Realme Narzo N53 Review: A decent balance between style & functionality

Realme N53 Review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 3.35/5

Earlier this year, Realme introduced a new Narzo-N Series of smartphones in the country. The first device that was launched under it was the Narzo N55 and now within two months, the brand has added a 2^nd smartphone to the Narzo N Series. Realme Narzo N53 4G has been officially launched in India today. It is the slimmest smartphone by Realme to date and comes in a stylish California Sunshine design. The smartphone is priced under 12k and comes with a Unisoc SoC, a large battery, and a good primary camera. However, is this newest offering from Realme any good? Let’s find out.

Jump To..

• Unboxing
• Price and availability
• Design
• Display
• Performance
• Camera
• Battery
• Should you buy Realme N53?

Realme N53 4G: Price & Availability In India

The Realme Narzo N53 will be available in 2 storage configurations-

• 4GB RAM+64GB storage- Rs. 8999
• 6GB RAM+128GB storage- Rs. 10,999

The first sale will take place on 24 May and the smartphone will be available via Realme.com and Amazon. It will come in shades- Feather Gold and Feather Black.

Realme N53 Specs

Specs	Realme N53 4G
Software	Android 13 with Realme UI 4.0
Display	6.74-inch IPS LCD 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, 450 nits brightness
SoC	Unisoc T612
RAM	up to 6GB
Storage	up to 128GB
Rear cameras	50MP+2MP
Front Camera	8MP
Battery	5000mAh
Charging	33W
Thickness	7.49mm
Weight	182 grams
Connectivity	4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band WiFi, 3.5mm headphone jack

Realme N53 4G: Unboxing

The Realme Narzo N53 comes in a blue cardboard box. It consists of-

• Realme Narzo N53 handset
• Adapter
• USB Data Cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Safety guide
• Quick guide
• Protective case

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Realme N53 Review: Design

Realme is always coming up with new something new when it comes to design and this time too, the design is being called the USP of the Narzo N53 smartphone. The Realme Narzo N53 is Realme’s slimmest phone ever with a thickness of just 7.49mm and the device does feel sleek when held in hand. Moreover, it weighs just 182 grams so it is not only thin but lightweight as well. This makes its in-hand feel top-notch.

Coming to the design, Realme offering Narzo N53 in 2 shades- Feather Gold and Feather Black. I received the Feather Gold model and Realme is calling it to have a California Sunshine Design. True to its name, the back panel has a golden lines texture which seems as if sunlight is being reflected. It is smooth to the touch and looks gorgeous when light falls on it. The back has a gold filament coating that makes it look super stylish. There is a transparent square camera module at the back which has 3 circular protrusions-2 being camera lenses and 1 being LED flash. Narzo branding can be seen at the bottom left corner on the rear side.

The right edge houses the volume rockers and power button while the left edge has the SIM tray. The bottom edge consists of a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille, while the top edge is vacant. The front has an IPS LCD display with thicker bezels at the chin and a waterdrop notch for a selfie lens at the top. The smartphone has a glossy look and doesn’t catch fingerprints or smudges which is amazing, because those marks really annoy me. Overall, the feather gold Realme Narzo N53 will surely flaunt your style when you step out with it.

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Realme N53 Review: Display

Realme Narzo N53 sports a 6.74-inch IPS LCD panel with a mini-drop full screen having a 90.3% screen-to-body ratio. Although it isn’t an AMOLED panel, but the display gives decent visuals. The colors are bright, the dynamic range is ok and the visuals are accurate and sharp. The viewing angles are satisfactory as well. However, the display supports a 90Hz refresh rate that feels lacking while the device is in use. The scrolling is not as buttery as it is with a 120Hz panel and the difference can majorly be felt while gaming. It also has a mere 450 nits peak brightness that fails to show the display clearly when outdoors. Indoors, it is ok, but under sunlight, efforts have to be made to view the display clearly. Other than that, I am quite satisfied with the screen considering its price.

Realme N53 Review: Camera

Realme Narzo N53 features a dual camera setup at the back along with an LED flash. There is a 50MP primary sensor and a 2MP additional lens. At the front is an 8MP selfie camera.

The camera UI is simple and user-friendly with options like Night, Video, and Portrait, being displayed when you open the camera. Clicking on the ‘More’ option gives you a list of some other modes like Time Lapse, Pro, Panorama, Slow motion, 50M, and QR Code.

Talking about the primary 50MP camera, this AI camera gives a decent performance in outdoor settings in the daytime. The images clicked in daylight has good amount of details. Even in indoor settings where lighting is good, the shots only suffers minor loss in quality. The color is better than what you usually get in price segment and has good shutter speed which allowed to capture no blur photo from a moving car. At night time, or in extremely low light the images lose their detailing and there is a slight distortion around the edges. Although these images are usable, those who need perfect shots even in low light might be disappointed by them.

The 2MP lens is useless, so there’s hardly anything to say about it.

There is an 8MP selfie camera that takes good shots in daylight. The skin tone looks almost natural and the clarity is good. The subject in the frame is made the focus, with the background being slightly blurred out. Detailing is also sufficient. It is in low light that the selfie lens feels lacking. Realme could have gone for a 16MP selfie camera for this one.

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Realme N53 Review: Performance

The Narzo N53 is powered by a Unisoc T612 chipset with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB storage. I received the 6+128GB model for review purposes. The Unisoc T612 chipset is based on a 12nm process and has scored an AnTuTu score of 223584. Although a Unisoc chipset, this one handles multitasking seamlessly. The apps running in the background don’t create a problem and there were hardly any stutters or lags. 128GB storage onboard provided good enough space and the storage can be expanded up to 2TB with the help of a dedicated microSD card slot. 6GB RAM works fine when you are performing most of your daily tasks, however, it is not sufficient for gaming. Although there is a provision for converting 6GB of storage into extra RAM to make the effective RAM 12GB, the gaming performance of this device remains limited.

While light games like candy crush or Subway Surfer run fine, heavier stuff like COD Mobile, BGMI, and Asphalt 9 is not seamless. They might run, but only in lower frame rates and medium graphics. Even though gaming sessions are longer, a slight lag starts feeling after 10-12 minutes. The smartphone also starts heating up when gaming is done for a long time. Some benchmark tests were performed, here are their results.

Realme has provided its new Unique feature ‘Mini Capsule’ on Narzo N53 as well. Inspired by Apple’s Dynamic Island, Realme’s Mini Capsule is a functionality that adapts to the display and is wrapped around the punch-hole selfie camera. The Mini Capsule shows battery status, data usage, and steps walked in a day. While battery status will be displayed by default, the other two metrics have to be enabled. The Mini Capsule looks good and gives a slight feel of an Apple device, but more can be done in it.

In terms of software, Narzo N53 runs Android 13 OS loaded with customizations and personalization options. The UI is user-friendly and simple but comes loaded with tons of bloatware, which is annoying. Apps like Snapchat, Spotify, Share Chat, Moj, Jio Cinema, and many others come pre-installed. Although these can be uninstalled, I feel brands should really stop loading devices with bloatware, I mean users can install the apps they need themselves right?

The smartphone comes with a 3-card slot, 2 for SIM cards and 1 for microSD card. There is a 150% Ultra Boom speaker that is loud, but the audio lacks depth, especially at levels higher than 75%. All in all performance of Narzo N53 is a mixed bag, but the pros weigh heavier than the cons if you need a good functional smartphone for everyday use. The calling experience was decent and though it doesn’t have 5G connectivity, there were no call drops or signal problems in low network areas. 

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Realme N53 4G Review: Battery

The Realme Narzo N53 packs a 5000mAh battery that has now become common with most of the smartphones in the segment. The battery lasts easily for an entire day if you have light to moderate usage. However, if you are a heavy user whose tasks include long gaming sessions, video editing for hours, and more, then you will have to charge this one at the end of the day. The battery here comes with ultra saving mode, screen battery optimization, and sleep standby optimization so it increases the life of the battery. App Quick Freeze also helps as it freezes all those idle applications which you are not using, so they stop using power in the background.

The 5000mAh battery comes with a 33W SuperVOOC charging capability. With the adapter bundled inside the box, the smartphone can be charged to 50% in about 33 minutes and 100% in about 1.5 hours (90 minutes). Reverse charging is also supported. Realme has made charging even safer as its Narzo N53 comes with overcharge protection, over-voltage protection, and extreme cases protection. Trickle charging is also useful as it charges the battery slowly but efficiently between 90-100% so that the smartphone doesn’t overcharge. There are absolutely no complaints in the battery and charging department.

Realme N53 Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

The Realme Narzo N53 is an affordable smartphone that offers decent specifications. It features a capable chipset, a large battery, a acceptable primary camera, and an attractive design. However, there are a few drawbacks that need to be considered. The device comes with bloatware pre-installed, the additional lens lacks usefulness, the display peek brightness levels feel subpar, and the gaming performance is not exceptional. Despite these limitations, if you are in the market for a budget smartphone for everyday use, the Realme Narzo N53 could be a viable option. While it may not offer top-notch performance, it does deliver satisfactory results. Furthermore, owning a smartphone from a reputable brand like Realme at a price of just Rs. 8999 can provide a sense of satisfaction.