“realme” continues to shake up the budget smartphone market with bold moves and features previously exclusive to flagship phones. Founded in 2018, the tech company quickly gained a foothold by offering high performance at affordable prices.
Now realme sets its sights on the entry-level segment with the new C53. The company promises the C53 will “charge like a champion” thanks to blazing-fast 33W SuperVOOC charging – a highlight feature.
In this review, we’ll assess not only the phone’s touted fast charging ability but also its performance, camera quality, design and features to determine the C53’s true value.
Table of Contents
realme C53 Specifications
| OS: | realme T Edition – Android 13 |
|---|---|
| Processor: | Unisoc T612 |
| Display: | 6.74-inches 90Hz IPS |
| Wireless Connections: | 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Memory: | 6GB+128GB |
| Connectors: | USB Type-C, OTG |
| Cameras: | Rear Camera: 50MP f/1.8 Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0 |
| SIM Card Slots: | Dual SIM (Nano-Sim) |
| Battery: | 5,000 mAh with 33W wired charging |
| SRP: | 6GB+128GB: Php 7,999 |
Unboxing the Champion
Upon opening the packaging of the realme C53, you’ll discover all the necessary items that are typically included with a well-equipped smartphone: a clear silicone case to protect its gorgeous gold frame, a charging brick to fuel its marathon battery life, USB cable, SIM ejector tool, and a safety guide. The phone itself is anything but basic, with a cleverly squared yet rounded design that feels practically weightless at just 7.49mm thin. The so-called “Champion Gold” color option is befitting of its name – it gleams and catches the light, clearly aiming to be an eye-catching showpiece rather than an afterthought. With its razor-sharp profile and aesthetic flair, the realme C53 seems determined to stand out.
Golden Design & Display
As someone who got the Champion Gold color variant of the realme C53, I can attest to the phone’s eye-catching design. The shimmering gradient design catches the light beautifully and adds a touch of elegance to the phone’s overall aesthetic. The phone’s large 6.7″ HD+ display is perfect for streaming movies and videos, as well as video calls, thanks to its high screen-to-body ratio. The realme C53’s display boasts a lightning-fast 180Hz touch response that registers your swipes and taps instantly. Its 90Hz refresh rate ensures smooth-as-butter scrolling whether you’re browsing social media or playing fast-paced mobile games. The result is a supremely responsive touchscreen and seamless user experience that belies the phone’s affordable price tag.
The realme C53 also offers multiple options for unlocking the phone. The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, providing quick and easy access to the device. The phone also has a face unlock feature, which is a convenient alternative for those who prefer not to use their fingerprints to unlock their phone.
The realme C53’s display offers a colorful palette of customization options. You can tune the screen temperature to suit your mood with the swipe of a finger. Choose the “vivid” filter for an eye popping visual feast or the “gentle” mode for a more mellow viewing experience. But if those presets don’t hit the exact right note, an onscreen color wheel lets you fine-tune the display’s hues until they’re in perfect harmony with your vibe.
The Mini Capsule’s mini tricks – checking battery charge left, data usage and steps walked – provide handy hints to help you maximize the performance of this multimedia powerhouse. The feature is a welcome addition, giving you a glimpse into some of the smartphone’s vital stats at a glance.
The Shining-Shimmering Camera
The realme C53’s camera is a standout feature, boasting a high-resolution 50MP AI camera that produces sharp and detailed images in well-lit conditions.
The phone’s Night Mode option is highly distinctive from the regular photo mode, producing bright and clear images even in low-light situations. The portrait mode and pro version also produce great results, allowing you to experiment with different picture styles.
I put both the realme C53’s portrait and pro camera modes through their paces by snapping photos of the realme C53 phone box. Pro mode delivered dark and dramatic results with striking detail and contrast, ideal for adding just the right amount of shadows and dimension. Meanwhile, portrait mode skillfully blurred the background just enough to make my subject pop, giving it an almost studio-level glow.
I also put the realme C53’s rear camera to the botanical test by snapping photos of various plants. Needless to say, the results were amazing – colors popped from each pixel with such vivid precision, capturing my plant subjects with near perfection.
As for selfies, the front camera is an 8MP Selfie Camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and an FOV of 78°. It includes a built-in beauty filter that is a little heavy-handed but can be adjusted to suit your preferences. I tried both regular photo mode and beauty mode, and there was a good amount of distinction between the two. The beauty filter softens the tones and adds a bit of glow, while the regular photo mode produces a clear and decent selfie.
There are also built-in color filters to choose from, which I personally enjoyed.
The realme C53 Performance
The realme C53 packs a punch with its Unisoc T612 Processor, which allows for dual-standby with two 4G SIM cards. Its 12nm architecture provides excellent power efficiency, while Dynamic RAM Expansion out of the box makes multitasking a breeze with up to 12GB total RAM. And if that epically expanded storage still leaves you hungry for more, the microSD card slot graciously accommodates expansions of up to a massive 2TB – enough headroom for your entire media library and then some.
Gaming on the Realme C53 is a treat for the senses, with the phone’s huge display saturated with vivid colors that make first-person shooter games like Call of Duty a joy to play. I tried it myself, and with its huge display and touch response rate of 180Hz, I didn’t experience any lag at all during my game.
The realme C53’s large screen makes it ideal for streaming your favorite films and shows – that is, as long as they live on platforms other than Netflix. Due to restrictions in the Google Play Store, you won’t find the Netflix app available for download on this phone. But fear not, for the realme C53 still provides access to an abundance of streaming options including Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and plenty more. When I streamed my usual YouTube fare of tarot readings during testing, the large, high-def screen delivered the goods with a gorgeously glitch-free viewing experience. And when it comes to music and podcasts, the phone’s 150% UltraBoom Speakers are like a concert in your pocket, providing a clear and booming sound that can be appreciated while doing some mundane household chores.
Here are the benchmark results for the realme C53:
The Boosted Battery Life
The realme C53 is a phone that won’t let you down in terms of battery life, thanks to its 33W SUPERVOOC Charging and 5000mAh massive battery. During testing, I found that it lasted for a full day with moderate usage and 2 to 3 days with minimal use. And from my own experience, I can attest that the battery life is no joke. When I ran benchmarks for this phone using PC Mark, I left it open for about three hours. Before I left it open, it was fully charged, and when I came back, it wasn’t even half depleted. I still had about 70%+ of charge. Playing games and watching movies on this phone is a treat, and I could literally binge-watch TED Talks all day without worrying about running out of juice.
“realme” claims that the phone can charge up to 50% in just 31 minutes, and to 100% in just 88 minutes. And from my testing, I can say that this claim holds true. Indeed, in less than and hour and 40 minutes, you can fill up the phone up to 100%, as long as you use the charging cable and the 33W charger adapter that comes with the phone.
The Wrap Up
To put it bluntly, the realme C53 is one serious bargain. The hefty 5000 mAh battery holds enough charge for hours of podcast listening, YouTube browsing, and everything in between. You’d be wise to snag one for yourself or a gift to your binge-watching and candy-crush-ers loved ones like Mom.
So if you’re tired of your phone conking out mid-shower, the realme C53 gives you the efficiency and tunes you crave for a price that won’t make you cringe. What are you waiting for, go grab one already for only P7,999!
