Infinix Smart 5A Review: Suited for first time smartphone buyers

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The pandemic has slowed down a bit, and brands are bouncing back with new products. They are now eyeing the festive season to up their sales numbers. One category that has not seen that much competition in the last few months is the below INR 10,000. This is where Infinix comes into the picture with the Infinix Smart 5A, the company’s latest budget offering. Like we said earlier, the brand has solidified its branding in the sub-INR 10K smartphone market, especially in Tier 2 and 3 markets.

Coming in at a price tag of INR 6,999, the Infinix Smart 5A is aimed at first-time smartphone buyers and promises to bring in a lot of value. We used the Smart 5A for a week, and here’s our review.

Infinix Smart 5A Specifications

Before starting with the Infinix Smart 5A review, let’s have a look at the phone’s specifications.

  • Display: 6.52-inch IPS LCD display, HD+ resolution
  • CPU: Quad-core MediaTek Helio A20 Processor
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
  • Software: Android 11 (XOS 7.6)
  • Main Camera: 8MP + depth sensor
  • Selfie Camera: 8MP (f/2.0), LED flash
  • Connectivity: microUSB port, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio
  • Cellular: Dual SIM
  • Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, rear-mounted
  • Battery: 5,000mAh, Li-ion Polymer, non-removable

Box Contents

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Here’s a complete list of items you get inside the box:

  • Infinix Smart 5A
  • 10W charger
  • USB Cable
  • TPU Case
  • Screen protector
  • SIM Ejector Tool
  • Documentation

Design & Display

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The Infinix Smart 5A takes on the design cues from the Smart 5. The phone is made out of plastic in its entirety, with a clear acrylic layer on the back to mimic the glass feel. Depending on the colour you choose, there are different finishes on the back. Typically the phone is offered in three colours, and depending on the target demography, they all look equally well.

Despite packing a large battery and offering a decently big footprint, the phone feels light in hand. Starting with the back, we see a dual-rear camera setup disguised as a triple-camera module with the third circle housing the AI branding. Next to it lies the LED flash module. There is also a circular fingerprint sensor smacked right in the middle with the Infinix branding placed underneath.

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.

Turning the phone reveals the 6.52-inch LCD panel with an HD+ resolution and a dew-drop notch that houses the selfie camera. The bezels 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.

Infinix has been highlighting the fact that the brightness of this panel is 500 nits. A claim we found accurate during our tests. The panel used here is of excellent quality and is legible outdoors, even under direct sun. Colours come out well and can be tweaked as per your taste via settings. Of course, the HD+ resolution won’t be head-turner but is ample for light content consumption.

Software & Performance

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Talking about the software, the Infinix Smart 5A 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 many aspects of the UI, ranging from themes, custom icons, and more.

Given the amount of RAM on this smartphone, Infinix has tried to cut down on a lot of available services on their more expensive models. However, while the brand has cut down on bloatware, it is not completely gone from their smartphones.  You still get to see quite a lot of bloatware like Opera, PHX News, Flipkart, and games like Danger Dash and Mayan Jump; cut again. The Palm store is also a Play store alternative that is notorious for pushing spam notifications.

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Coming to the performance, the Infinix Smart 5A gets powered by the quad-core MediaTek Helio A20 Soc. This is a chip that is not commonly seen on budget offerings these days. Typically in this price category, the MediaTek Helio G35 or, more recently, the Unisoc T610 SoCs are making a foothold. That being said, the A20 still delivers well on the performance front.

The phone is offered in just the RAM/storage version, i.e. with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage out of the box. In addition, the phone accepts memory cards of up to 256GB. The phone performed well during our tests, which included light browsing, social media, and casual gameplays.

Cameras & Battery

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Moving to the cameras, the Infinix Smart 5A comes with a dual-camera setup on the back. There is a 8-megapixel main sensor which is assisted with a depth sensor and LED flash. Unfortunately, there is no indication of the size of that depth sensor. For selfies, there is a 8-megapixel as well, which is assisted by two LEDs on either side.

We get a basic camera app with common modes, and there is heavy use of AI baked in. However, when it comes to camera performance, there is nothing extraordinary to talk about here. The main 8-megapixel sensor takes passable shots in the daylight with decent HDR performance. However, the quality goes downhill when taking shots under challenging lighting conditions. Moving to the front camera, the same 8-megapixel is present here, which now handles selfies.

Thanks to the built-in AI, the selfies come out decent. The phone also gets a dual-LED flash setup on the front, which slightly elevates the selfies level. But, overall, given the price-point at which this is aimed, the camera performance is average at best.

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The phone comes packed with a 5,000mAh battery which is now standard in the budget segment. In our tests, the phone lasted two days with moderate usage, including web surfing, social media, texting, and occasional gaming. In addition, 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?

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The Infinix Smart 5A has a big battery and display, making it ideal for watching movies, playing games and web surfing. However, 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.

Coming in at INR 6,999, the only advantage the Smart 5A has is its nearest competitor’s INR 1,000 price difference. If a buyer can pony up that extra 1K, you can very well get the new Realme C21Y or the Narzo 20A which offered slightly better specs and overall user experience.

About the author

Yogesh Brar

The guy recommending you tech products & living on the Internet. Or you can connect with me on Twitter: twitter.com/heyitsyogesh