I don’t know what’s going on at Itel HQ, but we need to talk about the Itel City 100. Who approved the name City 100? What city? What 100? Is this a coded message to urban planners? Or is it supposed to sound futuristic? Either way, this naming scheme is weird—and honestly, a little out of character.
Itel usually sticks with the good ol’ S, P, and A series, so this “City” line is something new. And judging by the specs, they’re aiming for something a bit more refined than their usual budget basics.
Looking at this device, I can’t help but think that Itel borrowed a leaf (maybe even the whole branch) from the Redmi A5 4G. It’s got similar performance goals, a comparable price, and a slightly polished finish. But let’s see if this is more than just a budget Redmi knock-off.
Itel City 100 – Specs Sheet
| Category | Specs |
|---|---|
| Body | Plastic, 185g, IP64 |
| Display | 6.75″ HD+ (720p) IPS LCD, 90Hz, 260ppi, 700 nits |
| SoC | Unisoc T7250 |
| OS | Android 14 (Pure OS 14.5) |
| RAM & Storage | 4/6/8GB LPDDR4X, 128/256GB UFS 2.2 |
| Rear Camera | 13MP |
| Front Camera | 8MP |
| Video | 1080p@30fps |
| Audio | Single mono speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Comms | 4G LTE (Cat 7), WiFi 5, BT 5.0, GPS, USB-C |
| Features | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
| Battery | 5200mAh, 18W fast charging |
| Price (4/128GB) | ₦115,480 |
Body
Plastic—as expected, okay. No one’s expecting titanium at this price, and at 185g, it strikes a balance between lightweight and sturdy. The IP64 rating, though? That’s a nice touch. You don’t usually see this level of water resistance on budget phones, so this one scores a point for durability.
Display
It ships with a HD+ (720p) on a 6.75” panel with 90Hz refresh rate and 260ppi. The 720p resolution is what’s to be expected at this level—not bad, not good either. You’ll see a little blur here and there, especially on text. There’s support for a 90Hz refresh rate and at 700 nits, outdoor visibility should be decent.
Verdict? Just enough to get by. Don’t expect brilliance.
SoC – Unisoc T7250
Now we’re talking. The Unisoc T7250 is basically a rebranded T615, with 2 Cortex A75 and 6 Cortex A55 cores. It sits nicely between the Helio G81 and the Snapdragon 680, but it’s noticeably better than the Unisoc T606 you find in the Itel P55 or Infinix Smart 8.
This is a budget SoC, yes, but it handles multitasking, apps, and light to medium gaming better than most SoCs in this price range. And with UFS 2.2 storage and LPDDR4X RAM, performance won’t feel sluggish.
OS – Pure OS 14.5 (Android 14)
It appears Itel has finally dropped the bloat and forced ads. If so, then the Pure OS is the clean slate we’ve been begging for. Based on Android 14, this is a big step up from the usual Android 12 Go Edition madness we’ve seen on past Itel phones.
Assuming they didn’t sneak in unwanted apps, this could be a huge win.
RAM & Storage
This part feels surprisingly premium for a budget phone:
- LPDDR4X RAM means faster memory access.
- UFS 2.2 storage means faster app launches and smoother multitasking.
- Up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage? That’s wild at this level.
Even the 4/128GB base model at ₦115K feels like a good deal.
Cameras & Video
A 13MP main shooter and an 8MP selfie cam, both doing 1080p@30fps. Nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done.
- Daylight shots? Probably usable.
- Lowlight? Don’t count on it.
- Video? Just hold the phone steady and don’t expect miracles.
This is typical budget cam performance—serviceable, not spectacular.
Sound
Single mono speaker = meh. It’ll work for voice notes and calls, but don’t expect depth, clarity, or stereo separation. Thankfully, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is always a blessing.
Comms
All the basics are covered:
- 4G LTE (Cat 7) – solid
- WiFi 5 – okay
- Bluetooth 5.0 – nice
- USB-C – always welcome
No 5G, but let’s be real—no one at this price is expecting that.
Features
A side-mounted fingerprint scanner is better than rear-mounted or none at all. It’s a small thing, but it helps give the phone a more modern feel.
Battery
5200mAh is excellent. This should last easily 1.5 to 2 days for average users.
Charging is 18W, which is… meh. Not slow, but don’t expect miracles either. You’re looking at around 2 hours+ from 0 to 100%.
Price – ₦115,480 (4/128GB)
Itel really came for Redmi and Tecno with this pricing. At ₦115K, this is offering more polish than the Spark 20 or Redmi A3 in the same bracket. Even the Redmi A5 4G starts to sweat a bit when you compare spec-for-spec.
Conclusion – A New Direction for Itel?
The Itel City 100 is far from perfect, but Itel seems to have taken lessons from Redmi, sprinkled in some common sense, and delivered a device that’s good enough for budget users without feeling cheap or embarrassing.
If they keep this up, Itel might finally shake its reputation as the “backup phone” brand.
TL;DR
- Good: Solid performance, clean Android, big battery, decent storage, IP64.
- Meh: 720p screen, 90Hz refresh, single mono speaker, 18W charge.
- Bad: Cameras are basic.
Verdict: If you’re on a tight budget and want more than just the basics, this is a solid buy.
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