BQ Aquaris C: in-depth analysis of one of the best low-end on the market

When we said “low range” not too long ago, we did it in a pejorative sense, but this segment is no longer what it was a few years ago, and although it does not remain at the level of the mid-range, that is a reality. The BQ Aquaris C is the terminal with which, finally, BQ, a company that has always bet on this segment, claims in the low range after a few years in which the competition has been slightly superior.

We warn you from the beginning, do not be fooled by this BQ Aquaris C, since, despite what we might think, seeing its specifications, it develops surprisingly, and we already advance you that its multimedia sections are above what is expected of any low end. That said, let’s take a look at the innards of the terminal.

BQ Aquaris C: features and specifications

The best of the BQ Aquaris C

A design is never seen in the low range

What stands out most about this BQ Aquaris C is, without a doubt, its design. The terminal can be deceiving and give the feeling of being a mid-range, but nothing is further from reality; we are facing the best-designed low-end of the entire market, without any doubt. Both for its materials and its aesthetics.

The predominant material is metal, which is combined with the plastic that covers the sides, and, to the touch, it gives a feeling of the most Premium. In addition, its thickness of 8.4 millimeters makes carrying the terminal in your pocket not a problem, as long as we do not put a too thick cover.

The screen, for its part, is the protagonist on the front, where we are going to find an incredible use for a terminal of its price, and a very sober design – as we like it – in which we will have the logo of the company in the lower frame, giving an unmistakable touch to the front. If we were to judge the terminal solely by its design, we would certainly think it is a mid-range.

Screen

Let’s talk about the screen. The display of the BQ Aquaris C has a size of 5.45 inches with 2.5D glass, a brightness of 450 nits, and 16 million colors thanks to Quantum Color + technology. These are its technical specifications, but now we go to the actual use.

The screen of the BQ Aquaris C is one of its greatest virtues, even though it has an HD + resolution. When using the mobile phone every day, both to watch Netflix or YouTube and surf the internet or social networks, we are before a very solvent panel.

Under intense sunlight, the experience worsens, logically, but still, the BQ Aquaris C does not go badly stopped, and you will be able to see the screen without problem. In short, you will not have to go looking for shade to use your mobile in summer.

Connectivity

The BQ Aquaris C is not just any low-end, it is – in this regard – the best low-end on the market, and that, in part, is thanks to its good connectivity, since it remedies the deficiencies that normally we reproach the mid-range, and that’s saying enough.

Beyond Wi-Fi 5.0, 4G, or Bluetooth 4.2, the important thing about this mobile from the Spanish company at the connectivity level is the NFC and its USB Type-C port, two sections that today should be non-negotiable, but with which most mid-range does not yet have, unfortunately for users.

BQ has opted for NFC and USB Type C, two of the main shortcomings with terminals up to 100 euros more expensive.

BQ, however, has decided to bet on the NFC for mobile payments in its Aquaris C, with which you can pay at any business that has a contactless POS, either through Google Play or through your bank’s application. And also because of the USB C, which offers us greater comfort when plugging in the charger, provides us with faster data transmission than the micro USB.

The worst of the BQ Aquaris C

Frontal camera

The BQ Aquaris C is a low-end smartphone, which is more than evident. However, the good performance of the terminal in other respects makes the deficiencies stand out even more, and this is the case with the front camera.

And lack of light. We are in front of a 5-megapixel sensor with a focal aperture f / 2.0 that, although a priori seems adequate, performs a little below what we expected, especially due to the lack of detail and the poor results it offers when there is excess. These results have surprised us quite a bit since the rear camera has left us a very good taste in our mouths, as we will tell you below.

In the long term, there may be better alternatives.

The BQ Aquaris C, at the performance level, is one of the best low-end terminals that we have seen, without any doubt. And this is mainly due to good optimization of the software, which makes the whole system go smoothly, except for a few occasional jerks, which unfortunately keep popping up.

Despite this, the mobile of the Spanish company sins of having a small amount of RAM. As we have told you before, this is only 2 GB, and although right now it is the minimum required for a terminal of these characteristics, it is an amount that, in the future, maybe insufficient.

The good optimization of the terminal is remarkable. Still, looking to the future, the Snapdragon 425 and the low amount of RAM may take a toll on this good performance if you are a user who uses the terminal intensively.

Photography test

BQ Aquaris C, so are its cameras

As for the camera, as we have told you before, the 12-megapixel sensor with focal aperture f / 2.0 does a good job in general terms, inside, of course, what we expect from a low-end terminal. It even includes an HDR + mode that, despite not being to rave about, is quite decent.

Behavior day and night

The rear camera, day photos

During the day, the camera of the BQ Aquaris C behaves quite well, within expectations and even a little better. Its color rendering is still very good, and the dynamic range falls within the normal range for the segment. In good light, it can take pretty good pictures, although it sometimes has some trouble focusing on nearby objects.

In general terms, it is a very good camera for a low-end terminal that will allow you to take quite good photos if the lighting conditions accompany it. Its HDR + mode behaves correctly, and although it occasionally burns the photograph’s background a bit, its results are more than acceptable.

The rear camera, night photos

At night the camera does not behave badly. Despite not giving results at the mid-range or a high range, it captures the correct amount of light – which increases the noise considerably since it tends to overexpose the images. Images – and its color rendering is quite good in terms of white balance. The photos you take will be within the correct range but with quite a distance from the mid-range.

A front camera, selfies

The front camera passes without pain or glory through this terminal, and as we have told you before, it is one of its worst aspects. The 5 megapixels of the sensor perform relatively well in situations in which we find ourselves in good light, although the excess of it can spoil the image.

Its biggest flaws are the lack of detail – both day and night – and latency when focusing. Beyond that, we are facing an acceptable camera for a low-end terminal, but we expected better results considering the overall performance of the smartphone.

Video recording

As you can see, the front camera has an acceptable level of detail when we have good light conditions, which is the minimum we expected from the terminal. From the rear, perhaps we expected something more, especially stabilization, a section in which the terminal does not come out completely well stopped.

The rear camera, on the other hand, records in Full HD with 30 frames per second, and the null stabilization of the video clouds the experience with the video camera, which does not quite leave us entirely satisfied.

In general, the improvable experience with the video and the front camera slightly tarnishes the photographic section of the terminal. Still, the truth is that its rear camera is quite worth it, and the BQ application for the camera allows us to get a good performance thanks to its native manual mode.

Should you buy the BQ Aquaris C?

The question is not simple, since the shadow of Xiaomi’s mid-range is very long, and for the 149 euros that this BQ Aquaris C costs, the truth is that we could assess other options, even from last year, that would be better in as for power. Not because the BQ terminal performs poorly, but in terms of the durability of the terminal.

But, despite this, the BQ Aquaris C has seemed to us a very solvent phone, which is capable of discouraging the purchase of other models with similar or even higher prices. And it does this based on three pillars: design, NFC, and software.

Of course, if you want approximate durability of two years, perhaps it would be better to evaluate other types of more powerful options – and somewhat more expensive – since, even though the terminal works well in every way, it is limited for its hardware in terms of longevity. And, although right now it may not be, this may be a problem after a year with the terminal.

Price and where to buy Terminal X

As we have told you, the BQ is in a low range, and its price corresponds to the market situation. The terminal will cost 150 euros, and a version with 3 GB of RAM is not available. You can now reserve it, both in white and black.