The Battery Has 8,000 Reasons to Feel Tired

The realme P4s 5G arrives with an 8,000mAh battery, 80W charging, a 144Hz 1.5K Samsung AMOLED display, Dimensity 7400 Ultra silicon, a dedicated HyperVision+ gaming chip and enough cooling hardware to suggest it was assembled inside a small air-conditioning plant. It starts at ₹34,999, climbs to ₹41,999, and then offers bank discounts that conveniently make the original pricing look like a negotiation tactic.

The display is the genuine star. The 6.78-inch AMOLED panel is sharp, colourful, smooth and impressively visible outdoors. Calling it flagship-grade may be marketing, but in this case the marketing has accidentally wandered near reality. The 144Hz refresh rate also makes scrolling and compatible gaming feel properly fluid rather than merely enthusiastic.

The phone’s gaming credentials are solid, though the launch language is less restrained. The Dimensity 7400 Ultra handles daily use and gaming well, while the HyperVision+ chip promises frame interpolation, stabilisation and image reconstruction. realme’s claims of 144fps gaming and dramatic percentage gains sound magnificent until you remember that software cannot turn mid-range silicon into a national gaming team. Performance is capable, but extended play can bring warmth and occasional stutters. The cooling system is substantial; apparently, so is the expectation that it must perform miracles.

The 8,000mAh battery is the headline feature and the least convincing piece of the sales pitch. Testing suggests roughly a day and a half of use, with a PCMark result of 21 hours and 43 minutes. That is good endurance, but it is not the two-plus-day titan fantasy implied by the branding. The battery is large enough to have its own postal address, yet still wants a charger before the second day gets comfortable.

The 80W charging is similarly less thrilling in practice. Reaching 44 per cent took around 30 minutes, 81 per cent about an hour, and a full charge roughly 87 minutes. That is perfectly serviceable, but the wattage is doing more public relations than work. A number printed in large type is not the same thing as a fast experience.

The cameras are better than expected in daylight. The 50MP main camera delivers pleasing colours and natural skin tones, and the 8MP ultrawide is useful rather than decorative. Low-light photography is weaker, with noise and lost detail appearing once the sun clocks off. This is a gaming-focused phone that can photograph dinner, provided dinner is not hiding in a dim restaurant.

The design is distinctive, particularly in Electric Cyan, with faux-internals styling, stripes and an orange power button. It looks like a gaming phone designed by a committee that had just discovered energy drinks. The fibre-glass back collects fingerprints, and the 208g body can feel top-heavy, but the construction is sound. The IP66, IP68 and IP69 ratings are meaningful protection, not decorative brochure confetti.

Early user reaction is understandably divided. People who value the bright display, big battery and gaming extras are finding plenty to like. Others see a phone priced into competition with devices offering faster processors, better cameras or more consistent overall value. Both camps are reading the same product; realme has simply supplied enough adjectives to make the argument louder.

At ₹31,999 after offers, the P4s 5G becomes interesting. At ₹34,999, it is expensive. At ₹41,999, realme is asking customers to subsidise the launch campaign and applaud the privilege.

Buy the realme P4s 5G only on discount; at full price, its titan battery is merely a very large hostage to the marketing department.