Review: realme C55
THE realme C55 is the newest device in the smartphone brand’s C-Series line, which was released in the Philippines last week.
The phone features a 6.72-inch display, which realme said is the largest in its C-Series lineup. Its screen is also the first to have a 90Hz refresh rate among C-Series smartphones.
The new phone comes with a 64-megapixel (MP) main camera and a 2-MP depth lens, as well as an 8-MP selfie camera.
It is powered by a Mediatek Helio G88 chipset and has a 5,000mAh battery.
It comes in three colors: Sunshower, Rainy Night, and Rainforest and has two variants: a 6GB memory + 128GB storage model and an 8GB+256GB version.
PROS:
1. The realme C55’s price point has to be its number one pro. This is a great phone at the cost of budget to mid-range devices in the market. The review unit furnished by realme to BusinessWorld is the C55’s top-of-the-line version that has 256GB of internal storage and 8GB RAM and costs just P10,999. Meanwhile, the 6GB+128GB model is priced at only P8,999. The phone’s storage is also expandable via microSD to up to 1 terabyte. Not bad at all.
2. The C55 has almost complete inclusions. Besides the usual charging cable, it also comes with a 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging adapter, a silicone phone case, and even a preinstalled screen protector. Most new smartphones no longer come with adapters (for sustainability reasons), with companies assuming that customers already have these accessories and will simply reuse them for their upgraded gadgets. But for first-time smartphone owners or those unwilling to make extra purchases, not being able to use their gadgets out of the box could be cumbersome. As for its fast charger, it takes a little more than an hour to get the battery from zero to 100%. Its 5,000 mAh battery is enough to power about half a day of light to moderate use.
3. Display quality is excellent. The phone’s 6.72-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution features a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 680 nits at 180Hz touch sampling rate. The screen is big, bright, and colors are rendered nicely. The display is also very responsive, making usage smooth. The phone runs on realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13 and its settings are easily customizable.
4. Cameras are great. In particular, its 64-MP main camera captures details well, especially in good lighting conditions. Colors are a bit saturated, though, which is likely because of realme’s image processing. As expected, shutter speeds of both the main and the 8-MP selfie lens do lag a bit in the dark, but it isn’t really a deal-breaker.
5. The squared off design makes it comfortable to grip. The realme C55 has a boxy design with flat edges, which I personally prefer. Despite being a relatively big phone, it’s easy to hold, even with one hand. The mostly matte surface of its back panel also minimizes the accumulation of fingerprint marks. The phone is also light for a device its size but doesn’t have that plastic feel.
CONS:
1. Speaker quality is so-so. The C55 has a speaker grill at just one side of its bottom frame, placed beside its USB-C charging port and the 3.5mm audio jack. When using the phone horizontally while watching videos or playing games, it feels a bit weird to hear the sound coming from just one side. Audio quality is just okay. But again, at this price range, it’s acceptable. At least audiophiles will have the option to use their own earphones as the device comes with an audio jack.
2. The Mini Capsule has limited features for now. The Mini Capsule is the realme C55’s unique selling proposition, as the device is the first globally mass-produced Android smartphone to have this capability. Right now, information displayed on the Mini Capsule is limited to battery-related notifications, data usage, and step tracking, but the brand has said it plans to expand its features.
3. The phone is not for heavy, graphics-intensive gaming. While it can run most games, the playing experience is not that smooth for bigger titles. For me, the C55 is best suited for casual games.
Overall, the realme C55 is a really good phone at its price point. The device carries some flagship-level features while costing just P8,999 or P10,999 — not even a fourth of the price of flagship phones from big brands in the market today. It has a great camera, an impressive display and a decent processor, making for a very capable “daily driver” smartphone. — Bettina V. Roc
