Lately, Infinix has grown as a powerful force in the budget segment. Seeing the number of first-time smartphone users going for the budget and ultra-budget phones, it is understandable how established brands have started noticing this segment.
We have already seen offerings from Realme, Poco and Redmi. Even legacy makers like Lava are making a comeback. Infinix is back with a new product called the Infinix Smart 5. The phone packs in a huge display and battery while sticking to the smartphone basics. It is being offered in the Indian market at a sticker price of INR 7,199.
We have been using the Infinix Smart 5 for a while now, and if you are in the market looking for a smartphone at a very tight budget, this review is for you.
Infinix Smart 5 Specifications
Before starting with the Infinix Smart 5 review, let’s have a look at the phone’s specifications.
- Display: 6.82-inch IPS LCD display, HD+ (720 x 1640 pixels) resolution
- CPU: Octa-core MediaTek Helio G25 Processor
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
- Software: Android 10 (XOS 7)
- Main Camera: 13MP (f/2.0, PDAF) + depth sensor
- Selfie Camera: 8MP (f/2.0), LED flash
- Connectivity: microUSB port, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio
- Cellular: Dual SIM
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, rear-mounted
- Battery: 6,000mAh, Li-ion Polymer, non-removable
Box Contents
Here’s a complete list of items you get inside the box:
- Infinix Smart 5
- 10W charger
- Micro USB Cable
- TPU Case
- Screen protector
- SIM Ejector Tool
- Documentation
Design & Display
When looking at the Smart 5, you can’t neglect how big this phone is. It follows the Infinix design language that we are now familiar with. They have been making extremely large phones for a while now, including the Note 7, which has a 6.9-inch display. The phone has a polycarbonate construction with a pattern on the back.
It is being offered in a bunch of colours. Starting with the back, we get to see a dual-rear camera setup which is disguised as a quad-camera. At first glance, you might not notice the two dummy lenses; this is a clever touch. There is also a fingerprint sensor in the centre, while Infinix branding lies underneath.
The button placement, the power button and the volume rockers are located on the right side of the device. A SIM tray on the left-hand side, followed by the speaker grill, micro-USB port, microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom.
Turning the phone reveals the massive 6.82 LCD with an HD+ resolution and a dewdrop notch. The bezels all around have been kept to a minimum except for the chin; this can be justified given the price. The display’s quality is decent, but the sheer size of it coupled with just an HD+ resolution is a led-down.
The display gets sufficiently bright, and outdoor visibility is decent. The colours come out well and can be tweaked as per your taste via settings. Overall, the display is above average at best; It could’ve been better; we got to see an FDH panel, but this is still ideal for content consumption.
Software & Performance
Talking about the software, the Infinix Smart 5 runs Android 10 with its custom XOS 7 on top. XOS is a highly customizable skin on top of Android and lets you change many aspects of the UI, ranging from themes, custom icons, and more. The UI animations here are kept to the minimum, which is a plus.
There are nifty additions in UI like a Game Boost mode, Bike-mode that features auto-call rejection and auto-replies. Like with other custom skins, you get to see quite a lot of bloatware here as well. Apps like Opera, PHX News, Flipkart, and games like Danger Dash and Mayan Jump, cut again. There is also the Palm store, a Play store alternative that is notorious for pushing spam notifications. On the plus side, some of these apps can be uninstalled or disabled from the settings.
Coming to the performance, the Infinix Smart 5 gets powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio G25 SoC. We have been lately seeing this SoC on several smartphones, like the Moto E7 Power and Redmi 9A. The phone is being offered in just a single variant with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. This is a bummer, in our opinion. The Helio G25 is a capable chipset able to push the phone through day-to-day tasks but struggles when put under stress.
Since the RAM is too low, the phone killing apps in the background to keep RAM free. Though Infinix has tried to minimise this by optimising the RAM management, it’s still not enough. During our tests, which included light browsing, social media, and casual gameplays, the phone performed well. We did try some gaming, and games like Call of Duty Mobile ran low to medium settings. The gameplay was not that sluggish but not that great either. Given the guts of the phone, games with light graphics can be played well on this.
Cameras & Battery
Moving to the cameras, the Infinix Smart 5 comes with a dual-camera setup on the back. While the camera module might look like one having quad-cams, one of that lens is a dummy with AI branding slapped to it while the other houses the LED flash. There is a 13-megapixel main sensor which is assisted with a depth sensor.
There is an 8-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies with two LED flash modules on either side. We get a fairly basic camera app with common modes, and there is heavy use of AI baked in. Images taken by the main sensor in broad day-light come out decent. The HDR performance is also average at best. With the additional depth sensor, we get some amount of background blur, which elevates the shots.
In lowlight, as we expected, the main sensor did struggle a bit but kicking in the SuperNight did help brighten the subjects. Moving to the front camera, the 8-megapixel selfie shooter produces above-average shots in-line with the smartphone’s price. Though the skin tones are way-off in our opinion and they can see a bit of beautification being done in the background despite the being turned off.
The phone comes packed with a 6,000mAh battery which is now becoming a standard in the budget segment. What isn’t standard is the use of a MicroUSB port. In our tests, the phone lasted two days with moderate usage, which comprised web-surfing, social media, texting, and occasional gaming. This can be attributed to the Helio G25. The phones come with a 10W charger inside the box, and using the same brick; we were able to top-up the phone in a little over 2 ½ hours.
Pros
- Big display ideal for content consumption
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Bundled Bloatware
- Camera performance can be better.
- MicroUSB charging port
Verdict- Should you buy it?
The Infinix Smart 5 has a big battery and display, making it ideal for watching movies, playing games and web surfing. Given the 2GB RAM, the performance isn’t the best in this segment. Perhaps a variant with a little more extra RAM to spare would’ve been great.
Given the current competition in the ultra-budget segment, Smart 5’s survival seems very difficult. Alternatives that you could explore are the Poco C3 and the Moto E7 Power.
