Infinix has been slowly making inroads into solidifying its space in the sub-10K market. Their presence over the past few months in Tier 2 and Tier 3 offline markets. Most of these phones have been made by keeping that audience in mind. Over the years we have reviewed quite many products from the brand and have mostly seen quality offerings from them.
We now have yet another phone from the brand for review and this is the Infinix Note 10. The phone packs in a lot of hardware that you might have seen in the past Infinix products like a large display, 48MP camera and more in under INR 11,000.
We have been using the Infinix Note 10 for a while now, and if you are in the market looking for a smartphone at a tight budget, this review is for you.
Infinix Note 10 Specifications
Before starting with the Infinix Note 10 review, let’s have a look at the phone’s specifications.
- Display: 6.95-inch IPS LCD display, FHD+ resolution, 20.5:9 aspect ratio
- CPU: Octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 Processor
- RAM: 4/6GB
- Storage: 64/128GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
- Software: Android 11 (XOS 7.6)
- Main Camera: 48MP (f/1.8, PDAF) + 2MP (f/2.4) depth sensor + 2MP Monochrome sensor
- Selfie Camera: 16MP (f/2.0), LED flash
- Connectivity: USB Type-C port, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio
- Cellular: Dual SIM
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, side-mounted
- Battery: 5,000mAh, Li-ion Polymer, non-removable
Box Contents
Here’s a complete list of items you get inside the box:
- Infinix Note 10
- 10W charger
- USB Cable
- TPU Case
- Screen protector
- SIM Ejector Tool
- Documentation
Design & Display
If you gave used an Infinix smartphone in the past or have even looked at one, you would remember the sheer size of these phones. The brand is known for making smartphones with massive displays and the Note 10 is no exception. The phone is large and heavy but feels sturdy in the hand.
The entire construction is done in plastic with a nice two-tone style finish on the back. The phone is sure a head turner and punches above its weight in terms of pure looks. Infinix has been thoughtful enough with the colour pallet as well. Starting off with the back, we get to see a triple-rear camera setup which is disguised as a Penta-camera module when you factor in the flash module location as well.
Coming to 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. Instead of a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, we now get a modern side-mounted unit.
Turning the phone reveals the massive 6.95-inch LCD panel with an FHD+ resolution and a punch-hole that houses the selfie camera. The bezels all around have been kept to a minimum except for the chin, this can be justified given the price, but these are still better given the competition.
The panel used here is of very good quality and is legible outdoors even under direct sun. We do not have an exact brightness figure but it good enough for most users out there. Colours come out well and can be tweaked as per your taste via settings. Infinix has finally embraced a Full HD panel which we have been wanting for a long time.
Software & Performance
Talking about the software, the Infinix Note 10 runs the latest Android 11 build with the company’s XOS 7.6 skin on top. XOS much like MIUI or ColorOS is a highly customizable skin laid on top of Android and lets you change a whole lot of aspects of the UI, ranging from themes, custom icons, and more.
The UI just on their counterparts is filled with animations which the phone portrays well due to a decent chip inside. There are nifty additions in UI as well like a Game Boost mode, auto-call rejection, and auto-replies. You still get to see quite a lot of bloatware like Opera, PHX News, Flipkart, and games like Danger Dash and Mayan Jump, make a cut again. There is also the Palm store, which is 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 Note 10 gets powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 Soc Though this chip is now a bit old, but it still holds its ground well and has been lately popping up on several smartphones. The phone is being offered in two RAM configurations with either 4GB or 6GB with 64GB and 128GB internal storage respectively.
The Helio G85 is a capable chipset able to push the phone through day-to-day tasks but struggles when put under stress. This is in part due to the excellent RAM management that has always been a powerful suite on Infinix smartphones. 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 at low to medium settings without any struggle.
Cameras & Battery
Moving to the cameras, the Infinix Note 10 comes with a triple-camera setup on the back. There is a 48-megapixel main sensor which is assisted with a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a 2-megapixel monochrome lens.
There is a 16-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies which is tucked away inside a punch-hole giving the phone a modern look. Collectively this is the same camera specification we saw on the Infinix Hot 10S sometime back. We get a basic camera app with common modes and there is heavy use of AI baked in. Images taken by the main sensor in broad daylight come out decent. The HDR performance is also decent. 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 mode did help brighten the subjects. Moving to the front camera, the 16-megapixel selfie shooter produces above-average shots in line with the price of the smartphone.
Large batteries are becoming a standard in Infinix smartphones and overall, we see something here as well. The phone comes packed with a 5,000mAh battery which is low in comparison to other Infinix smartphones. Infinix has finally done away with the MicroUSB port and has adopted a Type-C slot here. In our tests, the phone lasted two days with moderate usage which comprised web surfing, social media, texting, and occasional gaming. The phone comes 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.
Verdict- Should you buy it?
The Infinix Note 10 improves on a lot of aspects that we had been highlighting in our reviews. They now have an improved processor and a main 48-megapixel camera on the rear which have collectively bumped the experience.
The display resolution has been bumped to Full HD+ and we now have a modern Type-C port here. There are still areas where the brand needs to work upon. The fact that the phone still comes with a lot of bloatware is a concern and we hope Infinix removes at least some of these apps on future devices.
Given the starting price of INR 10,999, the Infinix Note 10 is a step up from the other Infinix products and can be a good buy for a lot of people offline.
