Realme Narzo 90x 5G Launched: The Budget Beast for College Students

Realme Narzo 90x 5G Launched: My nephew started college this semester, and within two weeks, he’d already burned through three power banks. Between online classes, gaming during breaks, endless Instagram scrolling, and video calls with friends, his old phone could barely make it past lunch. When I saw the Realme Narzo 90x 5G launch today with its massive battery and student-friendly pricing, I immediately thought of him—and millions of students dealing with the same struggle.

The Realme Narzo 90x 5G launched alongside its sibling, the Narzo 90 5G, today in India on December 16, 2025. While they share some DNA, the 90x takes a different approach—bigger screen, higher refresh rate, and a focus on being the ultimate student companion. Let me tell you why this phone has me seriously considering recommending it to every college student I know.

The 7,000mAh Battery: Your New Best Friend

Just like its premium sibling, the Narzo 90x 5G packs the same enormous 7,000mAh Titan Battery. This isn’t just marketing fluff—it’s a genuine game-changer for students whose entire lives happen on their phones.

Think about a typical college day. You wake up and check Instagram. Attend online lectures or use your phone to record notes. Message classmates about assignments. Watch YouTube tutorials for that subject you’re struggling with. Play games during breaks. Video call your parents. Watch Netflix or Prime Video before sleeping. And through all of this, your phone is supposed to survive?

With the Narzo 90x 5G, Realme claims you can get up to 23.6 hours of online video playback, 27.7 hours of messaging, 61.3 hours of calling, and a staggering 136.2 hours of music playback on a single charge. Even if we discount these numbers by 25% for real-world conditions, that’s still comfortably getting through a full day—maybe even two days—without hunting for a charger.

I’ve watched my nephew’s phone routine, and I can tell you that battery anxiety is real among students. They’re constantly checking percentages, rationing usage, carrying multiple power banks. The Narzo 90x 5G promises to end all that stress.

And when you do need to charge, the 60W fast charging support means you’re not waiting around forever. A quick charge during breakfast could power you through most of the day. That’s liberating.

The Display: Big, Smooth, and Practical

Here’s where the Narzo 90x differentiates itself from the regular Narzo 90. Instead of an AMOLED panel, the 90x sports a 6.80-inch HD+ LCD display with a 144Hz refresh rate. That’s a bigger screen with an even smoother refresh rate.

Now, some people might see “LCD” and think it’s inferior to AMOLED. And yes, AMOLED has deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. But LCD has its own advantages—it’s more durable, less prone to screen burn-in, and honestly, for most everyday tasks, the difference isn’t as dramatic as tech enthusiasts make it seem.

What I really appreciate about this display is the 144Hz refresh rate. That’s higher than the Narzo 90’s 120Hz, and for students who game frequently, that extra smoothness can actually make a noticeable difference. Scrolling through Instagram, playing games like BGMI or Free Fire, navigating through apps—everything feels fluid and responsive.

The display also reaches 1,200 nits peak brightness, which while not as insane as the Narzo 90’s 4,000 nits, is still perfectly adequate for outdoor usage. You can use your phone under direct sunlight without squinting. The panel also supports wet-hand touch, which is surprisingly useful during monsoons or when your hands are slightly damp.

One feature that caught my attention is the flicker-free DC dimming. This reduces eye strain during extended use, especially at low brightness levels. For students pulling all-nighters studying or binge-watching shows, this could genuinely help reduce eye fatigue.

Performance: Dimensity 6300 for Everyday Excellence

The Narzo 90x 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor. It’s a notch below the Dimensity 6400 Max in the Narzo 90, but don’t let that fool you—for the target audience, this chip is more than capable.

Built on a 6nm process, the Dimensity 6300 features an octa-core CPU with a peak clock speed of 2.4GHz. It’s designed for efficiency and decent performance rather than benchmark-breaking numbers. For college students, this means smooth multitasking between lecture notes, WhatsApp groups, social media apps, and light to moderate gaming.

Realme has paired the chip with up to 8GB of RAM, which can be virtually expanded to 18GB using storage space through dynamic RAM expansion. While virtual RAM isn’t as fast as physical RAM, it does help with keeping more apps running in the background without constant reloading.

Storage is 128GB, which should be adequate for most students, though I wish Realme had offered a 256GB variant for those who store lots of photos, videos, and downloaded content.

The phone also features a large cooling system to maintain performance during extended gaming sessions or heavy multitasking. Thermal management matters more than peak performance because nobody wants a phone that gets uncomfortably hot during use.

The Camera: 50MP Sony Sensor with AI Smarts

The Narzo 90x 5G features a 50MP Sony AI main sensor on the rear, accompanied by AI photography tools. Notice what’s different here—it’s a single primary camera setup, unlike the dual setup on the Narzo 90.

For a phone targeting students, this makes sense. Most people use the primary camera 90% of the time anyway. Having one excellent sensor is often better than multiple mediocre ones. Sony sensors have a good reputation for quality, and if Realme has paired it with decent image processing, this could produce genuinely good photos.

The AI photography tools should help with scene detection, HDR, night mode, and portrait effects. There’s also a dual-view video mode, which is perfect for content creators or students making vlogs, reels, or TikTok-style videos. Being able to record from front and rear cameras simultaneously is genuinely useful for that kind of content.

Real-world camera performance will depend on software optimization and processing, which we’ll only know after extensive testing. But for everyday photography—capturing moments with friends, photographing notes or whiteboards, taking selfies—this setup should work perfectly fine.

Durability: ArmorShell Protection and IP65 Rating

One thing about college students—phones go through rough treatment. They get dropped, exposed to rain, stuffed into bags with books and bottles, used with greasy hands after snacks. Durability isn’t a luxury feature; it’s a necessity.

The Narzo 90x 5G comes with ArmorShell protection, which Realme says provides enhanced durability against drops and impacts. While we don’t have specific details about what this entails, any additional protection is welcome.

The phone also carries an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance. While not as comprehensive as the Narzo 90’s triple IP rating (IP66/IP68/IP69), IP65 still means solid protection against dust and low-pressure water jets. You can use it in rain, wash your hands without worry, and not panic if you accidentally spill your coffee on it.

For budget-conscious students who can’t afford to replace a damaged phone immediately, having this level of protection provides genuine peace of mind.

Design: Fresh, Young, and Energetic

The Narzo 90x 5G comes in two color options: Nitro Blue and Flash Blue. Both are vibrant, youthful colors that feel energetic and fun—exactly what you’d expect from a phone targeting college students.

The design features a rectangular camera cutout housing two lenses, creating a clean, modern look. The phone has flat frames with rounded corners, which has become the standard design language for modern smartphones.

At around 7,000mAh battery size, you’d expect this phone to be thick and heavy, but Realme has worked to keep it relatively manageable. It’s not the lightest phone out there, but the trade-off for all-day battery life is absolutely worth it.

Audio: 400% Ultra Volume

Here’s a feature that might seem gimmicky but is actually quite clever for the target audience. The Narzo 90x 5G features 400% Ultra Volume capability.

Think about college life. Watching videos in a noisy hostel room. Playing music during group study sessions. Gaming with friends in crowded common areas. Having louder speakers means you can actually hear your phone without reaching for headphones constantly.

Whether this is genuinely useful or just marketing speak depends on the speaker quality. Loud is good, but loud and clear is better. I’m hoping Realme hasn’t just increased volume at the cost of audio quality distortion.

Software: Realme UI 6.0 with Student-Friendly Features

The phone runs Android 15-based Realme UI 6.0 out of the box. Realme’s custom skin has improved significantly over the years, adding useful features while trying to reduce bloatware (though opinions vary on how successful they’ve been).

For students, certain software features could be genuinely useful:

Gaming mode for uninterrupted gaming sessions. Split-screen multitasking for taking notes while watching lectures. Screen recording for capturing important moments or tutorials. Digital wellbeing features to track and manage phone usage. Battery optimization settings to extend already-impressive battery life.

The 6-year battery health optimization feature is particularly interesting. If Realme’s technology genuinely helps maintain battery capacity over years, students could use this phone throughout their college life without worrying about battery degradation.

Pricing: The Elephant in the Room

While official pricing hasn’t been announced as I write this, leaks suggest the Narzo 90x 5G will be priced lower than the Narzo 90 5G, potentially around ₹14,999-₹15,999 with launch offers.

If those numbers are accurate, this phone becomes an absolute no-brainer for students and budget-conscious buyers. You’re getting 5G connectivity, a massive battery, a large high-refresh-rate display, decent performance, and water resistance at a price point where compromises are usually severe.

The phone will be available through Realme’s website and Amazon India starting December 24, 2025. I expect additional bank discounts and exchange offers that could bring the effective price down even further.

The Competition: What Else Is Out There?

The budget 5G segment in India is brutally competitive. The Narzo 90x will face competition from phones like the Poco X6, Moto G series, Samsung Galaxy M series, and offerings from brands like iQOO and Vivo.

What gives the Narzo 90x an edge is that battery. Nobody else in this price segment is offering 7,000mAh. That single feature could be the deciding factor for many buyers who are tired of daily charging anxiety.

The 144Hz display is also relatively rare in this price bracket. Most budget phones stick to 90Hz or 120Hz, so having that extra smoothness is a tangible advantage.

Who Should Buy the Narzo 90x 5G?

Let me be direct about who this phone is perfect for and who should look elsewhere.

This phone is ideal for:

College students with heavy phone usage patterns throughout the day. Anyone suffering from battery anxiety who’s tired of carrying power banks. Casual gamers who want smooth performance without spending flagship money. First-time smartphone buyers looking for good value. People who want a large screen for content consumption. Anyone needing 5G at a budget price point.

You should look elsewhere if:

You’re a mobile photography enthusiast who needs the best camera quality. You absolutely must have an AMOLED display and can’t compromise. You’re a hardcore gamer needing flagship-level processing power. You want the lightest, most compact phone possible. You prefer stock Android over manufacturer skins.

Real Talk: The Practical Perspective

Here’s what I think matters most about the Narzo 90x 5G, beyond all the specs and marketing claims.

This is a phone that understands its audience. Students don’t need the absolute best camera or the fastest processor. What they need is reliability. A phone that lasts through their chaotic days without dying. A screen large enough for comfortable content consumption and note-taking. Performance good enough for their apps and games. And all of this at a price that doesn’t require them to skip meals for a month.

The Narzo 90x delivers on those priorities. It’s not trying to be something it’s not. It’s not pretending to compete with flagships. It’s carving out its own space—the practical, dependable, long-lasting smartphone for students and budget buyers.

My Verdict: Smart Prioritization

I’ve seen too many budget phones that try to do everything and end up doing nothing particularly well. The Narzo 90x takes a smarter approach—it identifies what matters most to its target audience and focuses on delivering those things excellently.

The 7,000mAh battery is the star of the show, and rightly so. Battery life is the most universal concern across all smartphone users, and Realme has addressed it decisively. The 144Hz display, decent processor, and water resistance are excellent supporting features that round out the package.

Is it perfect? No. The LCD display won’t blow away AMOLED enthusiasts. The camera won’t compete with dedicated camera phones. The processor won’t break benchmark records. But for someone shopping in this price segment, perfection isn’t the goal—value is.

And on value, the Narzo 90x 5G delivers impressively. I’m genuinely excited to see how this phone performs in real-world usage, particularly that battery life. If it lives up to even 80% of Realme’s claims, it’s going to be a winner.

To every student reading this who’s tired of their phone dying mid-lecture, who’s frustrated by laggy performance, who wants a reliable daily driver without breaking the bank—the Narzo 90x 5G might just be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

It launches today and goes on sale December 24. If you’re in the market for a budget smartphone, this one deserves serious consideration.

Disclaimer: This article is based on official specifications and manufacturer claims. Real-world performance may vary. Always read multiple reviews and try the phone before purchasing if possible.