Review Summary
Expert Rating
Realme has launched yet another smartphone in India, this time expanding its 16-series lineup with the new Realme 16x. While it may not share the same design language as the Realme 16T (review), the two smartphones have plenty in common under the hood. The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC powers the Realme 16x and features a 144Hz HD+ LCD display and a 50MP dual rear camera setup. The battery and selfie camera, however, have been downgraded to 7,000mAh and 8MP, respectively.
So, how does the smartphone stack up? Here’s everything you need to know about what the Realme 16x brings to the table.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Realme 16x prioritises battery life and a catchy design, while its other aspects, including performance, software, cameras, and display, are fairly standard for the price. If your priorities lie elsewhere, it is worth exploring the alternatives. Otherwise, the Realme 16x is a safe choice for users who value long battery life and basic day-to-day usage.
Battery and charging: excellent endurance
Starting with the highlight of the smartphone, the Realme 16x’s 7,000mAh battery stands tall in the segment. While we couldn’t test that with our usual PCMark battery test, which kept crashing on the smartphone, the real-world endurance remained excellent. With a mix of streaming, scrolling, browsing, and occasional gaming, the phone can comfortably stretch to two days on a single charge.
Even if your usage is more demanding, lasting a full day with plenty of charge left shouldn’t be a concern. The result is a device that significantly reduces the need to keep an eye on the battery percentage throughout the day. As for charging, the Realme 16x supports 45W fast charging, which is pretty standard in the segment. It took almost 81 minutes to juice up the device from 20 percent to 100 percent.
| Smartphone | Battery Capacity | Charging Support | Charging time (20% to 100% ) |
| realme 16x 5G | 8000 mAh | 45W Super VOOC Charging | NA |
| Moto G77 Power 5G | 7000 mAh | 30W Turbo Charging | 1h 24m |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 5G | 8000 mAh | 45W Fast Charging | 1h 19m |
The phone supports bypass charging, which means you can continue using the device as it juices up without a major drop in performance.
Design and display: decent for the budget
The Realme 16x does attract attention with its brush stroke texture on the back panel. The texture shifts colour when lights hit it at an angle. This is complemented by a matte finish and a metallic rectangular camera module, which adds contrast. Since this is a budget option, don’t expect the in-hand feel to be premium. However, the OEM has done well to add a coating to the plastic edges of the frame for a clean, tidy look.
There’s a nice touch on the camera module in the form of Pulse Light, which emits multi-coloured light for calls, notifications, the camera timer, Gemini, and more. It can be customised or turned off entirely from the Settings app. When enabled, the light adds an interactive element even when the phone is placed face down.
While the handset feels durable thanks to its MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification, it isn’t particularly easy to handle. That’s largely due to its large battery and tall display, which make the phone feel bulky and heavy. The Realme 16x measures 8.8mm in thickness and weighs roughly 224 grams. This is likely to give you some wrist work while using the device for an extended duration.
Moving on, the handset is IP65-rated, meaning it can withstand light rain and splashes but isn’t designed to be submerged in water. As for I/O, the phone sports a USB Type-C port at the bottom edge, sandwiched between the bottom-firing speaker and SIM-ejector tray. The fingerprint scanner is on the right spine, atop the power button, which unlocks the device in a jiffy.
The Realme 16x sports a 6.8-inch HD+ LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and up to 1,200 nits of High Brightness Mode (HBM). While it lacks the punchiness of an AMOLED panel, its expansive screen offers an enjoyable experience for streaming videos and playing games. The high adaptive refresh rate ensures fluid scrolling and responsive animations. The outside visibility of the display is also decent for reading text.
Although the display is well-suited for entertainment, the single bottom-firing speaker leaves room for improvement. Realme has included a 400 percent Ultra Volume mode that can produce impressively loud output, but audio clarity suffers noticeably at those higher levels. For a cleaner listening experience, it is best to keep the volume within the standard range.
Performance and software: reliable, feature-rich
The Realme 16x is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, which prioritises power efficiency and reliable everyday performance. This is reflected in the benchmark results, where its raw performance remains slightly underwhelming. However, as pointed out, everyday tasks such as messaging, browsing social media, streaming videos, and switching between apps remain smooth and responsive.
The limitations become more apparent only when running demanding applications or heavier workloads, where occasional delays in loading or minor frame drops can occur.
That said, playing popular titles including COD: Mobile and BGMI casually run without major issues, delivering a generally stable experience. The phone also manages heat well during longer gaming sessions, thanks to its large 5,300mm2 AirFlow VC cooling system, which helps keep temperatures in check.
Software-wise, the Realme 16x runs Realme UI 7 based on Android 16 out of the box. It’s the same software that comes pre-loaded with several other Realme phones, launched in the past few months. You can read more about it in our Realme 16 Pro review. In general, the Realme 16x brings a modern interface with a polished look and a good range of customisation options.
Users can personalise the experience through features such as themed icons, fingerprint unlock animations, wallpapers, and other interface tweaks inspired by the newer Liquid Glass design language. On the software support front, Realme promises three generations of Android OS upgrades along with four years of security updates. While this isn’t class-leading, it is competitive for the segment and should help keep the device relevant for several years.
The biggest drawback is the amount of pre-installed software. The Realme 16x comes loaded with 67 pre-installed apps and app recommendations, making it one of the more cluttered devices in its category. While many of these apps can be removed or disabled, the sheer number affects the out-of-box experience and may not appeal to users who prefer a cleaner, less intrusive software environment. The handset is promised to receive two years of major OS upgrades and three years of security updates.
Cameras: adequate for basic photography
The Realme 16x has a fairly basic camera setup, comprising a 50MP f/1.8 primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor on the rear, along with an 8MP front camera. The cameras are competent without being particularly impressive. In good lighting, the phone captures reasonably detailed images that should be more than adequate for social media. However, image quality drops noticeably in low-light conditions, where the results are below average.
There are also several AI-powered tools for fixing glare, removing unwanted objects and sharpening blurred images, among other things, but I rarely found myself using them.
Here’s a quick camera comparison of the Realme 16x with one of its rivals, Moto G77 Power:
Daylight
The Realme 16x captures daylight images with slightly better exposure than the Moto G77 Power. The handset also preserves the details around the shadowy areas. Both smartphones lack realistic colours.
Portrait
The portraits might look a bit dull on the Moto G77 Power, but compared to the Realme 16x, it outputs superior details and better edge detection. Again, colours and skin tones are not accurate on either smartphone.
Selfie
When it comes to selfies, the Realme 16x outputs a more appealing image with slightly better exposure, skin tones, and colours than the Moto G77 Power. The dynamic range might appear a bit underwhelming, though.
Low light (night mode)
The Realme 16x mimics the actual scene in low light, but the Moto G77 Power delivers a relatively cleaner image with less light flare and finer details.
Final verdict
The Realme 16x is priced in India starting at Rs 25,999, selling at Rs 23,999 for a limited period. This places it in the same territory as the Redmi Note 17 (review) and Moto G77 Power (review). Both are battery-focused smartphones; however, the Redmi smartphone excels with its AMOLED display while the Moto G77 Power has a dedicated ultrawide lens and superior selfie camera.
The Realme 16x may not have those advantages, but it gets the basics right with its impressive battery life, smooth 144Hz display, and distinctive design. Performance is reliable for regular tasks and casual gaming, while the IP65 rating, MIL-STD-810H certification and bypass charging add to its appeal.
However, the HD+ LCD panel, basic cameras, bulky build and cluttered software experience hold it back from being an all-rounder. The Realme 16x makes the most sense for buyers who prioritise battery life over cameras, performance or a cleaner software experience.
Editor’s rating: 7.8 / 10
Reasons to buy
- The 7,000mAh battery is the Realme 16x’s biggest strength, comfortably lasting over two days.
- The 6.8-inch 144Hz LCD offers smooth scrolling and responsive animations.
- The Dimensity 6300 handles everyday tasks without major issues.
Reasons not to buy
- The 50MP primary camera delivers decent daylight images, but the setup is fairly basic.
- The phone comes with a large number of pre-installed apps and recommendations.
