Realme C100i

At Rs. 39,499, the Realme C100i is a reasonable but not outstanding deal. Its strengths are practical: a 7000mAh battery that lasts around two days, IP64 splash and dust resistance, ArmorShell drop protection, one of the nicest designs at this price, and a 2-year warranty, which is rare at this price.

The compromises are clear:

• The base variant has only 4GB RAM and 64GB eMMC storage.
• The 8MP rear and 5MP selfie cameras are basic when some rivals offer 50MP.
• 15W charging is slow for a 7000mAh battery.

The Samsung Galaxy A07 costs slightly more but brings the stronger Helio G99 chip, a better camera and six Android upgrades, though with a smaller 5000mAh battery. The Honor X5c Plus is a little cheaper with a 50MP camera, but its 5260mAh battery and 90Hz screen fall behind.

Verdict: pick the C100i if battery life, durability, design and a long warranty matter most. If performance and long-term updates matter more, the Galaxy A07 is the stronger buy.

The Realme C100i has a 6.8-inch IPS LCD with 720 x 1570 (HD+) resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Panda or Corning Gorilla Glass. Colours look punchy for an LCD, and 120Hz makes scrolling smooth.

• Outdoors: brightness is on the bright side for an HD screen, and AI Outdoor Mode raises brightness automatically when you step outside.
• Wet use: a wet-touch mode keeps the screen usable with a little water on it.
• Notch: the waterdrop notch can show small notifications through the Mini Capsule feature.

The limitation is sharpness: HD+ on a 6.8-inch screen looks soft compared with a Full HD panel.

The phone uses the Unisoc T7250 (octa-core, up to 1.8GHz) with 4GB RAM and eMMC storage on the base variant. It scored about 350,000 to 376,000 in AnTuTu, which is entry-level.

• Everyday use: the phone does not feel slow in daily tasks, the side fingerprint scanner is fast, and the screen wakes quickly, an improvement over older T7250 phones.
• Gaming: PUBG Mobile offers Smooth graphics with Balanced frame rate and up to HD with High frame rate, which is fine for casual players.
• Limits: 4GB RAM leaves little room for heavy multitasking, and the Helio G99 in the Samsung Galaxy A07 is a clearly stronger chip at a similar price.

Heating and long gaming sessions were not tested in depth, so sustained performance is not confirmed.

The Realme C100i has an 8MP main camera with an auxiliary sensor and a 5MP selfie camera, low numbers when some rivals offer 50MP.

• Daylight: results are better than the numbers suggest. Realme's processing gives good colours, and rear shots have decent detail for the class.
• Indoors and selfies: indoor photos look nice, though the 5MP selfie camera lacks fine detail.
• AI tools: the gallery offers an AI Eraser and AI Clear Face, which smooths blemishes and sharpens faces but needs an internet connection and can change how a face looks.
• Video: the rear camera records at 1080p 30fps, the selfie camera at 720p 30fps.

It covers basic photo needs, but buyers who care about the camera will find the Samsung Galaxy A07 a better choice.

The 7000mAh battery is the C100i's main selling point. With medium to heavy use, expect around two days per charge, and longer with light use. Realme claims about 21 hours of online video playback and long call and chat times, and says the battery is built to last about six years of charge cycles.

Charging is the weak spot. The phone supports 15W charging with a 15W charger in the box, and a full charge takes about two and a half to three hours, so overnight charging suits it best.

It also supports reverse wired charging, so you can use it as a power bank for earbuds or another phone in an emergency.

The Realme C100i runs Android 16 with Realme UI, with several useful features for a budget phone:

• AI Outdoor Mode, which raises brightness, signal and call volume when you are outside, handy for riders and ride-hailing drivers.
• AI Noise Cancellation on calls and air gestures to answer calls without touching the phone.
• Mini Capsule notifications around the notch and a speaker cleaner to push out water and dust.
• A Dynamic Button, Google Gemini and Circle to Search.
• A 300% volume boost for the single speaker.

The phone uses the Google dialer, so there is no built-in call recording option. Realme has not published an update commitment for this model, so do not expect major Android upgrades.