Realme C55 Review: Budget phones can be reliable and attractive

This year, Realme has focused on the premium segment like other brands in the country. But the company is going back to its old formula and launching an affordable 4G phone as many still want a phone that costs around Rs 10,000-11,000. The Realme C55 fits into this box, and the brand now wants to change the perception of a budget phone and show everyone that phones in this range don’t have to look boring, and they also contain surprises.

We’ve been using this budget 4G phone for quite some time now, and in this review we’ll tell you whether the Realme C55 has the makings of a quality budget phone or not.

Realme C55 Review: What’s Cool?

Realme has tried to show everyone that a budget phone can be good looking. The solar shower version has that color charging element, but the overall compactness of the device (even with the big screen) makes it easy to use. The volume and power buttons are on the right side and on the back you will notice the giant camera sensors molded into the panel. The whole package for its design works with us.

Moving on to the display, you have a 6.72-inch IPS display that gets a 90Hz refresh rate and offers Full HD+ resolution. The screen has a peak brightness of 680 nits, which is good enough in this range, and then you have the unique perforation that includes the Dynamic Island feature called the Mini Capsule.

That’s right, the display tool is slowly coming to Android phones and Realme is releasing it with the C55. You can only use it to warn about charging status, step count and low battery. Realme says it will continue to work with the community on more use cases, and we can’t wait to see how it develops.

The Realme C55 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G88 chipset, which is a 4G hardware, and you can get it with up to 8GB of RAM and support for virtual RAM expansion. The maximum storage space is 128 GB, but you can expand it further.

Talking about performance, this phone easily manages your daily tasks and lets you play casual games without any strain. This chipset is not gaming oriented and you shouldn’t expect high end performance from the device, which is understandable. You have the Realme 4.0 user interface based on Android 13 running out, which is also a Plus on the phone.

The phone’s 64-megapixel main camera performs better than we expected. You get sharp and detailed images in bright conditions, and HDR levels are also balanced, while colors are natural.

Realme has provided the phone with a 5000mAh battery, but you get it with 33W fast charging support, which is the best speed in the segment for a budget device. The company has said that 33W will be the default charging speed for its phones, and the Realme C55 benefits from this strategy. However, the phone’s battery life is not bad.

The unit easily lasts all day, and thanks to the 4G chipset, you get more power. All this makes the Realme C55 ideal for people who like to watch videos, be on social media and surf the web.

Realme C55 Review: What’s Not So Cool?

We talked about the good things, now it’s time to focus on what are the shortcomings of this phone. The Realme C55 has a bright display, but the colors look washed out, and that’s probably the price you pay for juggling too many features.

Some might say that’s a deal breaker. The peak brightness is good, but we noticed even then that the panel needs a little covering in bright outdoor conditions to see anything on the screen.

While the main camera surprised us, we didn’t see anything worthwhile from the secondary sensor. Companies still use the 2MP sensor and claim it offers versatility, but let’s be fair, it’s hard to offer premium cameras at this price. Even the 8-megapixel front camera is average. Realme offers Android 13, but the bloatware problem persists. And with brands like Motorola now able to reject bloat, it’s hard not to make Realme reject unwanted apps as well.

Realme C55 Review: Should You Buy?

Realme C55’s design, performance, main camera and battery support make it a quality buy if you don’t want to spend more than Rs 12,000. Realme has three models, including an 8GB option, but we think the 4GB and 6GB models give you better value for money. This is a 4G-only phone and won’t be getting an update for 5G, so make sure you’re aware of that.

The mini capsule is an interesting addition that’s still in its infancy, but good to see it on a budget phone. Buy the Realme C55 if you need a compact device with reliable performance and fast charging.

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