After launching the realme C55 in other markets, including Indonesia and India, realme has finally announced its latest C series handset’s upcoming unveiling date in the Philippines.

(Update, April 23: Our realme C55 review is finally up!)

(Update, April 18: Here’s the complete list of prices, discounts, and freebies of the realme C55 in the Philippines!)

The realme C55, which happens to be the first Android phone that we’ve tested to ship with an iPhone-style Dynamic Island function around the front-camera cutout, is scheduled to debut locally April 18. We anticipate the smartphone’s domestic price and availability to be revealed by then.

The realme C55 ships in the company’s standard cardboard packaging in yellow. Inside the box, you get a Quick Start Guide and some documentation; a SIM-eject tool; a clear silicone case; a USB-C cable; and a 33-watt fast charger, which should allow the 5,000mAh battery to hit 50% battery capacity in just 30 minutes. Like other realme models, the C55 doesn’t ship with a set of wired earphones.

Design-wise, the realme C55 takes after the regular realme 10 and other C series smartphones launched this year, namely the realme C33 2023. Your color options are Rainy Night and Sunshower. The latter, in particular, gives off a high-end vibe and looks way more expensive than it actually is.

Our black unit looks great, too, if you prefer a more subtle design, and the rear panel is covered in fine lines followed by a matte finish, which feels nice in the hand and prevents fingerprints and smudges from showing up. Oh, and there’s a headphone jack here, which is always great to see on a low-cost offering. Another nice addition is the phone’s stereo speakers with Dirac audio enhancement for a more immersive multimedia experience.

You’ll find two large camera rings at the back housing a 64-megapixel camera joined by an AI sensor for portrait shots. The selfie cam on the front cuts a hole in the 6.72-inch LCD display to make room for an 8-megapixel sensor. The screen has an FHD+ resolution and an above-average 90Hz refresh rate to ensure smooth and responsive operation.

One of the most-hyped attractions here is the realme C55’s iPhone-like Dynamic Island function, which the brand calls Mini Capsule. It displays the device’s charging status, low battery alerts, step count, and walking distance, among other things. However, unlike Apple’s Dynamic Island, the Mini Capsule isn’t interactive and doesn’t change form to show you different types of active notifications. If you want to enable it, you need to go to Settings > realme Lab > Mini Capsule.

Introducing our most interactive #realmeC55 UI interface, #MiniCapsule! 💡 We can't wait for you to try it out! From the scale 1-10, tell us how excited you are!😍 pic.twitter.com/VLX557KS4C

— realme (@realmeglobal) March 2, 2023

Mini Capsule: a la the iPhone’s Dynamic Island

The realme C55 is powered by a 12nm MediaTek Helio G88 budget chip paired with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. The chipset features two Cortex-A75 cores operating up to 2GHz, though it lacks a 5G modem for faster mobile data. The C55 also comes with a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion by up to 1TB.

That’s it for now. Check back in a week for our full review of the realme C55 when the local embargo lifts.

realme C55 specs

• 6.72-inch LCD display, FHD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 680 nits peak brightness
• 12nm MediaTek Helio G88 processor
• Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
• 6GB/8GB RAM
• 128GB/256GB expandable storage
• Dual 64-megapixel main, depth rear cameras
• 8-megapixel front camera with Mini Capsule
• Side fingerprint reader
• 5,000mAh battery with 33-watt fast wired charging
• Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13
• Color: Rainy Night, Sunshower

---