Infinix Note 4 First Impressions: Promising new budget smartphone that gets the basics right

Infinix Note 4 features a 5.7-inch Full HD screen, a big 4,300 mAh battery unit, a dedicated microSD card slot and runs on the latest Android 7

By Rohit
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Infinix Note 4 and Hot 4 Pro First Impressions

Infinix, the Hong Kong based online smartphone brand has announced its first offerings- Note 4 and Hot 4 Pro budget Android smartphone in the Indian market. Backed by Transsion Holdings (also known for Tecno and iTel devices), the Chinese smartphone maker has priced the feature packed Android handsets quite aggressively and will sell them exclusively on e-commerce portal Flipkart.com by tomorrow, i.e. August 3rd 2017.

 
Infinix Note 4 First Impressions

The bigger one among the two, Infinix Note 4 sports a large 5.7-inch Full HD screen and is backed by a big 4,300 mAh battery unit that also supports fast charging. The smartphone runs the latest Android Nougat and also comes equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

What makes Infinix Note 4 stand out from the crowd in its respective price-point is the unconventional 5.7-inch 1080p screen and a dedicated microSD card slot that will let you expand the 16GB internal memory to up to 128GB. Infinix Note 4 is priced at Rs. 8,999.

The Hot 4 Pro features a 5.5-inch HD screen and is also backed by a large 4,000 mAh battery unit. The handset's highlight feature is its dual speakers powered by Dirac Stereo Widening technology that is said to deliver loud and immersive audio suited for Indian users. The Hot 4 Pro is priced at Rs. 7,499.

SEE ALSO: Infinix Note 4 and Hot 4 Pro launched in India at Rs. 7,499 and Rs. 8,999

We got a chance to test the handsets during the launch event and here's what we think of the new devices. We will primarily focus on Infinix Note 4 but will also inform you about the features of the smaller Hot 4 Pro. Let's find out what this new brand has to offer to smartphone enthusiasts in the Indian market.

Design: Sturdy built quality and removable rear covers

Design: Sturdy built quality and removable rear covers

Both the handsets sports a composite metal design that makes them quite sturdy, especially the bigger Infinix Note 4 that feels very durable in hands. While there's nothing distinctive about the front fascia of the handset, the removable plastic rear shell on the Note 4 looks quite appealing and gives the handset a premium feel.

The rear panel has been given tapered edges to make the smartphone quite ergonomic and comfortable to use in everyday life. The physical buttons on both the handsets offer good tactile feedback and you also get fingerprint scanners for added security. Infinix Note 4 has the fingerprint scanner fitted on the home button at front, while it is placed at the rear side on the Hot 4 Pro just below the camera module.

Display: Unconventional 5.7-inch Full HD screen in under Rs. 10k
 

Display: Unconventional 5.7-inch Full HD screen in under Rs. 10k

Coming onto the displays, Infinix Note 4 sports a 5.7-inch Full HD screen that at this price-point is quite an amazing deal. The display produces vibrant colours and touch response is also quite decent. The smaller Hot 4 Pro features a 5.5-inch HD screen that also feels responsive and bright.

Camera: 13MP rear camera and an 8MP shooter for selfies

Camera: 13MP rear camera and an 8MP shooter for selfies

Infinix Note 4 houses a 13MP main snapper that works on an aperture value of f/2.2. The main camera is also accompanied by a dual LED flash. The 13MP rear camera is a good performer in daylight.

The pictures it capture have good amount of details and colours also look quite accurate. Even the low-light images have good detailing but at the same time noise is also evident.

The in-built HDR is also very effective but it affects the shutter speed and requires a noticeable time to process the image you capture. The smartphone also features an 8MP selfie camera that is accompanied by an LED flash light.

Interestingly, the front LED light is customizable and you can control the intensity of light that the LED bulb emits. It's a thoughtful feature that can prevent your selfies from getting overexposed by harsh light thrown out from the LED flashlight.

We will evaluate the full potential of Infinix Note 4's camera hardware in the coming week.

Talking about the cheaper Hot 4 Pro, it also sports a 13MP rear camera and has a 5MP front camera.

 

Hardware: Octa-core CPUs and decent amount of RAM to handle multitasking

Hardware: Octa-core CPUs and decent amount of RAM to handle multitasking

Infinix Note 4 is powered by a 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6753 CPU which is paired with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone has a 32GB inbuilt storage that can be further expanded by up to 128GB via a microSD slot.

It is worth mentioning that the company has provided a dedicated microSD card so that the end users don't have to compromise on connectivity and storage. The Note 4 is a good everyday performer and I haven't noticed any major performance issues on the handset in my two days of usage. There are some minor hiccups that seem the outcome of the cluttered UI.

Surprisingly, the more affordable Hot 4 Pro also gets a dedicated microSD card slot and 2 SIM card slots. Hot 4 Pro is backed by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM. The 16GB internal storage can be further expanded by up to 128GB via microSD card.

Software: Latest Android Nougat with heavily customized OSX

Software: Latest Android Nougat with heavily customized OSX

Infinix Note 4 runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat, while the affordable Hot 4 Pro gets the previous Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The company has also deployed its custom skin- XOS UI layer that is highly customizable and comes packed with a number of useful features.

While the UI feels quite cluttered, there are some notable apps that can enhance the end user experience. For instance, the Freeze app allows you to put the apps of your choice in a container that will stop their internet activity to preserve battery and data. You also get a feature rich Theme store, a video editing app, etc.

Besides, the XOS UI also allows you to run two accounts on Facebook, WhatsApp and some other apps. The fingerprint sensor can be customized to open apps via different finger inputs and to scroll images in image library. Infinix Note 4 also allows you to run two apps on a single screen for ease of multitasking.

Battery and connectivity: Big batteries that can easily last two days

Battery and connectivity: Big batteries that can easily last two days

The new Infinix devices also boast big batteries. As per company's claims, the 4300mAh large battery on Note 4 can last for 2 days for normal usage and 1.5 days for heavy usage.

The 18W fast charging technology allows you to charge 45% in just 30 minutes. In addition, Note 4 gives you a two-hour phone call or six-hour offline music listening with just 5-minute charge. We will evaluate such claims in our comprehensive review of the handset.

The affordable Hot 4 Pro is backed by a 4,000 mAh battery unit that has to support a 5.5-inch HD screen and can also last for 1.5 days on heavy usage.

As far as connectivity is concerned, both the handsets support 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 and GPS.

Conclusion

Conclusion

The new Infinix handsets seem like a worthy addition in the sub Rs. 10k price-point. They are loaded with high-end features, some that have been seen for the first time in this particular price point.

The company has priced them aggressively that can make things tough for other Chinese brands and the Indian bound smartphone makers. It will be interesting to see how the market dynamics changes with new entrants and how many units the company actually manages to sell in the Indian market. We will keep a close eye on Infinix and its latest Android devices. Stay tuned on GIZBOT.

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