Infinix Smart 2 Review – Defines “value for money” in the budget market

The budget range smartphones in India are plenty, and some of them majorly from Xiaomi are what make an impact and impress the users when they have to spend less, yet get a good experience. One of the other brands that has been trying to offer decent phones in the same price range is Infinix, evident with the latest launch of the Infinix Smart 2 that was priced at Rs. 5999, and there was a good set of specs on the paper for the price tag.

The device comes with the rather smaller 5.45-inch display, and we call it smaller because of the fact that it has the 18:9 aspect ratio that makes the phone taller yet easily comfortable in the hand for most of the users. While it seems there is quite a lot offered in most of the aspects, let’s get on with the review to find out if it is a good bet for the money, though we are looking at a phone that is priced at just Rs. 5999, and there surely should be some compromises to be seen.

Infinix Smart 2 Specs

• 5.45-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display, 1440 x 720 pixels screen resolution
• 500 nits brightness
• MediaTek 6739 quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, expandable with MicroSD card by up to 128GB
• 13-megapixel rear camera, PDAF, F/2.0, Dual LED flash
• 8-megapixel front camera, Dual LED flash
• Dual SIM, Dual VoLTE
• 3050 mAh battery
• Android 8.1 Oreo based XOS 3.3

The specs above do make it look like the phone is well powered, with only the uncertainty about the chipset and its performance. For the design, the phone is comfortable enough to hold and has the curvy corners on the back to make it easier to reach out to the corners while having a firm grip on the device. It is a polycarbonate back, making it a light affair and the Black that we got can easily house some smudges, though removing them from this matte back is easy. The Infinix Smart 2 has the MicroUSB port on the bottom, and alongside that is the 3.5mm headset jack and the microphone, while the right side of the device has the power and volume buttons.

The back cover of the device is removable and pulling that out would reveal the two SIM slots, a dedicated MicroSD card slot, and the speaker outlet towards the bottom, and the battery that cannot be removed. Something you would easily notice is that there is no fingerprint sensor and since that has been a common inclusion now, it might seem like a dealbreaker for some, though the company is trying to make it up by offering the Face Unlock feature.

The display is bright, and it was noticeably good under bright sunlight but at the same time, cranking up the brightness to full would take a toll on the colors displayed. Still, this is not something we’ve seen always on the device and the display with the HD+ resolution is good enough for the regular usage, browsing, and entertainment.

The Infinix Smart 2 has the XOS 3.3 based on Android Oreo and the UI is no different from how it is offered on the other Infinix phones, so you can expect to see the gesture features and a different one from the stock Android. It is quite an easy interface to use and understand even for the first time users, but you will still have to spend time digging into the settings and set things based on your preference. The UI offers its own security for the privacy of the data and apps, and that is through the XHide option.

There is not much to expect on the performance front as the MediaTek MT6739 processor can only do so much, but the interface isn’t sloppy and would not feel slowing down with the regular tasks in hand. Though, trying out some high-end games on the phone did give a choppy experience but we won’t blame it for that, as the regular affair of Temple Run 2 and Subway Surfers was handled well enough. The phone does tend to get a little warm when playing the 720p videos which it can play at best, and that gets worse when the same is being done using one of the SIM card networks.

Similarly, there shouldn’t be a brilliant performance expected with the cameras as well but it doesn’t do a fully shabby job either. The 13MP camera on the back has the F/2.0 aperture and that is a little helpful in taking pictures in conditions where there is no appreciable good light available. You still got to give it to the company for offering a good set of cameras here, both on the rear and front, in a price segment where cameras are usually just an inclusion. There is also the 8MP front camera for the selfies and that does a fine job with the selfies, except that zooming into the pictures easily shows lack of details.

[Camera samples to be updated soon]

The Infinix Smart 2 has a 3050 mAh battery that was capable of giving about a day’s usage, but that is not the case with the two SIM cards being active all day long. The best part with the connectivity is that Dual VoLTE connectivity that makes it possible for users to use two SIM cards and that too active on VoLTE networks, which is not common even in the mid-range devices. This works quite well and we tried using two Jio SIM cards together and there was no issue at all.

Final Verdict

Let’s keep the verdict based on the price and the other phones offered in the same range. Xiaomi still offers the Snapdragon chipsets in this price, keeping the trust on the performance and updates alive, but they do lose out against the Infinix Smart 2 with the fact that the latter has the taller display, a decent set of cameras, and the features like dedicated MicroSD card slot and the dual VoLTE that makes it a better deal for that price of Rs. 5999.