The realme C55 is the latest budget-friendly phone from realme to grace the Philippine market. Starting at ₱8,999, the phone comes with an interesting feature set, including a large 90Hz 6.72-inch display, a Helio G88 processor, a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support, and a 64MP main camera.
The phone also runs on Android 13 with realme UI 4.0, which features a new Mini Capsule dynamic notification system around the camera punch-hole.
In this review, we’ll take a close look at the realme c55 and see if it’s worth your money.
realme C55 Specs
| Display | 6.72-inch FHD+ display, 2400×1080, 90Hz refresh rate, up to 680 nits |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G88 |
| RAM/Storage | 8GB+128GB 8GB+256GB |
| Rear Cameras | 64MP main 2MP depth |
| Front Camera | 8MP |
| Network | 4G LTE |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS |
| Others | Side fingerprint scanner, USB-C, headphone jack, 200% Ultra Boom Speaker |
| OS | realme UI 4.0, Android 13 |
| Colors | Sunshower, Rainy Night |
| Battery | 5000mAh Battery, 33W SUPERVOOC |
Design & Display
The realme C55 features eye-catching aesthetics with a flat-edge design and a clean layout. The back panel is made of plastic with a gunmetal texture and a matte surface. It’s also highly resistant to fingerprints.
Our review unit is in Sunshower colorway which has a gold hue and gradients that shifts between warm colors with every movement. The other color options include Rainy Night for those who want the classic black and a green hue called Rainforest.
On the hand, the phone feels good and solid despite the plastic construction. It’s not sleek or thin in any way, but the sides are shaved off with no sharp edges, which makes it easy to grip.
The phone has a 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display, the largest on a C-series phone, with a resolution of 2400×1080 and a refresh rate of 90Hz. Like most realme phones, the screen is vibrant with punchy colors. The side bezels are thin, while the top and bottom bezel are thicker, which is expected in this range.
A hole punch camera is located at the top center of the screen which houses an 8MP selfie shooter. Here, you will notice one of the phone’s highlight features, the Mini Capsule, which we’ll talk more about later.
The back of the phone features a rectangular camera module that houses dual cameras and an LED flash. The dual cameras, comprised of a 64MP primary and a 2MP depth sensor, are prominently featured with large, protruding lenses.
The phone only has one speaker at the bottom. The sound quality is not bad, but the lack of bass is noticeable. It can get loud with 200 percent Ultra Boom Speaker mode, which you can achieve by pressing the volume up one more time when you reach 100 percent.
A fingerprint scanner is embedded in the power button on the right side with the volume rocker. For the most part, it is fast and can accurately read my fingers.
Cameras
The realme C55 boasts a 64MP main camera, paired with a 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. The main camera can capture detailed and sharp photos in good lighting conditions, with accurate colors and exposure.
The camera also has various modes such as Street Mode, Night Mode, Portrait, 64MP, Slo-mo, Pro Mode, Time-lapse, and Panoramic. The Night Mode can improve the low-light performance of the camera by enhancing the brightness and reducing the noise, but it may also result in some loss of detail and color accuracy.
The front camera of the realme C55 is an 8MP shooter that can take decent selfies in daylight but may suffer from noise and softness in low-light situations. The front camera also has a Beauty Mode that can smoothen your skin and adjust your facial features, but it may also look unnatural if overdone.
Camera Samples
Camera Zoom Samples
Selfie Samples
Performance
Under the hood, the realme C55 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88, a modest gaming chipset commonly seen in this range. It can reliably run games such as Genshin Impact, League of Legends, and Call of Duty Mobile, in low to medium graphics settings.
Our review unit is also equipped with 8GB of RAM with an additional up to 8GB of RAM expansion and 256GB of storage, along with a 5000mAh battery with 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging support. It runs on realme UI 4 on top of Android 13.
One of the highlight features of the realme C55 is the Mini Capsule. Essentially, it’s similar to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island which pops up to show an animation effect for select notifications. In the realme C55’s case, it shows low-battery notifications, remaining available data for the day, and steps and distance achieved for the day.
I actually like how its implemented. The animation is fluid, and it looks good. I hope realme expands what it can do in the future.
Here are the benchmark scores of the realme C55:
- AnTuTu V9.5.9: 256,606
CPU: 62,993
GPU: 60,857
MEM: 52,730
UX: 80,026 - Geekbench 6: 424 (single-core); 1,327 (multi-core)
- 3DMark Wild Life: 746
Also read: realme 10 Pro 5G review: Flat design, impressively thin bezels
As for the battery life, the realme C55’s 5000mAh battery can last a day with heavy use, and more with moderate or light use. It also supports 33W SuperVOOC fast charging, which can charge the phone from 0 percent to 50 percent in 30 minutes.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly smartphone that can handle your daily tasks and entertainment needs, you might want to check out the realme C55. It’s a beautiful device that offers a compelling feature set that includes decent cameras, a capable and efficient processor, and ample battery life. Moreover, the Mini Capsule feature is a nice addition. Hopefully, realme expands what it can do in the future.
Price & Availability
The realme C55 is now available in the Philippines in two variants: 6GB+128GB for only ₱8,999 and 8GB+256GB for only ₱10,999. It comes in three colors: Sunshower, Rainy Night, and Rainforest.
