realme C53 – MISS IF THEY GIFT ME
After praising the realme NARZO 50 5G, a device from a year ago that is still current today and in competition with the devices of the moment, let's go back to talking about the brand that would like to convince the masses with the "C" series, made up of cheap but interesting smartphones, according to the company itself. So here we are with the in-depth review of the new realme C53, which many influencers have talked about, but perhaps without knowing the subject.
Topics of this article:
unboxing
The realme C53 arrives in the classic yellow packaging, a color adopted by the company for some time now, inside which we find a transparent smoked-colored silicone case, very well made, so as to wrap the display frames and protect it from accidental falls. Then we find the warranty booklet, pin for ejecting the SIM tray, USB Type-C cable for charging and data transfer, charger with European plug and 33W charging power with SuperVOOC technology and of course the smartphone itself, which unfortunately does not offer a pre-applied film on the screen, so you'll have to buy one separately.
CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
realme C53 is completely made of polycarbonate both on the profiles and on the rear body, this one decidedly flashy at least in the color we tested, the Champion Gold, in my opinion too tacky almost "gypsy" with the gold references on the cameras and for the excessive sparkle of the texture. Furthermore, I did not like the teasing by the brand, or at first glance the optics available would seem to be 3 but in reality the LED flash is inserted in the third porthole. On the good side, however, we have the fact that fingerprints and dirt in general remain hidden, which cannot be said of the display, with an oleophobic treatment practically absent and which therefore becomes a magnet for fingerprints.
Brick design that helps grip but due to the size and weight (167,3 × 76,7 × 7,49mm for 182g) unbalanced towards the top of the device, they do not allow single-handed use. The upper profile appears completely smooth, therefore absent the second microphone for noise reduction in calls, while on the lower one we find the indispensable 3,5 mm jack for wired earphones, main microphone, Type-C input with OTG support and mono speaker. On the left side of the terminal there is space for the SIM tray capable of accommodating 2 nano-sized SIM cards with 4G Dual connectivity as well as an additional slot for micro SD cards to expand the internal memory without renouncing the Dual SIM functionality.
Finally on the right profile we have the volume rocker and the on / off button which also incorporates the biometric sensor for unlocking the device via fingerprint. Convenient position for both right-handed and left-handed, but the reactivity of the release is not the fastest proven as well as sometimes the fingerprint is not recognized on the first try.
DISPLAY
Moving on to the front of the smartphone, you immediately notice the rather marked frames as well as a retro design, considering that the selfie camera is inserted in a drop notch. Oh yes, drop notch in 2023, but luckily the brightness and proximity sensors are physical and not software, ensuring smooth operation on calls and/or listening to vocal notes. A notification LED is missing while the ear capsule is of the correct size even if the audio that comes out is not of a high volume. In this regard, but only for content playback, it is possible to enable the volume booster which raises the volume level to 150%, but don't think about the miracle, first of all because the volume still remains "low" but above all because this function actually raises the medium and high tones, distorting the reproduction as well as breaking down the few low tones reproduced by the speaker.
On the realme C53 display, I have doubts about the choices made by the company. We are talking about a 6,74-inch diagonal IPS panel that boasts a 90 Hz refresh rate, but the resolution adopted stops at HD+ only, so the Widevine L1 DRMs for viewing streaming in high definition are absent, but absurdly, HDR support is present. I would certainly have preferred a Full HD + resolution rather than support for HDR content, but apart from that I must admit that the colors are well reproduced and if necessary you can calibrate their temperature and vividness via a software function, as well as enabling an ad hoc function for video playback. Instead on the 90 Hz which should make the interface more snappy, I have not seen any particular improvements compared to setting the 60 Hz fixed. There are 500 nits available for viewing content on the screen even in direct sunlight, not many but sufficient to guarantee a good performance, but I have seen better around.
A function that should tease lovers of software goodies is related to the Mini Capsule, or the company's implementation of the Dynamic Island function introduced by Apple with the latest iPhone 14 Pro models, but unfortunately the functions are still limited to only the charging information.
HARDWARE
I have detected other problems in the hardware sector adopted by this realme C53. We are talking about a UNISOC Tiger T612 CPU which is flanked by the MALI G57 GPU together with 6 GB of LPDDR4X RAM virtually expandable by an additional 6 GB DRE and 128 GB of internal storage, but the latter of the eMMC 5.2 type, expandable with micro SD up to 1 TB.
In terms of the benchmark score obtained on AnTuTu, we could define this hardware combination as more than sufficient to guarantee decent performance, but in reality the user experience is sometimes undermined by general slowdowns and jamming. If we then want to push ourselves into the gaming sector with games of the caliber of Asphalt 9, we cannot fail to notice the drop in frames we are approaching. Gaming performance therefore becomes poco smooth and sometimes jerky, not to mention that the visual quality is not at the top, with minimal graphic details.
SOFTWARE AND CONNECTIVITY
The software helps a minimum, basing everything on Android 13 with the May 2023 patch and customized interface from the brand through Realme UI T Edition, or a more basic firmware than the classic Realme UI, with fewer functions and almost stock graphics, but less visually rewarding. And the fact of adopting a "weakened" graphic design already suggests that the performances are not up to a smooth and problem-free user experience.
In terms of connectivity, we can count on 4G on both slots, but personally I've never hooked up to the 4G+ signal and above all the browsing speeds have always been contained, whereas other devices far exceeded 100 Mbps. We then have Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Dual WiFi and NFC to transform the smartphone into a digital wallet.
AUTONOMY
A point in favor of realme C53 is the autonomy, counting on a large 5000 mAh battery, capable of supporting 33W fast charging, which via the supplied charger recharges the smartphone from 0 to 50% in 31 minutes while 70 are needed for a 100% charge. This remarkable capability, coupled with the HD+ resolution display and SoC poco powerful guarantees an autonomy that even exceeds 48 hours, with standard and non-stressful use, also because perhaps you will suffer the stress when using the smartphone.
PHOTO AND VIDEO COMPARTMENT
As already anticipated, apparently realme C53 seems to offer 3 optics on the rear, but in reality the LED flash has been inserted in one of the "portholes", so there are two real optics available. To be honest, only one camera is really usable, equipped with a 50 MP sensor with 4 in 1 pixel binning technology (12,5 MP real sensor), f/1.8 aperture with 5P lens, while the second lens uses a B/W depth sensor f/3.0.
The photographic rendering convinced me and also amazed me, giving me photos with sharp details and balanced tones. The automatic HDR does its job well and at the software level there are some filters that improve the performance in certain scenarios. There is night mode, only for the rear lens, but the results are not so brilliant, so realme C53 is to be used to capture souvenir photos only during the day.
realme C53 also offers a good 8MP front camera which is ideal especially for portrait mode photos which looks very natural, elegant and artistic. Unfortunately on the video side we note the absence of stabilization or at least if present in a digital way, this should be significantly improved in yield, but above all the maximum recording resolution stops at 1080p 30 fps. Focusing isn't fast but feels cinematic and not jerky. Overall I was satisfied, in relation to the range to which the device belongs but perhaps the real reason for my satisfaction is related to the fact that after so many disappointments from this realme C53, something that works (without too much virtuosity) has tarnished my real judgment.
PROJECTED IMPACT
The realme C53 has been defined by someone as the perfect "forklift smartphone" to be used as a secondary device or, even better, as a product to be given to children and the elderly. My opinion, on the other hand, is also totally against this statement, considering that the official list price is around 179,99 euros, even if the street price can be found for less than 150 euros.
I wouldn't invest more than 100 euros on this smartphone, whose strengths are only its autonomy and a photographic (but not video) performance that exceeds expectations, but nothing that makes one cry for a miracle. Too many compromises, old design, mockery of the photographic sector, insufficient performance just to name a few, which make me highly discourage this device. At the same price you can find better both on new and used or in any case from a past generation.
