Realme C55 smartphone review - Long runtime, fast charging
Possible competitors in comparison
Bewertung | Datum | Modell | Gewicht | Laufwerk | Groesse | Aufloesung | Preis ab |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78.5 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2023 | Realme C55 Helio G88, Mali-G52 MP2 | 189.5 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.72" | 2400x1080 | |
| 78.5 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2023 | Honor X8a Helio G88, Mali-G52 MP2 | 179 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.70" | 2388x1080 | |
| 80.1 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2023 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G SD 685, Adreno 610 | 188 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 75.9 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2023 | Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2 | 201 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.60" | 2408x1080 |
Case and equipment - Also available in yellow on request
The realme C55 impresses at first glance with its angular look and rounded corners, so the phone also feels good in the hand.
Our test device is kept in classic black, and the back looks like brushed metal. Despite the high-quality design, it is only made of plastic. The glossy camera module looks a bit out of place here. The yellow color variant, called Sunshower, is even more interesting and features a back with iridescent colors.
The phone looks quite light and slim, especially compared to the Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE.
The realme C55 is available in two storage variants:
- 128 GB mass storage / 6 GB RAM: 219 Euro
- 256 GB mass storage / 8 GB RAM: 259 Euro
realme advertises significantly larger RAM, but it is partly virtual RAM for which the system uses a part of the significantly slower mass storage flash. Therefore, this virtual RAM should make apps that need a lot of RAM executable, but it will slow them down.
Thanks to NFC, services like Google Pay can be used without problems. The phone can accept two SIM cards, and there is also a dedicated slot for microSD. The reader proves to be a bit slow in our tests with the reference microSD Angelbird V60.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.7 - 77, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Realme C55 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software and operation - 4G cell phone with the latest software
The inexpensive realme C55 is a 4G smartphone and supports the most necessary frequencies for domestic use. However, you should check carefully whether you can use the phone for mobile Internet in the destination country for further trips.
Mobile reception was rather mediocre during our test period but never completely broke down in the inner-city environment.
The mid-range phone also features WiFi 5, and the realme C55 achieved quite good and stable transfer rates of up to 384 MBit/s in our test.
Android 13 is preinstalled on the smartphone, the realme UI is above it, which changes the system quite a bit in some areas. The security patches are from July 2023 at the time of testing and are thus up-to-date. However, it is not known how long updates will be available. You also have to deal with many preinstalled third-party apps that the manufacturer includes ex-factory.
Some information appears around the front camera in a display inspired by Apple's Dynamic Island. This is not always visible and pops up when you connect the charger, for example.
The 90 Hz touchscreen is very easy to use and offers a gliding surface. A fingerprint sensor is integrated on the right of the standby button, which unlocks the phone reliably after a short delay. Face recognition is also available. However, it only works with 2D images and is thus susceptible to manipulation.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Realme C55 | |
| Honor X8a | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Realme C55 | |
| Honor X8a | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | |
Cameras - Advantages in the video part
With its 64-megapixel main camera, the realme C55 wants to be something very special. In fact, only 1/4 of the resolution is usually used, resulting in 16-megapixel shots with higher light sensitivity. The full resolution can also be used in a special mode.
Pictures from the main camera look colorful and also reasonably sharp at first glance, but you can see that details are only reproduced quite coarsely when you zoom in. The brightness could also be better, and the autofocus has problems in low light. Overall, the camera takes decent pictures for its price range, but a wide-angle lens for more flexibility is missing.
Videos can be recorded in 1080p with 60 fps at most. Here, the real-world C55 has an advantage over many other smartphones in its price range due to the higher frame rate and the associated smoother picture. In fact, brightness adjustment and autofocus work quite well, and videos look sharp and colorful.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera, flowerMain camera, surroundingsLow Light
Display - Not so even
The IPS screen has an extended FullHD resolution and gets reasonably bright with 469 cd/m². However, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G shows that an AMOLED screen is also possible in the price range. The center of the screen in the realme C55 is much brighter than the side areas.
The contrast ratio is OK, which results in reasonably bright colors, but we see some blue cast in the test with the spectrophotometer. Colors are rendered reasonably realistically.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 515 cd/m²
Contrast: 1471:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.46 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 3.1 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
100% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.248
| Realme C55 IPS, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Honor X8a IPS, 2388x1080, 6.7" | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE PLS, 2408x1080, 6.6" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -2% | 89% | -20% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 27.8 ? | 29 ? -4% | 2.8 ? 90% | 35.55 ? -28% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 14.1 ? | 14 ? 1% | 1.7 ? 88% | 15.68 ? -11% |
| PWM Frequency | 484 | 343500 | ||
| Screen | 15% | 37% | -91% | |
| Brightness middle | 515 | 492 -4% | 650 26% | 465 -10% |
| Brightness | 469 | 481 3% | 658 40% | 439 -6% |
| Brightness Distribution | 85 | 94 11% | 97 14% | 89 5% |
| Black Level * | 0.35 | 0.38 -9% | 0.47 -34% | |
| Contrast | 1471 | 1295 -12% | 989 -33% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.46 | 1.32 62% | 1.55 55% | 8.5 -146% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.88 | 3.37 31% | 2.59 47% | 15.8 -224% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.1 | 1.9 39% | 1.8 42% | 11.8 -281% |
| Gamma | 2.248 98% | 2.194 100% | 2.194 100% | 2.2 100% |
| CCT | 7320 89% | 6288 103% | 6316 103% | 10757 60% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 7% /
12% | 63% /
50% | -56% /
-77% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 14.1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 4.7 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 32 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 27.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13.9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13.9 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 34 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Does not need to be charged every day
The MediaTek Helio G88 is a typical SoC for the mid-range, and the real-world C55 also achieves good performance rates that do not stand out from the competition. The system usually runs smoothly in everyday use, but stutters cannot always be avoided in more demanding tasks or when several apps running simultaneously.
We measured a maximum temperature of 47.2 °C under a longer, permanent load. That is noticeable, but the temperature should usually be much lower in everyday use. The SoC throttles slightly after 20 runs of a demanding benchmark, but the performance drop is small.
The speaker is located at the lower edge of the smartphone. It can get reasonably loud, sounds quite solid and does not overdrive. Speech is rendered clearly, but instruments and vocals quickly blend into a poorly defined mishmash of sound in music tracks. A 3.5 mm port and Bluetooth are available for connecting external audio devices. SBC, AAC, LDAC and the most important aptX codecs are available for wireless sound transmission.
The realme C55 is fully charged again in just over an hour, even if the battery was completely empty. The phone owes this to its 33-watt charging technology and the included charger. This makes it one of the really fast-charging phones in the low-priced mid-range. The battery life is also convincing in our WLAN test: 16:15 hours under medium load make the phone suitable for everyday use.
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=209, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Realme C55 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G88 (7611 - 13413, n=6) | |
| Honor X8a | |
| Realme C55 | Honor X8a | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | Average 128 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -21% | 241% | -10% | -4% | 459% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 305.4 | 278.1 -9% | 954.87 213% | 298.69 -2% | 284 ? -7% | 1887 ? 518% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 179.2 | 224.2 25% | 709.51 296% | 200.17 12% | 194.6 ? 9% | 1474 ? 723% |
| Random Read 4KB | 83.6 | 61.6 -26% | 261.09 212% | 55.9 -33% | 82.7 ? -1% | 279 ? 234% |
| Random Write 4KB | 67.9 | 18.7 -72% | 231.57 241% | 55.86 -18% | 55.4 ? -18% | 312 ? 359% |
Temperature
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47.2 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.5 °C / 116 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.8 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | |
| Realme C55 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Honor X8a | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | |
| Realme C55 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Honor X8a | |
Speaker
Realme C55 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 37.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 9.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (30.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 77% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 88% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.8% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 7.3% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 9.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 49% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Average of class Smartphone (476 - 3244, n=207, last 2 years) | |
| Realme C55 | |
| Honor X8a | |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Unusual, if desired
The realme C55 is a fairly inexpensive mid-range phone with a high-quality, and if desired, even spectacular casing. It charges quickly and lasts for a long time, offers enough power for everyday use, and can also boast a stable WLAN.
The camera takes decent pictures for the price range and even has an advantage over similarly priced phones with 60-fps video recording at 1080p. The software is up to date, but you shouldn't be bothered by the many preloaded ad apps. Furthermore, there is no guarantee how long updates will take place.
There is little to criticize about the realme C55: It is a rock-solid mid-range phone that takes nice photos.
Overall, the realme C55 proves to be a really good mid-range phone, but it has to fight strong competition: The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G has an AMOLED display, and the Honor X8a has an even better camera.
Price and availability
In the US, the realme C55 with 128 GB of mass storage is available for approximately ~$199 on Amazon at the time of writing.
The phone with 256 GB of data storage is available for approximately $215.
Realme C55
- 08/03/2023 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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