realme C55 Full Review
In an interactive live stream held earlier today, realme officially launched the much-awaited realme C55 in the Philippines!
The realme C55 is positioned as the champion of the segment as it brings in strategic upgrades to the C-Series that go beyond expectations, aiming to level up the user experience. The realme C55 is the first globally mass-produced Android smartphone to feature the Mini Capsule.
Since we are already finished with the unboxing and first impression of the realme C55, this review will further explore the capabilities offered by this smartphone and in turn, shall help you to decide whether this gadget is the one you are looking for.
Design and Walk Around
For the design, realme is elevating the competition by bringing more modern and fresh-looking unique designs for its level-entry C-Series smartphones.
The realme C55 comes in three colors: Rainy Night, Sunshower, and Rainforest. The Sunshower color of my phone reveals a shower-like pattern and reflects rainbow colors when exposed to light at certain angles, while the two circular camera modules have a design that gives the impression of sun rays emitting from the cameras. I also like this kind of finish which is brushed and matte because it is less susceptible to fingerprint smudges.
On the front, the realme C55 boasts a 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display, which happens to be the largest display on a realme C-Series phone yet with an FHD+ resolution. Moreover, the realme C55 will be the first to utilize a 90Hz refresh rate from the C-Series lineup. The display also comes with a pre-installed screen protector.
Additionally, there’s a centered hole-punch 16MP camera on the top, and it supports the Mini Capsule feature. Like most smartphones in this segment, the side bezels are relatively slim but with a pretty thick chin.
Found at the back are two circular camera modules that house a dual-camera set-up along with a single LED flash. The two cameras are the 64MP main and the 2MP depth.
Found on the left side is the card tray with a 3-card slot for two nano-SIM cards and a dedicated slot for a microSD card capable of up to 1TB of expandable storage, a must for users who want to improve the storage capacity.
On the right side are your standard volume rocker button and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that is embedded in the power button.
Located at the bottom of the phone, you can find the USB Type-C charging port, downward-firing speaker, microphone, and 3.5mm audio jack.
In addition to its design, the realme C55 is very slim at 7.89mm thick and weighs about 189.5g. The phone also comes with a squared-off box-type build, paired with rounded corners that add comfort and allow ease of use with one hand.
Display and Multimedia
When it comes to display, the realme C55 boasts the largest display on a realme C-Series phone at 6.72-inch with an FHD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution, an improvement from previous iterations of the realme C-Series excluding realme C35.
Moreover, the realme C55 will be the first to utilize a 90Hz refresh rate from the C-Series lineup and offers a screen-to-body ratio of 91.4% for added immersive viewing.
The IPS panel of the realme C55 produces good colors. Viewing angles are also decent and the screen can also get bright, which can automatically adjust up to 680 nits depending on the ambient lighting conditions.
The audio quality of the loudspeaker is like your typical smartphone at this price range. It can get loud and the audio quality is average. For better audio quality, I recommend using headphones or an external speaker.
Camera
Rear Camera
As for the camera, the realme C55 boasts a dual-camera set-up—consisting of a 64MP primary camera with Phase Detection autofocus (PDAF) and uses a standard Omnivision OV64B sensor. There's also a 2MP depth lens.
Moreover, the main camera of the realme C55 is now paired with Number Series software features and optimizations such as Street Mode 3.0 and ProLight Imaging Technology.
Quality from the rear camera under bright lighting conditions is pretty impressive with detailed images and vibrant colors, though dynamic range can be better.
For low light, photos may look grainy in certain situations, but with the Night Mode feature turned on, the quality of the images taken is surprisingly good with plenty of detail.
Front Selfie Camera
In terms of the front camera, the realme C55 boasts an 8MP front camera. The camera also supports different features such as Face Beautification and Photo Filters.
For selfies, the phone produces good photos with natural-looking skin tones in bright lighting conditions. However, it struggles during the night or in low lighting. Background blurring for portrait selfies isn’t that perfect but good enough.
Video
For video, the realme C55 supports up to 1080p@60fps video recording with its main camera and 1080p@30fps for its front-facing camera.
The recorded video from the main camera is shaky since there is no image stabilization, but is usable for casual social media postings.
realme UI, Apps, and Security
The realme C55 runs on realme UI 4.0, which is based on Android 13. The UI is seamless, clean, and easy to navigate. Pre-installed are the standard Google suite of apps, as well as some bloatware apps.
realme is the first Android brand to locally launch a smartphone with a “Mini Capsule” feature. The realme C55’s Mini Capsule is designed to show detailed information for selected items such as: charging & battery status, mobile data usage, and step tracking/step counting.
Note that charge notification and data usage notification are turned on by default, and step notification is turned off by default. Additionally, more features for the Mini Capsule will be rolled out through an Over-The-Air (OTA) update. To access these features, you can find them under the realme C55's Settings > realme Lab > Mini Capsule menu.
In terms of security, realme C55 is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that is embedded in the power button. It is also equipped with facial recognition for unlocking the device.
Both work well---the side-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate. However, the face unlock feature can slow down in situations where there isn’t much light.
Hardware and Performance
The realme C55 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 processor. This processor is made using a 12nm process and is equipped with two high-performance Cortex-A75 cores at 2.0GHz and six high-efficiency Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8GHz, along with Mali-G52 MC2 GPU.
The device can perform smoothly in everyday tasks; however, the gaming experience in graphics-intensive games is okay and with slight lags in some games. Take note that this is not a gaming smartphone so don’t expect too much.
The realme C55 also supports Dynamic RAM Expansion technology. Dynamic RAM Expansion lets you expand your phone's RAM virtually by using the phone's internal storage. realme C55 can make use of up to 6GB (for the 6GB version) and up to 8GB (for the 8GB version) for up to 16GB total usable RAM.
The realme C55 is available in the Philippines in two storage variants - 128GB and 256GB of storage. If you need additional storage, you can further expand the storage up to 1TB via its dedicated microSD card slot.
Below are the benchmark scores from this device:
- AnTuTu v9.5.7 – 261,472
- AnTuTu Storage Test v9.5.7 – 14,279 (293.5 MB/s Seq. Read, 269.9 MB/s Seq. Write)
- Geekbench 6.0.0 – 424 (Single-core), 1,385 (Multi-core)
- PCMark – 8,715 (Work 3.0)
- 3DMark – 1,382 (SSE – OpenGL ES 3.1), 1,419 (SSE – Vulkan)
Battery and Connectivity
The realme C55 is equipped with a large 5,000mAh battery and is good enough to last you a day of moderate usage without an additional charge. In the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery Life Test, the unit yielded a score of around 10 hours and 27 minutes.
Deep software optimization like App Quick Freeze, Optimized Standby, Power Saving Mode, and Super Power Saving Mode are also available in realme C55 which could make a big difference in battery life.
With realme C55’s 33W SUPERVOOC Charging, the 5,000mAh battery can be charged up to 50% in just 29 minutes, and to 100% in just 63 minutes.
Aside from the battery, the realme C55 has your usual connectivity features, including dual SIM (nano-SIM, dual stand-by), 4G LTE, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C.
realme C55 Specifications
6.72-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) IPS display, 391ppi
90Hz refresh rate, 680 nits peak brightness
MediaTek Helio G88 SoC
ARM Mali-G52 GPU
6GB/ 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
128GB/ 256GB storage (eMMC)
microSD card slot (up to 1TB)
Dual-rear cameras (64MP main + 2MP depth)
8MP front camera
Dual-SIM / 4G LTE
WiFi 5 / Bluetooth 5.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
USB-C / 3.5mm headphone jack
Fingerprint scanner (side)
realme UI 4.0 (Android 13)
5,000mAh battery w/ 33W SUPERVOOC charging
165.6 x 75.9 x 7.9mm (dimension)
189.5g (weight)
Colors: Rainy Night, Sunshower, and Rainforest
What’s inside the box
If you haven't seen the unboxing of the realme C55 yet, the box contained the smartphone itself, SIM card ejector tool, quick start guide, important information (including the Warranty Card), USB power adapter, USB type-C to USB-A charging cable, and silicone case.
Price and Availability
The realme C55 is available in two variants: 6GB+128GB for Php8,999 and 8GB+256GB for Php10,999.
First-Selling Offers
- April 18 from 7:30 PM until 11:30 PM on realme’s Official TikTok Shop (@realmePH)
- Php1,000 OFF for both variants
- realme C55 (6GB+128GB): free realme Mobile Game Finger Sleeves for first buyers
- realme C55 (8GB+256GB): free realme Mobile Game Trigger for first buyers
- April 19 to April 21 on realme’s Lazada Flagship Store
- Flash Sale discount of Php1,000 OFF for both variants in limited quantities only, until April 21
- April 19 on realme E-store
- For both variants:
- 5% Upfront discount AND free TechLife Power Bank worth Php799 from April 19 to 25, 2023
Verdict
The realme C55 brings many first to the C Series with its Mini Capsule feature, 256GB storage option, a 6.72-inch FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, and 33W SUPERVOOC Charging. It also comes with very competitive features such as its decent performance, surprisingly good camera, and eye-catching design.
Is this the smartphone you are looking for? The answer is a big “YES”. The realme C55 marks the first time that technologies and features present in the realme’s flagship and midrange Android smartphone are brought down to the entry-level C Series.
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