realme C53 Review: A Budget Smartphone Packed with Features

realme Philippines officially launches the realme C53, its latest smartphone in the brand's C-series entry-level segment. This device aims to provide good value for money, packed with great features in its price segment.

In this review, we look into the details of the realme C53, exploring its design, display, performance, camera capabilities, battery life, software experience, and connectivity options.

realme C53 Specs

Android 13, Realme UI T
6.74-inch HD+ display, 1612 x 720 pixel resolution, 261ppi
90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling
1.85GHz UNISOC T612 octa-core processor
Mali-G57 GPU
6GB RAM
128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 2TB
50MP + 2MP depth sensor rear cameras, LED flash
8MP camera
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
Dual SIM, Dual standby
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
USB Type-C
5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging
Colors: Gold, Black
182g

Design and Display
The realme C53 boasts a stunning design that exudes elegance and a premium look. Its slim profile of only 7.49mm, combined with a curved edge, makes for a comfortable grip and a visually appealing smartphone.

Weighing just 182g, it ensures ease of use and portability. Available in Champion Gold and Mighty Black, captivating colors, the C53 allows users to express their personal style.

The placement of the power button, which conveniently doubles as a fingerprint scanner, along with the volume rocker on the left side, allows for effortless access and intuitive control.

On the opposite side is a SIM slot that accommodates two nano-SIM cards, offering flexibility for users with multiple mobile connections (850/900/1800/1900, 4G mobile support). Additionally, the inclusion of a microSD card slot expands the storage capacity, supporting up to an impressive 2TB, ensuring ample space for all your files and media.

At the rear, it's equipped with a triple camera system, with a 50-megapixel AI main camera sensor. This advanced sensor utilizes realme's camera technology to provide users with a range of features for an enhanced photography experience.

The phone features a 6.74-inch IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and HD+ resolution, sharp visuals, and vibrant colors. It has a screen-to-body ratio of 90.3% and a touch sampling rate of 180Hz to make browsing multimedia content and playing games an immersive experience.

In addition, the C53 also has the new Mini Capsule feature on top of the screen, which shares similarities with the implementation found on Apple's latest iPhones. It shows notifications such as battery status, data usage, and step stats.

Hardware Performance
Under the hood, the realme C53 is powered by the UNISOC T612 octa-core chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, ensuring seamless multitasking and smooth performance.

Notably, the C53 features Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) technology, allowing for an additional 6GB of dynamic memory to be utilized, enhancing the overall gaming experience and an extra boost in performance, and ensuring a smoother user experience.

It's a bit disappointing that realme uses an old chipset, which falls into the entry-level category. This octa-core System-on-Chip (SoC) features two ARM Cortex-A75 cores clocked at speeds of up to 1.8 GHz.

While it may not match the performance capabilities of higher-end chipsets, this configuration provides a balance between power and efficiency, allowing the C53 to handle everyday tasks and applications with ease. Whether you're browsing the web, streaming videos, or switching between apps, the realme C53 can keep up with user's demands.

In terms of gaming, the realme C53 can provide a satisfactory gaming experience for most casual gamers. Users can expect smooth gameplay and good frame rates for popular online games, such as puzzle games and casual titles. However, for more resource-intensive games with high graphics settings and demanding visuals, the realme C53 will struggle to deliver optimal performance.

If gaming is a priority, users may want to consider other realme devices or gaming-specific devices, which often have dedicated gaming features, advanced cooling systems, and more powerful processors.

Notably, the C53 features Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) technology, allowing for an additional 6GB of dynamic memory to be utilized, enhancing the overall gaming experience and an extra boost in performance, and ensuring a smoother user experience.

Storage and Connectivity
The realme C53 comes with 128GB of internal storage, providing ample space for apps, photos, media files, and other personal files. For users needing more storage, the microSD card slot allows for extra storage space. On the wireless connectivity side, the C53 supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS, ensuring seamless connectivity options for users.

Software Experience
Out of the box it runs on the customized realme UI T Edition, which is based on the latest Android 13 version, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience. The realme UI T Edition is optimized for devices with limited resources. It offers a streamlined version of the full UI, prioritizing efficiency and performance.

The realme UI T Edition provides a clutter-free user experience with its simple interface, allowing users to navigate the device with ease. The UI also offers customization options, enabling users to personalize their devices according to their preferences. From changing themes, icon styles, and fonts to adjust various settings, and ensures that users can tailor their smartphone to reflect their unique style.

Cameras
Sporting a dual-camera setup on the back, including a 50-megapixel primary lens and a depth sensor, it's capable of shooting photos with good detail and accurate colors. 

It is also fine-tuned with realme’s own color reproduction algorithms for better overall image quality. While low-light photography may not be its forte, the camera still produces decent photos with adequate lighting.

The Camera app features the realme’s standard shooting modes, which include the standard Photo Mode, Night Mode, and 50MP Mode, among others.

more camera photo samples here

Housed in the realme C53’s Dewdrop Notch is an 8-megapixel selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and a FOV of 78°. This is paired with the usual camera UI features for selfies from realme. Is also capable of recording 720p video at 30fps.

Battery and Charging
The C53 packs a typical 5,000mAh battery, ensuring ample power to get through a full day of use on a single charge. realme's power-saving features optimize battery efficiency, allowing you to stay connected without constantly worrying about running out of juice.

It also supports fast charging with the included 33W fast charge and advanced SUPERVOOC charging technology, which increases charging speed by 100% compared to the previous generation. The battery can be charged from 0% to 50% in just 31 minutes.

Pros:
Sleek Design
Plenty of storage and expandable up to 2TB
Average performance
Simple and clean realme UI T Edition
Fast Charging
Complete package

Cons:
Powered by an old entry-Level UNISOC T612 chipset
Average camera performance
Only 4G mobile data

Mini Capsule feature is not really useful  

Conclusion
The realme C53 impresses with its combination of style, performance, and affordability. Its sleek design, large display, good camera, and reliable performance make it a good choice in the budget smartphone segment. While it may lack certain premium features found in other brands, the realme C53 offers an excellent balance of functionality and affordability. If you are looking for a budget-friendly smartphone, this one deserves your attention.

The realme C53 retails at ₱7,999, but it's now available online for only ₱6,999 as an early bird discount, exclusive to TikTok Shop and Lazada until June 23, 2023.

-

Subscribe to our social media channels Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, and YouTube. to receive the latest news and updates.