realme C55: Full review

While we dream of getting a hold of a flagship device, there are practicalities we have to consider. Thankfully, realme offers the next best thing in an affordable package. Yes, we’re talking about the Mini Capsule in the realme C55, which was only available in the iPhone 14 series (Dynamic Island for Apple). Beyond the theatrics and appeal of this entry-level smartphone’s “flagship feature,” what else is there to know?

Design and build

It’s quite predictable that the brand will always release fun and youthful colors. But the execution is always a surprise. This time around, the spice comes from the textured matte design. Three colors are available: Rainforest, Rainy Night, and Sunshower. To continue its trendy streak, it comes in an easy-to-grip boxy design, with a lightweight build (189.5g and 7.89mm).

Display

Up front, it’s not your typical punch-hole display. The selfie cutout transforms to show users battery and charging status, data usage, and steps taken. During our time with the C55, we solely experienced the advantage of knowing the battery and charging status. For now, its functions might be limited, but we’re hoping future system updates add more fun to the Mini Capsule that will genuinely emulate the Dynamic Island. 

The screen is also larger than its predecessor, housing a 6.7-inch FHD+ LCD display with 91.4% screen-to-body ratio. It’s paired with a 90Hz refresh rate, which translates to an adequately smooth interaction with the phone. As for the viewing experience, it was easily enjoyable thanks to the sizable screen. Given its price point, sharpness of details and richness of colors were acceptable. 

Camera

Found at the rear is the dual camera setup: 64MP main camera and 2MP depth camera. Another surprise came from how the former performed in good lighting situations. The resulting shots are highly worthy to be posted on social media with its good color accuracy and crisp details.

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Even the 8MP front camera will satisfy those who love taking selfies with the decent image quality.

Performance

The C55 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G88 processor and runs on 8GB of RAM + 256GB of storage. The aforementioned gives typical users a swift experience. This includes browsing the internet, doom scrolling through social media, binge-watching series, among other less demanding tasks. You can even carry out several tasks without encountering problems and lags.

Perhaps the bulk of its struggle involve graphically demanding tasks like gaming. But you can only expect so much from a budget smartphone. However, for the most part it carried out titles such as Mobile Legends with very minimal hitches.

Battery

You can accomplish a lot during the day with the realme C55 given that it’s packed with a 5000mah battery — from waking up to your alarm and sending messages and emails in the morning to capping the day with your favorite Netflix series. True to the brand’s claims, the device can power up to 50% in 29 minutes and 100% in 63 minutes with the 33W SUPERVOOC Charger. 

Verdict

To sum it up, the realme C55 proves to be a highly reliable device with its well-rounded features that ticks off a typical user’s checklist. From the all-day battery life and seamless user experience to its stylish design and fun and useful Mini Capsule. It might not excel in the gaming arena, but for workplace matters, it will definitely deliver.

Above all, you no longer have to experience fear of missing out (FOMO)! What used to be exclusively available in a flagship device is now attainable through the Mini Capsule of the C55.

Price:

realme C55 (6GB RAM + 128GB ROM) – PHP8,999

realme C55 (8GB RAM + 256GB ROM) – PHP10,999