phone a 7/11 chopper, which requires root and unlocking.. however carrier locked editions of the C3 make it almost near impossible to unlock the bootloader

      • I've known other Oppo phones like the Find X2 Pro to have their region and carrier type changed quite easily. May also be the case for this phone?

  • Any hacks available to dodge the $80 Optus unlock fee?

    • Persuade Optus chat with your T-Bone :)

    • +1

      If you know anyone on Optus, give them the IMEI and ask them to go on Live Chat and request the Unlock Code. Have done it many times before.

      • +4

        Yeah anyone that's been with optus over 6 months can get a code

    • +2

      These arent actually locked (even the Optus unlock page will say so), you just need to chat with Optus support online to request the code.

  • Based on the specs thats way too much battery for the features.
    So I think this is a perfect emergency phone, and also useful if you wear a tinfoil hat.

  • If unlocked does it work on Boost/Telstra or does it have restricted bands?

    • It has restricted band. Won't be compatible to Telstra even if it was unlocked.

      • Which bands are missing?

        • Go to Optus website. States which bands the phone is compatible with. You'll see there's a couple missing to get proper Telstra/Boost coverage. This happens with most lower and not range Optus modified phones.

          • @thefinalproblems: I know which bands it has because I own one, but not sure what's missing for Telstra?

            • +1

              @WatchNerd: Sorry don't know how to reference previous posts. The one that seems to be in question is 850mhz.

              manic on 22/04/2021 - 13:48
              +2 votes
              My bad. I totally mis-read your post. I thought you were talking about the Network Lock.

              Some Optus prepaid phones have the 3G 850Mhz ("NextG") band disabled, so will not work for voice on the Telstra network without VoLTE.
              Check the specs for 850Mhz. The Oppo has it.
              Realme also lists 850Mhz:
              https://www.optus.com.au/prepaid/phones/realme/c3#Specificat…

              But I have seen the problem on cheap Optus prepaids in the past. 4G data works, but 3G voice does not.

              I look forward to hearing how you you with a Coles/Catch/etc SIM, thanks

              It's listed but seems to be the one that's problematic.

        • Not sure why I got negged. It is not compatible with Telstra network . Either it won't receive sms or phone calls. It works fine 3G and 4G with other Optus network such as Amaysim. It works even fine with Vodafone network such as Felix.

          • @MINKx: I'll upvote to compensate. This has been the case for a while.

            Every now and then you'll see on eBay a phone that is Ex Optus that has been unlocked, but when you read the details it specifically states not compatible with Telstra.

            Can't say for certainty it applies to this model, but buyer beware I suppose.

  • +1

    Realme needs to step it up to USB-C. Micro-USB no bueno.

    • +3

      M8 it's $69 lol USB-C ain't there yet

    • +2

      It totally needs a 4K 120Hz screen, 108MP camera and 512GB of storage.

  • It is draining life to unlock it. You need to find a link through FAQ that isn't even for the same brand. You need to get the unlock code from Optus. I believe you have to recharge at least $80 in total to be eligible for the unlock code. It is a great phone. I would want to keep one extra but it seems out of stock nearby me.

  • Why $69? Why not $68, 68.99 or 70????

    • +8

      ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  • +1

    Perfect first phone for your teen

  • +4

    I purchased two of these from Target a while back.
    Activated a $30 included Sim and put it in one of them
    Went on chat with optus and told them I require access to other networks due to service issues with the Optus network and they provided me unlock codes for both. No charge

    • +1

      Been over prepaid phones for this reason now for a while, but good tip as this really applies to me for All networks lol.

  • +2

    I bought this one in an earlier deal.

    Great phone for the price! I was surprised by the built quality.

    Couple of things I noticed:
    - Wifi seems to top out at 50Mbs;
    - Widevine L3 so no HD on Netflix;
    - Micro USB port
    - 720P screen which still looks fine.

  • +6

    Here's what I did:

    • Bought the phone from Kmart/Target (can't quite remember now). Locked to Optus.
    • Tried to unlock via optus online automatic thing. It said the phone was already unlocked.
    • Got in touch with Optus via live chat. Told them the tool said the phone was unlocked and asked for an unlock code. They gave me a free unlock code for the phone. Didn't even use the optus sim in the box, nothing
    • Flashed PixelPlusUI
    • Use it for 7/11 chopper everyday. Saved almost $20 the other day.

    Any questions let me know!

    • What is "7/11 chopper"?

      • +1

        I had to google it, too. You spoof your location to get price matches on fuel at 7/11.

        • lol thanks

    • Living the dream right here ^^^

    • +3

      I tried the same thing twice. Live chat told me both times no go if you dont have an optus account. You must have found a good csa or you have an optus account for another phone?

      • +1

        Nope, no Optus account. Just tried to unlock it via the online Optus unlock tool and it said it didn't require unlocking. I copy pasted that to the Optus chat and they gave me the unlock code.

        Then I had to change region to international I think, and then unlock the bootloader and flash twrp. I'll write an article about it and post it.

    • Hey mate, how did U install twrp? Is there a guide U followed, I just purchased this phone so I start from scratch here, TIA

      • +1

        I'll write something up. Obviously there is a chance you could brick your phone etc in doing stuff like this so you'll have to be careful

        • Yeah ahaha I'm aware, I've been doing this custom romming since android cupcake

    • +1

      How did you flash to PixelPlusUI? Can you provide the instructions?

    • Is this the Optus website for step 2?:

      https://secure-unlock.com.au/ou/instructions

  • +1

    a need feature is it powers off at a set time at night and turns back on in the morning saves the battery life. i forgot where you go to set it up though.

  • Looks to be out of stock now. You guys move quick.

    • +1

      Wouldn't be worried about missing it. It was mostly out of stock prior to posting.

      It's like the $89 Samsung A11. Literally a handful of locations Australia wide had stock.

    • +1

      If you're genuinely interested and have an everyday rewards card that is targeted for a bonus 4000 points for $40 online spend at Big W, you can effectively get it for $79 (not factoring in discounted Wish cards) in red or blue.

    • +2

      Problem is OB has become a wholesale hunting ground for punters to stock up their eBay stores and alike. Never anything left for people that actually need something for their own use…

      • Lol. This deal (and some of the other recent Woolworths phone deals) would have been a unicorn find. Not sure there would be many, if any stores filling their inventory from this.

        I'd say if someone is willing to spend the time and resources to go source one, create a listing, take on the liability if things go wrong and mail it off for a few dollars, so be it. Right now they'd have to compete with Big W's $99 sale on eBay. Let's say to be competitive they match the price. By the time you take off fees and shipping costs, they'd be lucky to "earn" $15.

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