Realme C100x review: a battery champ with some compromises

• By Dhruv Joshi
Published On: 25 August 2026 | 14:54 IST

The realme C100x is an entry-level smartphone that focuses on the basics, with a large 8,000mAh battery, a decent Unisoc processor and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate to make everyday use more comfortable. It is also a 4G-only device, which makes it better suited to first-time smartphone users, students and older users who have a limited budget and do not necessarily need 5G connectivity.

The phone arrives at a time when rising memory prices have put considerable pressure on the budget smartphone segment. Brands are increasingly having to introduce phones with more modest hardware to keep costs under control, making appealing options below Rs 20,000 fewer and farther between.

The realme C100x takes a similar approach, prioritising the essentials for everyday use. In this review, I look at how well that strategy works and whether the device is worth its asking price.

Short Verdict

The Realme C100x has its limitations, but that is expected at this price. Its attractive design, smooth display and smooth UI make it a decent choice for basic everyday use, while the battery life will comfortably get most users through the day and more. The limited 64GB storage and slightly heavy build are drawbacks, but for first-time smartphone users, students or anyone looking for a simple starter device, it gets the basics right without trying to do too much.

Design: big and beautiful

This is clearly one of the areas where this phone wants to stand out from its competition. The colourways look especially pleasing, with the wavy patterns on the rear adding some character without making the phone look too flashy. The camera module also fits well with the overall design, and the coloured rings around the camera lenses add another small touch that helps the phone stand out.

The phone does feel substantial in the hand, though. At 219g, it is on the heavier side, and its large size takes some time to get used to, especially if you are coming from a lighter or more compact phone. It is not uncomfortable to hold, but you will notice the weight during extended use.

The build quality is reassuring, too, as the phone has an IP64 rating for protection against dust and water splashes, along with 2m drop protection. This provides good protection for everyday use and should offer some peace of mind if you are a little rough with your devices.

Overall, the phone looks and feels more premium than its price suggests. The weight may take some getting used to, but the attractive finish, distinctive rear design and build make it one of the better-looking phones in its segment.

Battery: lasts exceptionally long

Battery life is another major strength of this phone, thanks to its mammoth 8,000mAh battery. It is likely the biggest battery in this segment, and the numbers back up its endurance. In our battery benchmark test, the phone lasted for over 21 hours, which is currently the best score in its segment.

The phone lost only 4 per cent battery after an hour of video streaming, while 30 minutes of gaming used around 4.5 per cent. This means you can comfortably spend a lot of time watching videos, playing games, or browsing without worrying about reaching for the charger.

The 45W fast charging support also does a decent job of topping up such a large battery. It takes around two hours to fully charge, which is reasonable given the sheer size of the battery. While it is not the fastest charging phone around, you are unlikely to need to charge it often in the first place.

If long battery life is high on your list, this phone is an easy recommendation. With normal use, it can comfortably last around two days on a single charge, making battery life one of its biggest advantages.

Cameras: good enough

The Realme C100x has a capable 50MP main camera for casual photography. In daylight, it captures a good amount of detail and produces punchy colours, although the processing can sometimes make the images look more vibrant than the actual scene. Portrait shots are decent as well, with natural-looking separation in most situations, although finer details can appear a little soft when you zoom in.

The 5MP selfie camera prioritises pleasing colours over fine detail, and it generally does a good job of keeping skin tones and the overall scene close to what you see in real life.

In low light, the main camera benefits from Night mode, which improves exposure, detail and colours while keeping noise under control. Overall, the camera setup is not its strongest selling point, but it is good enough for everyday photos, social media and the occasional portrait or selfie.

I’ve compared the Realme C100x and the Lava Virat V1’s (review) cameras in different scenarios below.

Daylight

When comparing the two phones and their images side by side, you’ll notice a few key differences straight away. The C100x adopts an aggressive, vibrant colour scheme which makes the scene appear punchy, while the Virat takes a more modest approach with colours.

Realme C100x

Lava Virat

Neither of them is wholly accurate, and both struggle to render the actual scene. The Realme C100x is in the definitive lead here thanks to its detail and sharpness level compared to the Lava Virat.

Portrait

The colours in the portrait are consistent with those in regular daylight shots. The subject’s skin tone has a reddish tint in Realme’s image, while it appears slightly duller in Lava’s image.

Realme C100x

Lava Virat

The latter has an advantage here in terms of detail level since the former’s image appears softer when zoomed in. Finally, edge detection is also better on the Lava Virat’s image.

Selfie

Talking about selfies, the Lava Virat captures a very detailed shot with decent exposure and sharpness. The Realme C100x, while not as detailed as its counterpart, does a much better job with colour science. The C100x’s image matches the actual scene and colours much more closely.

Realme C100x

Lava Virat

Lowlight

With night mode enabled on both phones, Realme C100x is clearly the better performer of the two. It delivers better-exposed images, detail level and colours, while the Lava’s image is much darker and grainy, making it less appealing.

Realme C100x

Lava Virat

Performance: could have been better

Performance is easily the least capable aspect of this phone, and as a 4G device, it uses the Unisoc T2750 chipset, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of eMMC 5.1 storage. You also get microSD support for up to 2TB of additional storage, which is useful if you plan to keep many photos, videos, or apps on the phone. However, the core hardware is fairly basic and offers little beyond everyday usability.

There is a general feeling of sluggishness when using the phone, especially when moving between apps or navigating around the UI. It is not unusable, but you can tell that this is not a phone built for heavy workloads. The OS, however, does a decent job of keeping things smooth. When I compared it with the Lava Virat V1 (review), which uses a more powerful Unisoc chipset, both phones felt surprisingly similar in terms of smoothness. This suggests that the software is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here.

For basic day-to-day use, the phone remains capable enough. You can browse the web, use social media, stream videos and switch between common apps without major issues, as long as you keep your expectations in check. Gaming is also fine for basic titles, but more demanding games will push the hardware beyond what it can comfortably handle.

The phone’s performance is clearly behind what some of the other areas of this phone offer, but it is still reasonable for the segment. The hardware is basic, but the software does a good job of making the most of it, and that keeps the phone usable for everyday tasks.

Software: uplifts the overall experience

The phone runs on Realme UI 7, based on Android 16, and comes with quite a few pre-installed apps out of the box. Most of these apps can be removed if you do not need them.

The software is one area where this phone does a lot to smooth out the rough edges of its basic hardware. Realme UI offers a good mix of useful quality-of-life features, including an eye-care mode, extra brightness controls and tools to help speed up the phone when it starts to feel slow. There are also plenty of AI features, covering everything from the cameras to productivity tools.

While the more advanced AI features may not be something every user will rely on, the smaller additions are arguably more useful for most casual users. Features such as eye care, extra brightness and simple performance tools can make a real difference in everyday use without requiring you to change how you use the phone.

This is where Realme UI works well for this particular device. The hardware is clearly limited, but the software helps hide some of those limitations and makes the phone feel more complete than the specifications suggest. There are quite a few pre-installed apps, although most can be removed if you do not need them.

One thing that is still unclear is software support. Realme has not specified how many Android versions or security updates this phone will receive, which is worth keeping in mind if you plan to use it for several years.

Display: good visuals, average sound

The 6.8-inch LCD display is one of the phone’s biggest strengths, especially if you enjoy watching videos or simply prefer a larger screen. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling through apps, browsing the web and moving around the interface feel smooth. The colours also look good, and I prefer using the Vivid setting, which gives the display a livelier look.

With a peak brightness of 900 nits, it works well enough for most indoor use, and you should have little trouble viewing the screen under normal conditions. The display, however, can struggle a little outdoors, particularly in well-lit surroundings or when using the phone directly under the sun. This is not a major issue for everyday use, but it is something to keep in mind if you spend a lot of time outdoors.

The bigger issue here for me is the single speaker. It gets loud enough for watching videos or listening to casual content, but it does not offer the same depth or sense of space as a stereo speaker setup. If you often consume media using the phone’s speakers alone, the experience can feel a little flat.

Overall, the large 120Hz display works well for everyday use and offers a pleasant viewing experience. The outdoor brightness and mono speaker are its main weaknesses, but neither detracts much from what is otherwise a capable screen.

Final Verdict

The Realme C100x is priced at Rs 16,999 in India for the 4GB + 64GB variant. It is a phone that gets the basics right while putting a clear focus on battery life, design and everyday usability. The 8,000mAh battery is its biggest advantage, comfortably lasting around two days with normal use, while the 6.8-inch 120Hz display makes the phone enjoyable for watching videos and browsing. Its design also looks more premium than its price suggests, and the cameras perform well enough for casual photography, with particularly good results in low light.

The Lava Virat V1 (review) makes a worthy rival if you want more performance and 5G connectivity. It uses a more capable Unisoc chipset and has slightly better overall hardware, making it the better option for users who want to play more demanding games or use 5G frequently. However, its battery life and camera performance do not match those of the C100x.

This ultimately makes the Realme C100x a sensible choice for users who value long battery life, a large, smooth display and a good-looking phone over raw performance. It is not the most powerful option in the segment, but for casual users, first-time smartphone buyers and anyone who simply wants a phone that can comfortably last through the day and beyond, the C100x makes a good case for itself.

Editor’s Rating: 8.1/10

Reasons to buy:

• Attractive design that looks more premium than its price suggests.
• Large 6.8-inch display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
• Realme UI offers a smooth experience with useful everyday features.
• Excellent battery life that can comfortably last around two days.

Reasons not to buy:

• Only 64GB of base storage, which can feel limiting for some users.
• The 219g weight makes the phone slightly heavy in the hand.
• The single speaker lacks the depth and separation of a stereo setup.