The first Android phone with the Dynamic Island is official

Late last month we told you about the Realme "mini capsule" which is the manufacturer's version of Apple's Dynamic Island shapeshifting multitasking notification system. A Realme executive had posted a tweet of a Realme C series device sporting the "mini capsule" and then took it down. Well today, the very first Android phone with a Dynamic Island-style notification system was unveiled by *SURPRISE* Realme.

Realme's own online store in Indonesia (via 9to5Google) now lists the C55 and while most of the images of the phone on the website show a single punch-hole front-facing camera, if you scroll down to near the bottom of the page, you'll see a photo of the phone that includes the feature in use and says, "Say Hello to Mini Capsule." Unlike the iPhone's Dynamic Island, which includes a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen, the Mini Capsule expands from the single punch-hole seen in the pictures of the device.

The copy for the picture, once translated by Google Translate, says, "Get important information more seamlessly than ever before, such as phone charge status, low battery warning, data usage, and steps and walking distance of the day." Based on this translation, it would seem that the Mini Capsule might be more limited than the iOS Dynamic Island which shows notifications and other data. But once developers start working with it, the Mini Capsule could improve.

Pricing of the Realme C55 starts at Rp2499.000 (approximately $161) for the model with 6GB of RAM/128GB of storage. The variant with 8GB of RAM (that can be hiked to 16GB using Dynamic RAM) and 256GB of storage will run you Rp2999.000 (approximately $194). The phone is offered in a gray Rainy Night color or a yellowish Sunshower option. It is equipped with a 64MP image sensor that drives the primary camera and an 8MP depth sensor.

The phone carries a 6.72-inch FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400) display with a 90Hz refresh rate. A MediaTek Helio G88 SoC is under the hood. Keeping the lights on is a 5000mAh battery that uses a 33W SuperVOOC charger. The latter will take the battery from 0% to 100% in 63 minutes. Realme UI 4.0, based on Android 13, is pre-installed on the C55. The device sports a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and Realme Europe CEO Francis Wong said that the phone is coming to the continent.

If you are an Android owner and want a Dynamic Island on your phone, check out the dynamicSpot app in the Play Store. I've used this app on my Pixel 6 Pro and love it. A setting will automatically expand notifications from some apps and the developer is always updating it.

We should mention that while the Dynamic Island can be found on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, it will reportedly be found on all four iPhone 15 models this year. A recent video allegedly showing the glass panels for the 2023 iPhone 15 line shows the Dynamic Island cut-out for all four phones. However, this might be short-lived as Apple is rumored to use a single punch-hole for the iPhone 16 line as the components for the TrueDepth Camera used for Face ID could be placed under the display.

While the Dynamic Island stunned those watching the unveiling of the iPhone 14 line last September, many iPhone users have ended up panning it for various reasons. The less-than-overwhelming reception to the Dynamic Island might be why there are rumors stating that Apple plans on dropping the feature next year.

Realme is one of the brands under the BBK Electronics umbrella along with Oppo, Vivo (and its iQOO subsidiary), and OnePlus. Other companies have also discussed the possibility of adding a Dynamic Island feature to their phone including Xiaomi.