The realme C55 is quite a refreshing take on the entry-level segment with the introduction of the "Mini Capsule". The phone is also painting a good picture on where entry-level smartphones is going in the near future. We are very lucky to experience the realme C55 firsthand, and we love to share our thoughts in this review.
realme C55 Review
{getToc} $title={Table of Contents} $count={Boolean} $expanded={Boolean}Review Summary:
Pros
- Budget phone yet powerful
- Quality Display
- Great design and Build
- Fast charging
- Decent camera
Cons
- Speakers could use more bass
- Mini Capsule is half baked
Design
The realme C55 is something that you'll definitely enjoy sporting in the wild. In our experience of using the phone, it turned many heads due to the colorway that we are rocking - I have the Rainforest variant, by the way. The back panel is so inviting to hold with its matte texture; it also features unique patterns which mimics precipitation of rain.
You won't miss realme C55's imposing camera module which is quite bigger than its contemporaries. This houses the 64MP main camera and the 2MP depth camera. This section of the backing also houses the LED flash and the "64MP AI Camera" branding. The phone does not have a curved backing, but the corners are chamfered making the handset feels good on the hands.
The frame is also made up of high-quality plastic material with teal color to visually complement the back panel. We have also mentioned in our unboxing article how the phone negates fingerprints in both the back panel and the frame.
On the front, the C55 features a hole-punch design located at the upper center of the display. The bezels are quite thin for an entry-level phone with the chin being sizable compared to other bezels. The ports and buttons are where they should be. Overall, the realme C55 design is very functional and there's nothing to callout when it comes to ergonomics.
Display
The realme C55 is built around 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display. It packs 1080 x 2400p resolution at 392 ppi pixel density. To be honest, I initially thought that the panel is LED - that goes to show that the display has good quality. The panel has good color accuracy as well as dynamic range. The sharpness is also on point - it's neither harsh nor shallow. Blacks are deep, and whites are fuller.
The display also sports 90Hz refresh rate so if you're coming from a 60Hz panel, you'll be amused with the smoothness of the interface. The panel is also bright enough for outdoor use.
I love watching my favorite shows in this phone due to the bigger screen real estate. There's a single firing speaker which sounds okay for the most part. However, if you want more bass for your phone, I advise to use earphones instead. Overall, the display is very competitive in this segment.
Performance
There's a MediaTek Helio G88 chipset that runs everything in this device. It's an almost two-year old chipset with octa-core capabilities and developed under 12nm process. We are reviewing the 8GB RAM + 256GB version; but there is a number of configurations to choose from depending on your budget.
In my experience with the phone, the Helio G88 is great in entry-level gaming. Running Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is such a breeze. I also played Genshin Impact with this handset and it's very playable. You can do a lot of things with the realme C55 as long as you manage your expectations. The realme C55 supports Dynamic RAM expansion of up to 8GB just in case you need more memory for your gaming sessions or daily tasks.
Our benchmark tests suggest that this is a modest handset. It scored 263886 in AnTuTu Benchmark; 390 in Geekbench 6 Single-core test and 1321 in the Multi-core test. I also did not experience any connectivity issues with this phone. It can support up to 4G cellular connectivity and up to Wi-Fi 802.11 AC dual band. For wireless accessories, you can take advantage of the Bluetooth 5.2 LE.
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| Benchmark Results: Antutu and Geekbench 6 |
Camera
The realme C55 supports a dual-camera setup having the 64MP (f/1.9) camera as the main sensor; the secondary sensor is the 2MP depth. I was surprised to see the main camera sensor in this segment. It does not disappoint; photos register to be sharp and color accurate. The saturation may be a bit intense for some colors like greens and blues. In low-light environment, the quality drops as colors are being muted and noise gets prevalent.
The 2MP depth sensor is conveniently employed together with the main camera when taking portrait shots. Portraits are far from being flagship-grade quality, but I could tell that the software is improving in separating the subject from the background.
On the front, the 8MP selfie camera could deliver photos with just the right quality for social media use. The overall photo quality of the rear and front cameras is above average for a handset at this price point. As for videos, the realme C55 can record up to 1080p video at 30fps and 60fps. The camera app also has Night and Street modes should you want to be more creative with your shots.
Software
Software-wise, the realme C55 boots with realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13. It's the latest version of Google's mobile operating system so you're assured to have the latest software features with this phone. On top of that, realme also showcased the "Mini Capsule" interface.
It's a nod to Apple's Dynamic Island only that realme's take is limited to notifications, phone status, and updates. However, I'm quite excited how realme will take advantage of this space in future iterations.
The realme UI 4.0 is a slick Android skin in general. It's also fast in processing biometrics like the face unlock and the fingerprints on the power button-embedded scanner. The flat rounded icons come by default, but you can customize the icons and fonts in your own liking. You'll also have the choice to use button navigation or gesture navigation. I use the latter since I think it's easier to swipe my way around realme's user interface.
Battery
In our PCMark battery life test, the realme C55 tallied 11 hours and 59 minutes. For a phone with large display, this number is quite impressive. In my actual usage, I can easily go through the day without having to charge the phone.
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| PCMark Work 3.0 Battery Life Test |
I also tested the phone's charging capability with its 33W VOOC Supercharge feature. In the first 29 minutes, the phone covered 50% of its battery capacity. Charging the realme C55 to a 100% took me an hour and 10 minutes. This is a feat for a phone in this segment.
Fast charging test:
- 30% in 18 minutes
- 50% in 29 minutes
- 75% in 46 minutes
- 100% in 70 minutes or 1 hour and 10 minutes
Verdict: Should You Buy The realme C55?
The realme C55 is straight-out a solid entry-level phone. However, it is disrupting this segment on how it could easily be considered a mid-range phone due to its very capable hardware, nifty software, and affordable price. If you're a fan of the realme C series, the realme C55 would definitely be on your "To Purchase" list with its wide screen real estate, speedy chipset, capable camera, and the exclusive (as of this writing) Mini Capsule interface.
Specifications:
- 6.72-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2400p) IPS LCD display, 90Hz, 680 nits (peak)
- Mediatek Helio G88 (12nm)
- 2.0GHz Octa-core processor
- Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
- 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM, 8GB / 256GB
- microSD support, dedicated slot
- Dual rear cameras: 64MP main +2MP depth
- 8MP front camera
- Dirac Audio, up to 200% loudspeaker volume
- 4G LTE
- Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.2, GPS, NFC
- USB Type-C 2.0, 3.5mm jack
- Fingerprint (side-mounted)
- Realme UI 4.0, based on Android 13
- 165.6 x 75.9 x 7.89 mm, 189.5 g
- Li-Po 5000 mAh battery w/ 33W wired charging
- See: realme C55 unboxing
realme C55 Price, Availability
You can get the realme C55 in 6GB + 128GB variant for SRP Php 8,999. Additionally, the 8GB + 256GB memory (SRP Php 10,999) can be purchased for a discounted price of Php 10,699 in realme's flagship store in Shopee.
