realme’s newest entrant in the affordable segment, the realme C53 is a game-changer when it comes to the camera, realme India just launched its latest C-Series smartphone today in India and it packs a whopping 108 MP primary camera with 3x in-sensor zoom which is the main highlight of the smartphone. The starting range of the realme C53 is ₹9,999 for its 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. Other features include a 90 Hz display, a 7.99 mm slim design, up to 12 GB Dynamic RAM (6 GB + 6 GB), a 5,000 mAh battery, and more. Here’s more about the smartphone in detail in our full realme C53 review.
realme C53 Specifications & Features
- Display & Design: 6.74-inch display, HD+ resolution (1600 x 720 pixels), 90 Hz refresh rate, 180 Hz touch sampling rate, 90.3% screen-to-body ratio, 560 nits peak brightness, Shiny Champion Design, 7.99 mm thickness, 186 grams weight
- Software: realme UI T Edition, Android 13 operating system
- CPU: 12nm Unisoc Tiger T612 octa-core SoC up to 1.8 GHz CPU clock speed (2 + 6 ARM Cortex-A75 cores + ARM Cortex-A55 cores)
- GPU: ARM Mali-G57 MP1 (1-core) Graphics
- Memory: 4 GB OR 6 GB LPDDR4x RAM, +6 GB Dynamic RAM
- Storage: 64 GB OR 128 GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage, microSD card support up to 2 TB (dedicated)
- Main Camera: Dual cameras (108 MP f/1.75 primary 3x zoom Samsung S5KHM6 + B&W f/2.4 portrait), 1080p Video Recording (30fps), single LED flash
- Selfie Camera: Single 8 MP, f/2.0
- Others: Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock, 150% UltraBoom speaker
- Cellular: 4G network, dual SIMs, dual standby, VoLTE support
- Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh battery, 18W fast charging, 50% charge in 53 minutes
- Colors: Champion Gold, Champion Black
- Price: ₹9,999 (4 GB + 128 GB), ₹10,999 (6 GB + 64 GB)
- Availability: 26th July 2023 at 12 PM (first sale) on realme.com/in, Flipkart, Amazon.in. The early bird sale starts today i.e. 19th July 2023 from 6 PM to 9 PM
- Offers: Up to ₹1,000 off (₹500 instant discount + ₹500 off coupon on the 6 GB + 64 GB variant) with ICICI bank credit cards, net banking, and EMIs, as well as SBI and HDFC bank credit cards.
Design, Display, & Build Quality
Starting off with the design part, the realme C53 boasts its 7.99 mm slim body with a Shiny Champion design weighing about 186 grams. It has a slim form factor with flat-style edges making it easier to hold and carry, the backside uses a dual-tone reflective + matte design and comes in two color variants – Champion Gold, and Champion Black colors.
About the display, the front side equips a 6.74-inch IPS LCD display with an HD+ resolution (1600 x 720 pixels), and a 90 Hz refresh rate. Other display features include a 180 Hz touch sampling rate, a 90.3% screen-to-body ratio, and 560 nits peak brightness.
A 90 Hz display improves the overall display performance, and a higher refresh rate adds smoothness and responsiveness while interacting with the user interface, but note that it uses an HD+ resolution (720p display). The display could be a downside for those who are looking for at least Full HD resolution, however, with the affordable price and its moderate CPU performance, an HD+ display is suitable for this smartphone. An HD+ display also helps to provide longer battery runtimes.
The rear side offers three big camera modules, one for the 108 MP camera and the other with a B&W secondary while the third one is an LED flash. The punch-hole selfie camera design in the top center of the screen has a Mini Capsule optimization similar to Apple’s Dynamic Island and it was first seen on the realme C55.
The fingerprint is on the right side mounted on the power button alongside the volume keys, while the left side holds a dual SIM tray. The bottom side has a USB Type-C, a 150% UltraBoom loudspeaker, a microphone, and a 3.5 mm jack for earphones/headphones. The 150% UltraBoom Speaker is enhanced to offer more sound output than usual (1.5x times more than typical audio output).
Software, User Interface, & Features
The realme C53 runs on the Android 13 operating system with a security patch dated 5th June 2023 and comes with realme UI T Edition on top featuring Mini Capsule. The realme UI T Edition also shares features from the realme UI 4.0 which is currently the latest interface from realme. The realme UI T Edition appears to be the successor to the realme UI R Edition and is made for light uses and for low-spec devices.
The realme C53 uses a different user interface compared to its higher-end siblings like the realme 11 Pro Series 5G which runs on the realme UI 4.0 out-of-the-box. The realme UI T Edition is trimmed down interface for better UI performance and a smoother experience on a low-spec device. Although it’s similar to the realme UI 4.0 (a more advanced version of the T Edition), you will still find some features from the realme UI 4.0 in the realme T Edition.
The realme UI T Edition on the realme C53 has several features from the realme UI 4.0 as well as Android 13 including the Mini Capsule which we saw on the realme C55, narzo N55, narzo N53, and the realme 11 Series 5G. realme has tweaked the realme UI T Edition to add a special feature that gives you a glimpse of information on the selfie camera notch. Once deployed, can show you information such as a step count, data usage, or SuperVOOC charging status. The Mini Capsule converts the selfie camera notch into an elongated pill-shaped window.
In our initial usage, the realme UI T Edition performance is acceptable, but do not expect much from its entry-level CPU. Due to its fast 90 Hz refresh rate, it delivers a smoother UI experience in the segment compared to smartphones that are using a standard 60 Hz display.
The realme C53 has some pre-installed apps that can be removed. Apps such as Facebook, Amazon, Snapchat, ShareChat, Dailyhunt, PhonePe, Moj, Public, Spotify, LinkedIn, and more come installed on the phone. While setting up the phone it may download more apps from the internet on your consent.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
Digging into its hardware and specifications, the realme C53 is powered by a 12nm Unisoc Tiger T612 octa-core SoC clocked up to 1.8 GHz speed (2x ARM Cortex-A75 cores + 6x ARM Cortex-A55 cores) paired with an ARM Mali-G57 MP1 (1-core) GPU. This is an entry-level SoC with moderate performance and uses 2x ARM Cortex-A75 as performance cores and 6x ARM Cortex-A55 for power-efficient cores.
The realme C53 comes in two RAM and storage variants i.e. 4 GB RAM with 128 GB storage, and 6 GB RAM with 64 GB storage variant. The RAM is an LPDDR4x type and the storage is an eMMC 5.1 type, the RAM can be expanded up to 6 GB virtually via the Dynamic RAM feature (12 GB in total).
The performance of the chipset is suitable for daily use, you can expect a performance equivalent to Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 equipped in some smartphones in this price range. The AnTuTu benchmark scores more than 220,000+ points in the benchmarks. If you are looking for this device, especially for gaming, you might want to check out other options with higher performance in this price range.
Cameras
The realme C53 packs a dual camera setup on the rear side with a 108 MP f/1.75 primary camera with lossless 3x in-sensor zoom and a B&W f/2.4 portrait lens as the secondary camera. On the front side, there’s an 8 MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture for selfie and video calling needs. The 108 MP primary camera uses a Samsung S5KHM6 image sensor that supports three times lossless zoom compared to a telephoto camera.
realme has brought the 108 MP camera to the sweet spot i.e. under ₹10,000. To remind you, the 108 MP camera (Samsung S5KHM6) is also seen on the top midrangers such as the realme 10 Pro Series 5G, realme 9 (4G), Samsung Galaxy M53 5G, motorola Moto G72, and Infinix Note 12 Pro – all these smartphones which are priced in different segments.
About the camera interface, you can see 108 MP Mode with 3x zoom, the zoom is lossless means it doesn’t lose its quality or has negligible loss compared to a dedicated telephoto lens. The Samsung S5KHM6 image sensor for this segment is a game changer, a smartphone with a price of ₹10,000 comes with a 108 MP camera with 3x zoom is a smart move.
The camera app offers 108MP Mode, Video, Night Mode, Panoramic view, Expert, Timelapse, Portrait Mode, HDR, AI Scene Recognition, Filter, Slow Motion, Bokeh Effect Control, 3X In-sensor Zoom for rear cameras, and Video, Portrait Mode, Beauty Mode, HDR, Face-Recognition, Filter, Bokeh Effect Control for selfie camera. The user can record videos of up to 1080p videos at 30 fps and slow-motion videos of 720p at 120 fps.
About the camera quality, the 108 MP camera definitely does its job more than what is expected, it’s mind-boggling when you see the zoomed images, it retains 3x quality, and takes reasonably good shots in bright daylight with crisp details, they are highly satisfactory given that the price is on the lower side. For the price, the main camera takes amazing shots for this price (₹9,999) and that’s all you need. Here are some camera samples below that we took from realme realme C53.
realme C53 Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
On the battery side, it has a 5,000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging that charges the phone up to 50% in 53 minutes, you can expect the phone to be fully charged up to 100% in around ~90 minutes which is not that bad. The 5,000 mAh may deliver up to 1.5 to 2 days of battery backup depending upon your usage. realme says the smartphone can provide 39 days of standby, and 36 hours of calling on a fully charged device.
Verdict – realme C53 Review
The realme C53 has made a remarkable entry with its 108 MP camera, it’s no doubt a game changer when it comes to its camera quality and 3x in-sensor zoom, and well, it’s something new for the category too. With the 108 MP camera + 3x zoom, it can outdo its competition, the realme C53 is a competent rival. The 108 MP Samsung S5KHM6 is also seen on the top midrangers such as the realme 10 Pro Series 5G, realme 9 (4G), Samsung Galaxy M53 5G, Infinix Note 12 Pro, and motorola Moto G72 – all priced in different segments, however, realme has brought the 108 MP camera to the sweet spot i.e. under ₹10,000. Aside from this, it has a slim flat-style design, a 90 Hz display, a 5,000 battery, a Mini Capsule feature, 150% UltraBoom speaker, all of which make the smartphone check several boxes for an affordable entry-level smartphone. The realme C53 is a great choice for budget users who want a good camera experience under ₹10,000.
realme C53 Price in India – Where To Buy?
The realme C53 is priced at ₹9,999 for its 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage and ₹10,999 for its 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The smartphone will be available starting from 26th July 2023 at 12 PM on Amazon.in, Flipkart, and realme.com/in. The early bird offer starts today i.e. 19th July 2023 from 6 PM to 9 PM. Offers include up to ₹1,000 off (₹500 instant discount + ₹500 off coupon on the 6 GB + 64 GB variant) with ICICI bank credit cards, net banking, and EMIs, as well as SBI and HDFC bank credit cards.
