Realme Narzo N55 review: déjà vu

Here's my take on the Realme's new Narzo series smartphone - Narzo N55

• By Ashish Kumar
Published On: 19 April 2023 | 18:17 IST

The Realme Narzo N55 is the first smartphone in the company’s newly-founded Narzo N-series lineup. The device is a budget offering that doesn’t deviate much from the previously launched Realme C55 (review). The Realme Narzo N55 comes with the same 90Hz refresh rate FHD+ display, MediaTek chipset, camera setup, battery capacity, fast charging technology and software as the C-series smartphone. This raises the question of who the Narzo N55 is best suited for. Keep reading this review to find out.

Verdict

What Realme C55 is to Flipkart, the Realme Narzo N55 is to Amazon. The two devices are nearly identical except for their designs and RAM capacity. The top-end Realme Narzo N55 variant is equipped with 6GB RAM instead of 8GB, but it may still be a better choice than the Realme C55 if you are looking for more storage in the sub-Rs 13,000 price range.

The lowdown

• Personally, I find the Realme C55 design more attractive than that of the Narzo N55. However, design can be subjective, and some may find the Narzo N55’s dual-tone design, or as Realme likes to call it, “Dynamic Splicing Design,” more appealing. The phone has a glossy back, with the top portion shinier than the bottom. The non-shinier portion effectively hides fingerprints and smudges. Besides this, the phone offers the same build and design as the Realme C55. To wit, the Narzo N55 is fashioned out of a plastic unibody and has flat edges that provide a good grip. The handset weighs 189 grams and is 7.9mm thick, making it comfortable to hold for extended periods. Additionally, the back panel has slightly protruding camera rings, which look somewhat large, for a couple of sensors. The phone also has a pill-shaped LED flash that is flush with the chassis. As for the I/O, the handset sports a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with the speaker grill, on the bottom edge. The fingerprint scanner is atop the power button on the right spine of the device.

• Apart from this, the Realme Narzo N55’s performance and functionality remain the same as the Realme C55. The handset sports a 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display, which looks good both indoors and outdoors. It even remains legible under direct sunlight, with its 680 nits peak brightness, and its 90Hz refresh rate works smoothly across the user interface and supported apps. Moreover, the handset can relay the content in 1080p resolution from Netflix and other OTT platforms, thanks to its Widevine L1 support. The viewing angles are decent, and the bezels are reasonable for the price. All in all, it is a good screen for the price.
• The Realme Narzo N55 also has a punch-hole setup for the selfie camera, which expands to form a pill shape for glance notifications such as charging, data usage, and steps covered. This feature is still in testing and needs to be enabled from the Realme Lab section in the handset’s Settings menu.

• Under the hood, the Narzo N55 rocks the MediaTek Helio G88 SoC paired with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB user-expandable storage. Much like the C55, the performance of the Narzo device is satisfactory. The handset struggles a bit during heavy-duty tasks such as playing graphically-demanding games, but otherwise performs well and can even handle basic multitasking. Software-wise, the handset runs Android 13-based Realme UI 4.0 out of the box. You can read about it more in my Realme C55 review.

• For photography, the Realme Narzo N55 packs dual rear cameras with a 64MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. The handset sports an 8MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calling. Like the C55, the Narzo N55 produces impressive daylight shots with good focus, calibrated exposure, and ample details. However, the colours may appear slightly oversaturated, which is forgivable considering the smartphone’s affordable price point. In indoor and lowlight scenarios, the images appear to be grainy, lacking in colour accuracy, and struggling with focus speed. The dedicated night mode reduces the noise level, but details and sharpness may suffer. The portrait mode on the Realme Narzo N55 produces likeable shots with decent edge detection.

• The Realme Narzo N55 houses a 5,000mAh battery that can easily last a full day with regular usage. The handset comfortably lasted an entire day with 20 percent juice still left in the tank for me. The device also supports 33W fast charging, which can fully charge the phone in less than two hours. However, the side-mounted fingerprint scanner needs improvement as it sometimes fails to unlock the device in a single attempt. Additionally, the phone’s speaker quality is nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done.

Final verdict

The Realme Narzo N55 is priced at Rs 10,999 in India for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant, while the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage option costs Rs 12,999. Apart from the Realme C55, which starts at the same price point, it competes with the 5G-capable Infinix Note 12i and the Infinix Hot 20, which features a 60Hz AMOLED screen.

The Realme Narzo N55 is a good buy if you are looking for a budget smartphone on Amazon. The handset comes with a lovely screen, respectable battery life, and capable daylight cameras. Additionally, the Narzo N55’s 128GB storage variant is more affordable than its competitors.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Pros

• Nice display
• Respectable battery life
• Good cameras in daylight

Cons

• Specs same as Realme C55
• Iffy fingerprint scanner
• Software has bloatware and ads