ITEL CITY 100

Itel City 100: Powerful Budget Smartphone with AI Features and IR Blaster

The Itel City 100 arrives as a feature-packed contender in the budget smartphone segment, offering premium specifications at an accessible price point. Launched in July 2025, this device targets users who demand modern smartphone experiences without stretching their budget . With its stunning 90Hz display, intelligent AI capabilities, and rare IR blaster functionality, the Itel City 100 proves that sophisticated technology is increasingly accessible to everyone. Let’s explore what makes this device a standout choice in today’s competitive entry-level market.

Display and Design That Commands Attention

The Itel City 100 features a generously sized 6.75-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen that delivers an immersive visual experience for all your content consumption needs . The display boasts a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of approximately 260 pixels per inch that ensures text appears crisp and images maintain clarity during everyday use . The 20:9 aspect ratio provides an ideal canvas for watching videos, browsing social media, or reading articles.

What truly sets this display apart in its segment is the inclusion of a 90Hz refresh rate, a feature typically reserved for more expensive devices . This higher refresh rate translates to buttery-smooth scrolling, more responsive touch interactions, and an overall fluid visual experience that makes navigating the interface feel premium. The screen also achieves an impressive 700 nits of peak brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even under direct sunlight conditions . With an 83 percent NTSC color gamut and 1500:1 contrast ratio, colors appear vibrant and blacks remain deep for an enhanced multimedia experience .

The IPS panel technology ensures excellent viewing angles, meaning colors and contrast remain consistent even when viewing the screen from the side. Itel has integrated Dynamic Bar 2.0, a feature that enables face unlock animations, call notifications, and battery alerts in an engaging, interactive manner around the display area .

In terms of physical design, the Itel City 100 boasts an ultra-slim 7.65 mm unibody construction, making it impressively thin for extended one-handed use . Weighing approximately 185 grams, the device strikes an excellent balance between substantial build quality and portable convenience . The premium unibody design gives the phone a sophisticated aesthetic that belies its affordable price point . Available in sophisticated color options including Fairy Purple, Navy Blue, and Pure Titanium, users can select a style that reflects their personality .

A standout durability feature is the IP64 rating, which provides protection against dust ingress and water splashes from any direction . This certification offers peace of mind for everyday use, protecting your device from accidental spills, light rain, or dusty environments. Additionally, the phone features drop resistance up to 1.5 meters, ensuring it can withstand accidental drops without compromising functionality .

Processor and Memory for Reliable Performance

Under the hood, the Itel City 100 is powered by the Unisoc T7250 chipset, built on a 12nm fabrication process that balances performance with power efficiency . This octa-core processor features a configuration of dual-core ARM Cortex-A75 clocked at 1.8 GHz and hexa-core Cortex-A55 at 1.6 GHz, providing sufficient processing power for everyday tasks like calling, messaging, web browsing, social media, and running essential applications . Graphics processing is handled by the Mali-G57 MP1 GPU running at 650 MHz, which supports casual gaming and smooth video playback . The chipset delivers performance roughly comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, ensuring capable everyday performance .

The device comes equipped with 4GB of RAM in its standard configuration, enabling smooth multitasking for everyday use . However, the Itel City 100 truly shines with its extended RAM technology that provides up to 8GB of additional virtual RAM, effectively delivering up to 12GB of total RAM for enhanced performance when running multiple applications simultaneously . Some market variants offer configurations with 6GB or 8GB of physical RAM, with virtual RAM expansion providing total usable RAM of up to 18GB or 24GB respectively . This extended RAM feature allows the device to keep more applications active in memory, reducing reload times when switching between tasks and ensuring a seamless user experience.

For storage, the Itel City 100 offers 128GB of internal memory in its standard configuration, providing ample space for apps, photos, music, and videos . Some variants feature 256GB storage options for users with extensive media libraries . The device utilizes UFS 2.2 storage technology, ensuring fast read and write speeds for app loading and file transfers . Should you need additional space, the dedicated microSD card slot supports expansion up to an impressive 2TB, giving you virtually unlimited room for your entire media library . The phone features a triple-slot tray that can accommodate two Nano-SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously, eliminating the need to choose between dual-SIM functionality and expandable storage .

The device runs on Android 14 with Itel’s Pure 14.5 OS, providing access to the latest features, security updates, and the entire Google ecosystem . The clean, intuitive interface makes it accessible for first-time smartphone users while offering enough depth for experienced users to customize their experience . The company claims the phone is optimized for up to 60 months of smooth usage, ensuring long-term reliability .

AI Features and Software Enhancements

A major highlight of the Itel City 100 is its integration of intelligent AI features through Aivana 3.0, Itel’s advanced on-device AI assistant . This smart assistant enables a wide range of productivity-enhancing capabilities that significantly elevate the user experience. Some models feature integration with DeepSeek R1 AI, accessible through a dedicated one-touch access button on the side of the device .

The AI capabilities include text extraction from images using a simple two-finger gesture, allowing users to capture and digitize text from any image effortlessly . The system can convert images into editable Word, PDF, or Excel files, making document management remarkably convenient . An AI writing suite generates, proofreads, summarizes, or rewrites text in different tones, assisting with communication tasks . The device also supports automatic generation of scanned documents from gallery images, streamlining paperwork handling . Additional AI features include image-to-text OCR conversion, writing and shopping assistance, and the ability to control apps, calls, and music through touch-free hand gestures .

Camera Capabilities for Capturing Moments

The Itel City 100 comes equipped with a capable camera setup that lets you capture life’s everyday moments with remarkable detail. On the rear, you will find a 13-megapixel primary camera with autofocus capabilities and an LED flash that handles general photography tasks with ease . The camera includes features like HDR mode and panorama mode to enhance creative possibilities . AI enhancements optimize camera performance for various shooting scenarios, ensuring your photos look their best in different lighting conditions . For video recording, the rear camera supports 1080p video capture at 30 frames per second in H.264 and H.265 formats, allowing you to record memorable moments in smooth high definition .

Up front, the device houses an 8-megapixel selfie camera for video calls, online classes, and self-portraits . The front camera is perfectly adequate for Zoom meetings, Google Meet sessions, or video calls with family members. The Face Unlock feature utilizes this front camera for convenient biometric authentication, letting you access your device instantly with just a glance .

Battery Life That Keeps You Going All Day

Powering the Itel City 100 is a robust 5200 mAh non-removable lithium-polymer battery that delivers exceptional longevity for a device of its caliber . This substantial capacity ensures the phone can comfortably sail through a full day of intensive use, including calls, messaging, web browsing, media playback, and gaming. For moderate users, the battery can stretch even further before requiring a recharge.

The efficient combination of the 12nm Unisoc processor and Android 14 contributes to optimized power consumption, ensuring you get the most out of every charge. PCMark battery life tests show the device achieving approximately 18 hours and 22 minutes under typical usage conditions, confirming its impressive endurance .

Charging is handled through a modern USB Type-C port with support for 18W fast charging, a welcome upgrade in the budget segment that ensures quicker charging times . The device includes reverse wired charging capability, allowing you to use your phone as a power bank to charge other devices in emergencies . The battery is engineered to perform reliably even in extreme temperatures ranging from -20 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees Celsius, ensuring consistent performance in diverse environments .

Network and Connectivity Options

Staying connected is effortless with the Itel City 100. The device supports Dual SIM functionality with nano-SIM cards, providing exceptional flexibility for users who need to manage personal and professional contacts on a single device . The dual-SIM capability operates seamlessly, allowing users to switch between networks or choose the best tariff for calls and data. As mentioned earlier, the dedicated triple-slot design allows both SIM cards and a microSD card to coexist without compromise .

In terms of network support, the Itel City 100 provides reliable connectivity on 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE networks, ensuring you can make calls and access data at fast speeds where available . The 4G LTE support enables smoother browsing, faster downloads, and better streaming quality with VoLTE support for enhanced call clarity. Supported bands include GSM 850/900/1800/1900 for 2G, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 for 3G, and comprehensive LTE band coverage for reliable connectivity across different regions .

For wireless connections, the phone includes Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with dual-band support (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) for internet access at home or on public networks . Bluetooth enables wireless file transfers and connectivity with accessories like headphones and speakers. Navigation is handled by built-in GPS with A-GPS support, ensuring accurate positioning using mapping applications .

A rare and valuable feature in this price segment is the inclusion of an infrared (IR) blaster, which allows the Itel City 100 to function as a universal remote control . Users can change TV channels, adjust air conditioner temperatures, and make settings changes to other IR-controlled devices directly from their smartphone, adding significant convenience to daily life .

A 3.5mm headphone jack is preserved for users who prefer traditional wired audio accessories . The device includes essential sensors like accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and compass, which enhance functionality for various applications . A side-mounted fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button provides quick, secure biometric authentication .

Audio and Multimedia Features

The Itel City 100 comes equipped with a built-in loudspeaker that delivers clear audio for calls, media playback, and notifications . Some markets include a complimentary magnetic speaker with purchases, enhancing the multimedia experience for entertainment . The device supports a wide range of audio formats ensuring compatibility with your music library.

With its compelling combination of premium design, intelligent AI features, expandable RAM, 4G connectivity, IR blaster functionality, and long-lasting battery, the Itel City 100 represents exceptional value for users seeking a versatile smartphone for everyday productivity, entertainment, and connectivity.

External Resource:

• Learn about the latest Android 14 features on the Android official website.