Realme P4x 5G review: Looks familiar, lasts more than a day and just works!

The modern mid-range smartphone market is fiercely competitive, demanding devices that excel not just in one area but offer a compelling balance of performance, endurance, and style. Enter the Realme P4x - this phone arrives with surprising technical chops; a massive 7,000mAh battery paired with the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra 5G chipset, aiming to cater directly to the young, power-hungry user who measures performance in hours of screen time and frame rates.

It’s fair to say that in a world where many devices struggle to last a full day, the P4x is attempting to redefine "all-day performance." You might even be tempted to leave your charger at home when you head out, and honestly, I don't blame you. The trend, however, has shifted towards premiumisation and not just one single stand-out feature. The cost of making a smartphone is going up, hence the cost of buying a smartphone is also going up. In the middle of all this, can a sub-Rs 20,000 smartphone really deliver enough features and value for you to make it your daily driver? Let me tell you the answer. 

Design & Display

Starting with the aesthetics, the P4x makes a statement with its "Aerospace Design." The anodised metal grainy back and right-angle middle frame give it a notably high-end, tech-inspired visual appeal that elevates it beyond typical plastic-backed phones in this category. Note that I used the word “inspired” because the P4x will remind you of a phone that costs more than 4X its price. (No brownie points for guessing which one.) Weighing in at 208g and measuring 8.39mm thick, it’s certainly not the lightest phone on the market, a direct consequence of that giant battery, but it still manages a good in-hand feel, especially with the glass-like texture on the Matte Silver colour. Meaning that it is no doubt a good-looking device, furthermore, the IP64 rating provides basic dust and water resistance, which is always a welcome inclusion.

The viewing experience is anchored by a 6.72-inch FHD LCD display boasting a 144Hz refresh rate. While it’s not an AMOLED panel, the refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and motion. With a peak brightness of 1000 nits, the "Sunlight Display" is genuinely adaptive, offering clear viewing outdoors and even under direct sunlight. For audio, the dual speakers deliver immersive sound, and the 400% volume setting means you can actually take clear calls in noisy environments like a metro station or mall. While the high volume mode does give a lot of loudness, the same can’t be said about the clarity of the audio. It is not a dealbreaker, but just something to be aware of.

Battery

This is the P4x’s undisputed headliner. The 7,000mAh battery is enormous, promising multi-day usage for moderate users. When you do need to top up, the 45W charger in the box takes the phone from 1% to 100% in around a decent hour and a half. In my testing, it lasted from 8:00 AM till around 8:00 AM the next day, that too with vigorous testing. 

Performance

The Realme P4x is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra 5G chipset, which stands in the upper mid-range performance bracket. This raw power, combined with up to 8GB of  RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, ensures snappy multitasking. In my tests, I was comfortably opening 15+ apps without stutter and while gaming it supported 90 FPS in titles like BGMI and COD. There's also a large vapour chamber with a steel plate that prevents the phone from overheating during high workloads. The obvious point to note here is that despite a 144Hz display, games like the ones I tested will only be able to run at a stable 90FPS, but even then, all things considered, it's a good experience.

Camera

The camera setup features a 50MP ultra-clear main camera paired with a 2MP secondary sensor on the rear, and an 8MP front camera. While the 50MP sensor is great for capturing sharp portraits and boasts 4K video recording with no observed lag or overheating, the focus seems to be heavily on the AI features that enhance the experience. The "Al Treasure Box" includes tools like Al Eraser (very useful), Al Motion Deblur (somewhat useful), and Al Glare Remover (seldom useful). 

In terms of everyday camera performance, here are some photos I clicked with it.

Software and UI

The phone runs on Realme UI 6.0, which is layered with a comprehensive suite of AI functionality as well. Features like Al Scanner (for converting textbook notes to searchable PDFs) and Al Recording (for generating summaries from audio recordings) have proved genuinely useful to me time and time again. The "Circle to Search" feature is also present. It is a basic set of AI features that you can genuinely use and I appreciate that Realme has focused on adding mostly those features that enhance productivity and actually help with something useful. 

Price and Conclusion

The Realme P4x is available in configurations including 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB and 8GB +256GB variants. Pricing is competitive for the feature set, hitting the market at a starting price of Rs 15,999; however, you can almost certainly get it for less with coupons and instant Bank discounts.

All in all, the Realme P4x makes for a good phone and a jack of all trades where there aren't any obvious glaring faults or lacking… providing a safe, stable and reliable choice for a smartphone under Rs 20,000.