Realme C53: Slay in style and charge like a champ

Is Twitter ready for Europe’s new Big Tech rules?

EU official says it has work to do

TWITTER needs to do more work to fall in line with the European Union’s tough new digital rulebook, a top EU official said after overseeing a “stress test” of the company’s systems in Silicon Valley.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton said late Thursday that he noted the “strong commitment of Twitter to comply” with the Digital Services Act, sweeping new standards that the world’s biggest online platforms all must obey in just two months.

However, “work needs to continue,” he said in a statement after reviewing the results of the voluntary test at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with owner Elon Musk and new CEO Linda Yaccarino. Breton, who oversees digital policy, is also meeting other tech bosses in California. He’s the EU’s point person working to get Big Tech ready for the new rules, which will force companies to crack down on hate speech, disinformation and other harmful and illegal material on their sites. The law takes effect August 25 for the biggest platforms.

The Digital Services Act, along with new regulations in the pipeline for data and artificial intelligence, has made Brussels a trailblazer in the growing global movement to clamp down on tech giants.

The mock exercise tested Twitter’s readiness to cope with the DSA’s requirements, including protecting children online and detecting and mitigating risks like disinformation, under both normal and extreme situations.

“Twitter is taking the exercise seriously and has identified the key areas on which it needs to focus to comply with the DSA,” Breton said, without providing more details. “With two months to go before the new EU regulation kicks in, work needs to continue for the systems to be in place and work effectively and quickly.”

Twitter’s global government affairs team tweeted that the company is “on track to be ready when the DSA comes into force.” Yaccarino tweeted that “Europe is very important to Twitter and we’re focused on our continued partnership.”

Musk agreed in December to let the EU carry out the stress test, which the bloc is offering to all tech companies before the rules take effect. Breton said other online platforms will be carrying out their own stress tests in the coming weeks but didn’t name them. Despite Musk’s claims to the contrary, independent researchers have found misinformation—as well as hate speech—spreading on Twitter since the billionaire Tesla CEO took over the company last year. Musk has reinstated notorious election deniers, overhauled Twitter’s verification system and gutted much of the staff that had been responsible for moderating posts.

Last month, Breton warned Twitter that it “can’t hide” from its obligations after the social media site abandoned the bloc’s voluntary “code of practice” on online disinformation, which other social media platforms have pledged to support. AP

‘NO Leap. No Launch.” That was the message of realme Philippines new VP of marketing, Jane Yan during the brand’s most recent “Kumustahan”— where they gave media a preview of their upcoming products.

Yan also outlined the brand’s roadmap for the rest of 2023 which included the RMC S7 Grand finals, Midyear Sales events, the realme Fanfest happening on August, a teaser for another smartphone launch before ending the year with its #realmeWithYou campaign.

For this “kumustahan,” the star—or should I say “champion”?—was its newest entry-level device, the realme C53. Packed with impressive features, stylish design and a tagline that emphasizes its charging capabilities, the device proved to be another win for the brand when it launched last week.

During the first-wave sale on Lazada last June 23, the realme C53 sold out its initial stock overnight. It was restocked for the second wave over the weekend, and continued its strong sales with only a few units left on the e-commerce platform. For in-store sales performance, the device also recorded strong sales numbers, most notably in the Greater Luzon area where early birds received a free TechLife Portable Blender 40W.

So why are people buying the realme C53?

We’ve been using the device for the last few weeks and true to its C-series lineage, it does brings a few “leap” features to the entry-level segment including SuperVOOC fast charging and a design that slays the competition.

Since realme is marketing the C53 with a “Charge Like a Champion” tagline, we’ll do our review a little different and start with its battery and charging capabilities.

While a 5000mAh battery has almost become a standard for smartphones, what gives the realme C53 an advantage over its rivals is its 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging. Fast charging is usually reserved for mid-range phones and is still quite rare at this price point. realme even included a 33W wall charger in the box so users can take full advantage of this feature.

According to the brand, with the SuperVOOC charging standard, it can hit up to 33 watts when plugged in fully charging an empty battery in roughly 70 minutes. In our charging tests, the realme C53 was able to reach zero percent to 30 percent in 15 minutes and about 52 percent in half an hour. It took around 1 hour and 19 minutes to fully charge the device, which was pretty close to what it promised.

The realme C53 utilizes High Voltage, Low Current Charging technology with several built-in safety features, ensuring the battery charges quickly while prioritizing user safety. However, I still suggest you monitor your phone when charging, making sure to avoid direct sunlight and placing it in areas where it can get a bit hot.

When fully charged the realme C53 promises up to

86 hours of music streaming, up to 36 hours of phone calls, up to 16 hours of YouTube playback, or up to 38 hours of standby time. In our real-world usage scenario, which involved our usual day-to-day tasks like checking emails, updating social media, browsing the web, watching YouTube videos, and taking photos throughout the day, the realme C53 easily lasted a day with more than 15 percent left by the time we got home in the evening. So, unless you are planning to use the screen most of the time, you don’t have to worry about bringing a powerbank.

The realme C53 likewise offers several app battery settings to optimize use and allow you to manage or stop specific apps consume a lot of power. Additionally, you can enable the normal power saving mode or the super power saving mode should you need to conserve battery power and further extend the phone’s battery life.

The next best reason to get this phone is its design. We’ve always been a fan of realme’s design even for its budget devices, and the C53 I’d say has one of my favorite colorways. The Champion Gold is the one to get if you really want your phone to standout, but there’s also a Mighty Black option if you prefer a more classic color.

A design inspired by the Champion moment, the brand describes “a golden ribbon running through the back of the phone, while a golden glow surrounds the phone, capturing the glory of the winning moment.” It utilizes a Golden Silk Coating Process, with multiple layers of coating, each with a thickness of just 400nm, contributing to the phone’s stunning visual effect.

As such, the device exudes a sense of luxury and sophistication with its sleek and slim profile, measuring only 7.49mm and weighing just 182 grams. Despite its plastic construct, the realme C53 surprises