THE realme C53 is the brand’s latest entry-level smartphone. It is priced at just P7,999 and is touted as the fastest-charging phone in its price segment. It is also realme’s thinnest phone to date at just 7.49 millimeters (mm).
The phone comes in two colors, namely Champion Gold and Mighty Black. It has 6 gigabytes (GB) of RAM with 6GB RAM Expansion technology and 128GB of storage expandable up to 2 terabytes.
PROS:1. The C53 is very comfortable to hold despite being a pretty large phone sporting a 6.74-inch screen. A lot of it has to do with its build, as it has a glass screen but a plastic frame and back, as well as a squared off body. Still, even with the use of plastic — obviously to keep it at its price point — the phone feels sturdy enough. It’s stable even while using with just one hand. However, the Mighty Black version’s matte back does accumulate fingerprints, which made me keep the phone’s silicone case on.
2. It supports fast charging, a feature not found on a lot of phones that cost below P10,000. The realme C53 ships with a 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging adapter that can get its 5,000mAh battery from 0% to 100% in a little more than an hour, and in my experience, it charged well within the promised 85 minutes. The battery has enough juice for about half a day of moderate use.
3. The display is large and performs well. While the 6.7-inch LCD screen only has HD+ resolution (we’ll talk about this again later), it does offer a maximum brightness of 450 nits, a refresh rate of 90Hz and a touch response rate of 180Hz. The phone also has a 90.3% screen-to-body ratio.
4. The cameras do well in ideal conditions. The phone has a 50-megapixel (MP) main AI camera plus a 0.8-MP lens, and while those are not really eye-popping specs, at P7,999, I can’t really complain. Image processing is okay, and the main lens focuses fast with good lighting. I mostly took test shots on Auto mode and color and detail reproduction was decent. However, as with most smartphone cameras, shooting at night is a different challenge. As for its 8-MP selfie lens, I liked how it captured skin colors.
5. Its Unisoc T612 processor is reliable enough for moderate use. While I encountered a few software bugs here and there, the C53 can run most often-used apps smoothly.
CONS:1. The C53’s single-speaker system is just okay. Like other budget smartphones, this feels like a trade-off for the low price, and that’s something I can live with. Fortunately, the phone comes with a 3.5-mm audio jack, so those who consider audio quality nonnegotiable can just plug in their preferred earphones. You can also just use Bluetooth earbuds, of course.
2. While its screen is big, bright and vivid, the HD+ resolution will leave those looking to watch high-quality videos on this phone wanting because these days, consumers are spoiled for choice by devices offering higher resolution displays. Again, this seems like a decision made to keep the C53’s price the way it is.
3. The phone comes with a bunch of preinstalled apps. As an Android user, I’ve grown accustomed to bloatware and I know you can just delete them, but having to deal with them when getting a new device isn’t fun.
All things considered, the realme C53 performs decently for an entry-level smartphone and is a great option for those looking for an all-rounder device at a relatively low price point. It’s sleek and works smoothly while being easy on the pocket — literally and figuratively.
