Infinix Note 4 Review

Infinix released two new smartphones for the Philippines in July. One of them features a 5.7-inch display, MediaTek MT6753 octa-core CPU, 3GB RAM, Android Nougat, and a large 4,300mAh battery - the Infinix Note 4. Aimed at users who are looking for a device with a large display and battery, and a budget not exceeding Php9K. With plenty of smartphones in the market under that price range, how does the Infinix Note 4 stack up? Find out in our review.

Design and Construction

이름에서 알 수 있듯이 Note 4는 5.7인치 풀 HD 해상도 화면을 갖춘 일종의 파블릿이며, 이는 386ppi와 동일합니다. 그 위에는 수신기, 센서 및 8MP 전면 카메라가 배치되어 있습니다. 이를 보호하는 것은 스크래치 방지 2.5D 곡면 유리입니다.

아래는 지문 인식기로도 사용되는 물리적 홈 버튼입니다. 좌우 측면에는 내비게이션용 정전용량 키가 있습니다. 이 키들은 불빛이 없으며, 최근 앱(왼쪽)과 뒤로(오른쪽) 중 어느 것이 어느 것인지 즉시 알 수 있는 표시가 없습니다. 처음 사용하는 사람에게는 혼란스러울 수 있지만, 시간이 지나면 익숙해질 수 있습니다.

오른쪽에는 전원 및 볼륨 버튼이 중간 근처에 배치되어 있어 손쉽게 닿을 수 있습니다. 전원 버튼이 너무 부드럽거나 얕아 가벼운 손잡이로는 클릭이 어려운 점이 있습니다.

Found on top of the device is the 3.5mm audio port, while down at the bottom is the microUSB port, and two sets of holes for the microphone and loudspeaker.

Flip it on its back and you will see the 13MP main shooter, dual-tone LED flash and the Infinix branding. The glossy cover, although looking like glass, is made of plastic and is removable to give you access to the micro SIM slots and microSD card slot.

When it comes to its construction, the Note 4 looks premium although it’s mostly made of plastic. It also feels solid and doesn’t exhibit any creakiness. The back has curved sides for easy grip and has a glossy finish, which is also a smudge and dust magnet, to match the glass on the front.

Display and Multimedia

The display is one of the highlights of the Note 4. At 5.7 inches, it's good for those who are looking for a large-screened device without having to resort to a tablet. The 386ppi pixel density is good enough for viewing photos, watching videos, or playing games. In addition, it has good viewing angles, accurate colors, and good outdoor legibility.

Audio quality from the down-firing speaker leaves a lot to be desired. It's crisp which is good enough for hands-free voice calls but too trebly for music playback. That said, if you want to play some of your tunes on it, better use an external speaker or your favorite headphones.

OS, UI, and Apps

Software-wise, the Note 4 is running XOS Chameleon v2.3 which is based on Android 7.0 Nougat. We've had it for just a month and it already received two software updates for bug fixes and improvements. At the time of writing, it already features the August 2017 Android security patch level. We hope that Infinix continues this frequent software patches and improvements.

The user interface is similar to the previous Infinix devices. It uses multiple home screens to house its apps but you can swipe up from the bottom to list the same apps in alphabetical order, which is, again, feels redundant. We're not fond of the icons, but like with most Androids, you can simply remedy that by downloading your favorite launcher in the Play Store.

Third-party pre-installed apps are kept to a minimum - Facebook and WhatsApp. Most of them are Infinix's own apps that can be uninstalled and some from Google. There's this app though called MagicMovie that often appears on the lock-screen. It can't be uninstalled or disables which is annoying.

As for its storage, it starts at 32GB with 8.93GB already used, leaving you with around 23GB as usable, which can be expanded via its dedicated microSD card slot.

Camera

When it comes to imaging, the Infinix Note 4 uses a 13MP rear camera with dual LED flash and an 8MP front camera with LED flash as well. In-camera features are pretty basic. There's Professional (Manual), Beauty, HDR, Night, Panorama, PIP, Filters and Wide Selfie.

Images produced by the rear camera have decent quality especially if you're shooting outdoors. There are no overblown colors but could use some boost. HDR mode though is slow so you might want to steady your hands for two to three seconds. Low-light performance leaves a lot to be desired as it is very susceptible to blur and noise.

The front camera, on the other hand, can produce images with soft details but quality will suffice for uploading to social media platforms. It has a front facing LED flash with three levels of brightness which is good for taking selfies in dark environments.

As for video recording, it can record 1080p clips at 30fps in MP4 format. So far the quality is good with wide-dynamic range, although its autofocus has a hard time locking on subjects as it keeps of refocusing. Watch the sample below:

Performance and Benchmarks

Powering the Infinix Note 4 is a MediaTek MT6753 octa-core CPU clocked at 1.3GHz, Mali-T720 MP3 GPU, and 3GB RAM. So far it performed well when it comes to basic tasks like handling social media apps, surfing the web, taking photos, and running light games. The fingerprint scanner is quick and very responsive.

It can still run graphic intensive apps like Vainglory, Mobile Legends, and Asphalt Nitro but you'll notice some drop in frames. That said, don't expect consistent smooth gameplay on this device. It can also get hot while playing games which can be felt in the upper parts of the device. Check out the benchmark scores below.

• AnTuTu - 36,344
• GeekBench - 617 (Single-Core), 2,523 (Multi-Core), 1,906 (RenderScript)
• Vellamo - 1,571 (Multicore), 990 (Metal), 2,247 (Chrome)
• AndroBench - 237.01 MB/s (Read), 120.48 MB/s (Write)

Connectivity and Call Quality

Connectivity-wise, the Infinix Note 4 has full dual-SIM support meaning you can put in two SIM cards without sacrificing microSD card functionality, 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, Gyroscope, and GPS. Pretty basic but it works as advertised. Call quality is good and locks into mobile data quickly as long as you're in an area of good coverage.

Battery Life

For those who don't like charging their phones multiple times in a day, the Infinix Note 4 won't disappoint with its 4,300mAh non-removable battery. It can last us a day and a half and sometimes up to two days if go light on games and mobile data.

PC Mark's battery test rated it at 9 hours and 39 minutes. Which is good but not exactly the best in class. For comparison, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime with 4,000mAh battery and Snapdragon 625 CPU was able to achieve 18 hours and 31 minutes. Our video loop test, on the other hand, got us 15 hours and 7 minutes of playback.

Conclusion

The Infinix Note 4 offers features that you won't normally find in other smartphones in the same price range like the large 5.7-inch Full HD display, 3GB RAM, 4,300mAh battery, and Android 7.0 Nougat. In addition, it has a decent camera, dual-SIM with dedicated microSD card slot, 4G LTE, and a fingerprint scanner. It won't impress heavy mobile gamers given its processor but if you're a light to mid user, this should suffice. Lastly, it doesn't ask much for Php8,999, so if you're looking for a daily driver in this price range, this is worth considering.

Infinix Note 4 specs:
5.7-inch Full HD IPS display, 386ppi
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core CPU
Mali-T720 MP3 450MHz
3GB RAM
32GB ROM
Up to 128GB via microSD (dedicated slot)
13MP rear camera w/ dual LED flash
8MP front camera w/ LED flash
Dual-SIM (Micro)
4G/3G/2G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Hotspot
Bluetooth 4.2
A-GPS
Fingerprint recognition
USB-OTG
Android 7.0 Nougat
4,300mAh battery w/ xCharge
159 x 78.8 x 8.4 mm
198 g
Champagne Gold, Milan Black, Ice Blue

What we liked:
* Large Full HD display
* Good build
* Android Nougat out of the box
* Long battery life
* Affordable price

What we didn't:
* Body is a fingerprint magnet
* Not for heavy gaming
* Ad from a preinstalled app