Realme Narzo N53 Review: A lot of thrills under Rs. 10000

Realme Narzo N53 comes with a bold design for budget buyers. But does it manage to shine as an all-rounder and that too as a phone in the under Rs. 10000 segment? Find out here.

By: DIVYA
| Updated on: Sep 05 2023, 11:35 IST
Realme Narzo N53 First Look: An iPhone 14 Pro avatar, but there is much more!
Realme Narzo N53
1/6

Realme Narzo N53 Design: Apart from the camera module that uncannily reminds us of the iPhone 14 Pro, the Realme Narzo N53 has a sleek, shiny back design that looks quite appealing. Interestingly, Realme placed a 3.55mm audio jack which is a rare offering these days even in budget smartphones. 

(Divya / HT Tech)
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2/6 Realme Narzo N53 Display: It features a 6.74-inch display with a 90Hz of refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. So far, it has been a good experience whether it is for social media scrolling, just Googling, or gaming. The Narzo N53 also features Mini Capsule, similar to the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island, but with limited features.  (Divya / HT Tech)
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3/6 Realme Narzo N53 Performance: Powered by the basic Unisoc T612 chipset, the Realme Narzo N53 takes care of mundane tasks such calling, texting, searching and more with ease. It is backed by a 5000mAh battery and 33W charging support.  (Divya / HT Tech)
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4/6 Realme Narzo N53 Cameras: It packs a dual camera setup headlined by a 50MP primary camera and a 5P lens. Yes, the third camera-like cutout is actually the flash! At the front, it gets an 8MP selfie camera. To my surprise, it has delivered detailed and bright photos in daylight. How well it will take in indoor and dark light? We will explore more in our full review. (Divya / HT Tech)
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5/6 Realme Narzo N53 Software: I have never been a fan of Realme's UI, however, based on Realme T edition with Android 13 out-of-the-box, it looks cleaner than before. Although, you will find some bloatware but it doesn’t throw unnecessary ads to ruin your experience.  (Divya / HT Tech)
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6/6 Realme Narzo N53 Price: It comes at a starting price of Rs. 8999 for 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant, while, 6GB RAM with 128GB storage option is priced at Rs. 10999. It will be available on Amazon and Realme online store. (Divya / HT Tech)
Realme Narzo N53
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Realme Narzo N53 starting price is Rs. 8999 and it boats an iPhone 14 Pro-like design. (Divya / HT Tech)

"It looks like an iPhone 14 Pro!" That was my first impression when I first glimpsed the Realme Narzo N53. It left me stunned and even friends and family were amazed by it. Yes, it is an eye-ball grabber and the first impression was always of amazement for almost everyone I showed it to. While the design was more than interesting, the fact that it is a budget smartphone made me question its performance and capabilities initially. After all, cost-cutting is a must in budget phones and that always comes at a cost - it affects performance. Still, on paper, at Rs. 8999, Realme Narzo N53 seemed interesting as it also packed a 5000mAh battery, 33W charging, 50MP camera, and some other gimmicky to enhance user experience.

Does it manage to emerge as an all-rounder under Rs. 10000? To find out, I've put it to the test for a few weeks.

More about Realme Narzo N53
Realme Narzo N53
  • Feather Gold
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 64 GB Storage
See full Specifications

Realme Narzo N53 Design and Display

With a camera module that undoubtedly evokes an iPhone-like feel, the Narzo N53 goes beyond its design with its sleek body (7.49mm) size and lightweight build at 182g. The Feather Gold colour option is flamboyant in nature, featuring a shimmering design that combines shades of blue and gold. This may not be the first choice for those seeking a minimalist design! However, there is also a Feather Black variant available to choose from, which is quite subtle. Despite its plastic build, the back panel looks quite attractive and has a fingerprint-resistant coating.

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Realme Narzo N53
Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)
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Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)

When it comes to the display, the Realme Narzo N53 boasts a 6.74-inch LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate, delivering a satisfactory performance in indoor lighting conditions. However, when exposed to harsh sunlight, you may encounter difficulties in viewing content, and the images may also appear less sharp. The bezels surrounding the display are relatively thin, while the chin at the bottom is slightly thicker.

A fascinating feature of the Narzo N53 is the inclusion of the iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island-like feature, which Realme has dubbed the "Mini Capsule." However, I found this feature to be gimmicky, as its functionality is limited to providing information such as charging status, data consumption, and steps taken. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how Realme is making an effort to bring excitement into budget phones through these gimmick add-ons.

Realme Narzo N53 Performance

The Realme Narzo N53 is powered by the entry-level Unisoc T612 chip, which handles daily tasks such as web browsing, music listening, video streaming, and calling without any major signs of stuttering. However, when it comes to running demanding games, the chip's limitations become apparent. In games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends, frequent stutters on standard graphic settings were experienced during gameplay. Well, at this price, if you expected an intense gaming experience, then you were definitely expecting too much! Nevertheless, the device provides satisfactory performance for casual games like Candy Crush, Temple Run, and others.

Realme Narzo N53
Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)
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Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)

When it comes to software, the Realme Narzo N53 runs on Android 13 based on the company's own Realme UI T Edition. It comes bundled with several pre-installed apps, consuming a considerable amount of storage space. Thankfully, the phone allows you to uninstall these apps as per your requirement.

To provide enhanced security, the Realme Narzo N53 is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that swiftly unlocks your smartphone. Moreover, another praiseworthy addition is the 3.5mm audio jack, which is becoming increasingly scarce in smartphones these days. Furthermore, it is important to mention that the audio performance of the Realme Narzo N53's speakers is not particularly satisfactory, especially when the volume is set to its maximum. In addition to this, when using the speaker mode during audio or video calls, the phone may encounter slight hiccups in capturing audio from a distance.

Realme Narzo N53 Cameras

Realme Narzo N53
Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)
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Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)

That iPhone 14 Pro-like triple camera setup design may elicit spectacular reactions, but actually, Narzo N53 features a dual camera setup at the back! It boasts a 50MP primary camera coupled with a 5P lens at the rear along with the third camera-like cutout which is actually the flash. In bright daylight, the camera of the Realme Narzo N53 excels in capturing vibrant shots with pleasing colours, albeit with a slightly saturated tone, particularly noticeable in images of trees and flowers. However, in low-light conditions, it struggles to capture stable images, leading to overexposure and a loss of fine detail.

Image Samples

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Surprisingly, the 8MP front camera performs very well in well-lit situations, capturing detailed shots for those who want picture-perfect social media images. However, it does face challenges in low-light situations. When it comes to portrait mode, there are occasional issues in detecting the edges. Overall, the camera performance of the Realme Narzo N53 is decent, especially when taking into account its price point.

Realme Narzo N53 Battery

The Realme Narzo N53's 5000mAh battery lasts for over a day if you restrict yourself to mundane tasks like messaging, music, and calling. Even with intensive use, such as gaming, photography, and movie watching, the battery can comfortably last for a full day. For charging, the phone gets a 33W charger that restores the battery from null to full capacity in approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Verdict

Realme Narzo N53
Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)
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Realme Narzo N53 (Divya / HT Tech)

There are only a handful of inexpensive smartphones that genuinely deliver a fulfilling and seamless user experience. The Realme Narzo N53 is one of them! It provides satisfactory performance for your day-to-day tasks, long battery life, good cameras at this price, and a bold design to cap it all off. Yes, for me, Realme Narzo N53 successfully checks almost all the boxes you would seek in a budget smartphone.

Undoubtedly, there is some room for improvement especially in terms of display, better user experience with no or limited bloatware, and cameras in low light conditions. For clean software and UI, Motorola smartphones are better. And for overall experience, Samsung can be a good choice especially Galaxy F04 or Galaxy M13, which also come under Rs. 10000.

However, given its budget-friendly price of only Rs. 8999 and the features it brings to the table, the Realme Narzo N53 is easy to recommend.

Rating
3.5 out of 5
Price
INR 8,999/-
Product Name
Realme Narzo N53
Brand Name
Pros
  • Interesting design
  • Long battery life
  • Decent cameras
  • Satisfactory performance
Cons
  • Low-light photography
  • Display performance in sunlight
  • Bloatware
Specifications
  • 6.74-inch, 90Hz
  • 5000mAh, 33W
  • 50MP with an unspecified camera
  • 8MP
  • Android 13, Realme T edition
  • Unisoc T612 chipset

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First Published Date: 21 Jul, 16:42 IST
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