InFocus Vision 3 Pro review: Affordable but not the best

Design and Display

While its predecessor had a plastic body, the Vision Pro 3 comes with a metal body making it look more premium. However, there are plastic caps for antenna bands on the top and bottom. The front panel has a 2.5D curved tempered glass.

The rear panel houses a dual camera setup alongside an LED flash. It is followed by the fingerprint sensor, which is pretty swift. The volume rockers sit on the right side beside the SIM tray. On the front, the forehead and chin are thick making the device look less attractive. Also, the company chose to use the on-screen navigation instead of separate navigation buttons.

Overall, the Vision 3 Pro comes with a decent design. It feels light and has rounded edges complementing the overall design. Despite sporting a large screen, it is ideal for one hand usage without losing the grip. Just like its precursor, the Vision 3 Pro sports a 5.7-inch display with an 18:9 ratio with 1440 x 720-pixel resolution. The screen is good for media consumption but lacks the color and contrast oomph. Also, the screen is hard to view under direct sunlight, which is a setback.

Feature and Software

Infocus surely managed to upgrade the Vision 3 Pro cramming in a MediaTek MT6750 processor. Its predecessor had a MediaTek MT6737H processor. Infocus could have gone with a newer CPU since the current CPU was seen on devices that were launched last year. The device is backed by 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, which can be expanded up to 128GB. The smartphone also offers 4G and VoLTE on both SIMs.

Software-wise, the Vision 3 Pro runs on Smile UX wrapped under Android 7.0 Nougat. What's more upsetting is that Android P is just around the corner. So, it might not make sense when you see two-generation old OS. Infocus could have shipped the device with Android 8 Oreo.

To make up for the dated software, the company has made some customization to the OS. The UI doesn't have an app drawer and all apps can be accessed from the home screen. Thankfully, the UI doesn't come with a lot of bloatware, which is a good thing. Also, the pre-installed apps can be removed. Users get an option to clear up the RAM using the S Boost feature. For security, the company has added a Face Unlock option, which works like a charm in good lighting conditions.

Camera

The Vision 3 Pro boasts a dual camera setup on the rear panel. It comprises 13MP + 8MP sensors with a wide-angle lens. The camera app offers several modes such as Pro mode, Panorama mode, and Time-lapse. Users can switch between the wide angle lens and the primary sensor. It also offers an HDR mode but the app doesn't offer a quick toggle for the feature.

As for the picture quality, the Vision 3 Pro's camera exposes underwhelming shots. The sensor is slow to focus and pictures mostly come out hazy. It comes with a PiP mode, which is similar to the 'Bothie' feature seen on Nokia's latest phones. The feature allows users to take a picture using both front and rear camera simultaneously.

Despite having big sensors, both cameras fail to handle exposure, regardless of the lighting condition. The images come out over-saturated and lack details.

Talking of the front snapper, the device has an 8MP front-facing camera. If you are someone who is fond of taking selfies, then this is definitely not your cup of tea. The pictures lack details and the noise is pretty evident. The beauty mode tries its best to make the pictures look good, but you'll have to compromise on the sharpness of the image.

Overall, the camera on the Infocus Vision 3 Pro fails to impress. Considering the camera is one of the most important features, the company should have used well-optimized sensors.

Performance

The new processors seem to have done the trick for Infocus. The smartphone comes with an improved performance over its previous iteration. Though you don't get the latest processor here, it is still good enough to handle basic tasks with ease. However, we noticed the device lagging at few instances and the screen stopped responding to the touch gestures.

In the AnTuTu benchmarks, the device managed to score 53,463. While on Geekbench it scored 630 and 2620 in single core and multi-core tests respectively. This is below par considering its contemporaries such as Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 or the Xiaomi Redmi 5 got much better scores.

Also, if you like playing games on your phone, the Infocus Vision 3 Pro could disappoint you. For basic gaming, the device works fine but shows signs of stutter while playing high-end games. The battery drains quickly while running heavy games, and you can feel the handset getting warm within few minutes of gaming. If you are a moderate user, the phone will easily last for a whole day. But, if you are a hardcore user, the battery backup might not be satisfactory.

Overall, the performance of the Vision 3 Pro isn't outstanding. You will be able to perform basic tasks smoothly but might notice few bumps during heavy usage. Considering the price of the device, the performance here is a letdown.

Verdict

The Infocus Vision 3 Pro hardly has something exceptional to offer if you keep aside the huge battery. It's a decent looking device with mediocre innards and features. However, it sure does bring better functionality over its predecessor.

It has a bigger RAM and a more storage. But that doesn't make it a threat to other smartphones falling in the same price bracket. Despite offering decent specs, it is hard to recommend the smartphone over the likes of Redmi Note 5 or the Zenfone Max Pro M1. If you are looking for a phone in this price bracket, you might wanna give this one a miss and opt for other phones with better specs on board.