realme Narzo N55 review
The Realme Narzo N55 is a budget-friendly 4G phone that boasts an impressive camera and good performance. The device features a slim design with a 7.9mm thickness and flat sides for a comfortable grip in the hand. The rear panel has a blue dual-tone finish, while the top houses a dual-camera setup with a 64MP primary sensor and a black-and-white sensor for bokeh. The 6.72-inch LCD display has a resolution of 2400x1080 pixels, producing good color reproduction and slim bezels. The phone also features a 90Hz refresh rate, making it smooth to navigate through the interface or scroll on social media apps. An 8MP punch-hole camera is located at the top, accompanied by a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Narzo N55 runs Android 13 with Realme UI and is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 chipset. The performance is decent, and the device comes with 6GB LPDDR4X RAM that can be expanded up to 12GB. In benchmark tests, it scored around 2 lakhs 60,000. The camera capabilities are a highlight of this phone, with a stellar primary 64MP sensor doing justice to its name. The rear camera produces excellent images during the day and nighttime shots are incredibly bright and clear. The device also comes with a 5000mAh battery that can easily last for a day or more. Overall, the Realme Narzo N55 is a well-rounded phone with impressive camera capabilities, good performance, and a budget-friendly price tag (likely between Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000). While it lacks advanced features like the mini capsule, which only has limited functionality at this stage, it's still an excellent option for those seeking a capable smartphone without breaking the bank.
Build Quality and Design
The Realme Narzo N55 boasts an impressive build quality, with a solid super slim slate design that measures just 7.9 mm in thickness. The flat sides provide a comfortable grip in the hand, while the back features a blue dual-tone finish with a glossy effect that gives it a premium look. However, this beautiful design comes at the cost of fingerprint smudges and smears on the surface. This might not be an issue for everyone, but it's worth noting nonetheless. The phone also has a rather large footprint due to its 6.72-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The bezels are surprisingly slim, considering the price point of this device, and the screen is protected by a punch-hole front camera. The camera itself does have some functionality beyond just taking selfies, thanks to the software feature called "mini capsule." This innovative tool expands on-screen information when connected to charge, displaying battery percentage with a blue ring around it. The power button and volume controls are discreetly placed on the right side of the device, with a dedicated slot for an SD card that can be expanded up to 1 TB. The phone's overall aesthetic is clean and sleek, but its glossy finish might not appeal to those who prefer matte finishes. While the Realme Narzo N55 has an impressive build quality and design, it does have some minor drawbacks. Nonetheless, this phone's attractive appearance makes it stand out from other budget devices in its class. Overall, I would give the Narzo N55 4/5 for its build quality and design – a solid score that reflects its attention to detail without any significant compromises.
Battery Life
The Realme Narzo N55's battery life is a standout feature. The device comes with a 5000mAh battery that easily lasts a day to even a day and a half, making it ideal for heavy users. The phone also comes with a 33W charger in the box, which can charge the battery from 0-50% in just 30 minutes and reach 100% in less than an hour. One of the most impressive aspects of the Narzo N55's battery life is its ability to handle demanding tasks without any issues. The phone performed smoothly even after heavy usage, including gaming and video streaming. This is a testament to Realme's focus on delivering long-lasting batteries that can keep up with users' needs. The battery life is also aided by the device's power-efficient Mediatek Helio G88 chipset, which helps to conserve energy. Overall, the Narzo N55's battery life is one of its strongest features, making it an excellent choice for those who want a phone that can last all day without needing to be charged. In terms of charging speed, the Narzo N55's 33W charger is a welcome addition. It provides fast and efficient charging, which is perfect for users who need to top up their battery quickly. Overall, the Realme Narzo N55's battery life is a major strength that sets it apart from other budget phones in its class.
Display
The Realme Narzo N55 boasts an impressive 6.72-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The color reproduction is strikingly good, and the bezels are slender enough to make it look sleek. Furthermore, the phone features a 90Hz refresh rate that provides seamless animations while swiping through menus or scrolling on social media apps. The screen's high refresh rate makes watching videos and movies an enjoyable experience. It also comes with Widevine L1 certification, allowing users to stream content from Netflix and Prime Videos in full resolution. Additionally, the phone has a headphone jack for those who prefer wired audio connections. During my hands-on time with the Narzo N55, I found the display to be crisp and vibrant. The colors appeared natural, and the text was clear and readable. While not having any specific comparison device, the screen seemed decent enough in terms of brightness and viewing angles. One area where the phone excels is its performance. Despite being a budget 4G offering, the Narzo N55 runs smoothly on Android 13 with Realme UI. The MediaTek Helio G88 chipset powers the device, providing acceptable performance for day-to-day tasks and casual gaming. In terms of multitasking, the phone performed well, keeping most recently used apps in memory without significant lag. However, it's worth noting that the phone has a considerable amount of bloatware pre-installed, which might be a concern for some users. Overall, while not exceptional in any specific aspect, the display on the Realme Narzo N55 offers a solid and respectable performance, making it suitable for general use and multimedia consumption.
Camera
The camera on the Realme Narzo N55 is a standout feature that impresses in both daylight and low-light conditions. The primary 64-megapixel sensor does an excellent job in capturing stunning images with good dynamic range, natural colors, and crisp details. One of the notable features of the camera is its Street mode, which helps images stand out. Skies during the day look absolutely breathtaking, and the colors are well-balanced. The camera's low-light performance is also commendable, delivering bright and clear images even in challenging conditions. The night mode, in particular, is a highlight of the Realme Narzo N55's camera capabilities. It produces incredibly bright and detailed images that are hard to achieve on phones in this price segment. Additionally, the rear camera can record full HD video at 60 FPS, making it ideal for capturing smooth footage. The front camera, an 8-megapixel unit, takes decent selfies, especially during the day. The images are bright and vivid, with good edge detection when using Bokeh mode. However, in low-light conditions, the front camera struggles to deliver the same level of quality as the rear camera. One feature that shows promise but is still in its early stages is the Mini Capsule software feature. It utilizes the punch-hole front camera to provide additional information, such as battery percentage, data usage, and step tracking. While it's currently limited in functionality, there is potential for this feature to grow and become a valuable tool on other Realme devices. Overall, the camera on the Realme Narzo N55 is a major strength of this phone, offering impressive performance at an affordable price. With its advanced features like Street mode and night mode, it's an excellent option for those who want good photography capabilities without breaking the bank.
Price and Value
The Realme Narzo N55 is a budget 4G phone that has managed to impress with its impressive camera capabilities and good performance. Priced between ₹12,000 to ₹14,000, it's a steal considering what you get. Starting with the design, the phone's slim profile of 7.9mm and flat sides provide a comfortable grip in your hand. The glossy finish on the back does attract fingerprints and smudges, but that's a minor complaint. The top part houses a dual-camera setup with a big round ring surrounding the 64MP primary sensor and a black and white sensor for bokeh. The camera is where the Narzo N55 truly shines. The Street mode ensures images stand out, and skies during the day look stunning with excellent dynamic range and crisp details. The night mode is also commendable, producing bright and clear shots even in low light conditions. You can record full HD videos at 60 FPS, which is a bonus. The phone's performance is decent, thanks to the Mediatek Helio G88 chipset and 6GB of RAM. It handles multitasking with ease, and apps run smoothly. The battery life is also impressive, lasting up to a day and a half on a single charge. While the Realme Lab feature called "Mini Capsule" has limited functionality at this point, it's an interesting concept that uses the camera punch hole to provide additional info about the phone. Hopefully, Realme will add more features to this utility in future updates. Overall, the Narzo N55 is a well-rounded phone that offers good value for its price. If you're in the market for a budget smartphone with impressive cameras and decent performance, then the Narzo N55 is definitely worth considering.
Performance
The Realme Narzo N55 is an impressive budget smartphone that punches above its weight in terms of performance. Powered by the MediaTek Helio G88 chipset, this device delivers smooth and efficient performance, making it ideal for everyday use. The phone comes with 6GB LPDDR4X RAM, which is more than sufficient for most users. However, what's impressive is the support for further expansion up to 12GB RAM, making multitasking a breeze. In our testing, the device scored around 260,000 in AnTuTu Benchmark, which is quite respectable considering its price segment. Gaming performance is also noteworthy, with Call of Duty running smoothly on the device without any lag or heating issues. While it's not a gaming powerhouse, the Narzo N55 is more than capable of handling casual games and day-to-day tasks with ease. The phone's performance is further enhanced by Android 13 with Realme UI, which provides a seamless user experience. However, be aware that there are some bloatware apps pre-installed on the device, but these can be easily deleted if you don't need them. Overall, the Realme Narzo N55's performance is one of its strongest aspects, making it an excellent choice for those looking for a budget smartphone with impressive specs. While not perfect, this device is definitely worth considering for anyone seeking a reliable and feature-packed phone at an affordable price.
Pros
1. The mini capsule feature looks cool and provides useful information, such as battery percentage and data usage.
2. The primary 64-megapixel sensor does a stellar job and takes excellent photos with good dynamic range and details.
3. The phone has a good performance overall, with smooth animations and no lag in casual gaming
4. The camera app supports street mode, which makes images stand out, and the night mode is surprisingly bright and clear.
5. The battery life is impressive, lasting up to a day and a half on a single charge.
6. The phone has a widevine L1 certification, allowing for streaming of full-resolution videos from apps like Netflix and Prime.
7. The speakers are loud enough, even though they're down-firing, and the volume boost feature adds a nice touch.
Cons
1. The mini capsule feature currently has very limited functionality and no support for third-party apps or notifications.
2. The phone comes with some bloatware apps that can't be deleted, although users can delete unwanted ones.
3. The camera app is not as impressive in low light conditions, despite the night mode being a highlight.