Introduction
With the announcement of Infinix S5 Pro, Infinix is ready to challenge the competitors in the affordable price range. Infinix is that smartphone brand that has majorly focussed on the budget segment in the Indian market. Infinix has been famous all this while for showcasing the features from mid-range devices at an unbelievable cost. With Infinix Hot 8 Pro and S5 Lite being hot-selling earlier in 2019 because of their triple-camera setup, Infinix has come back with Infinix S5 Pro, this time again with the specifications of upper segment devices.
The newly launched Infinix S5 Pro is the first device under 10k to show off a pop-up selfie camera and a minimal bezel display. Apart from this, it has an exciting design and an improved performance from the past.
Also Read: Best Smartphones under 10000
Let’s check if the smartphone is worthy enough to leave an impression on the user!
Prices in India, Variants, Availability
Infinix S5 Pro is launched at an attractive price of Rs. 9,999 for the 4GB/64GB model, which is the only model available. It is available exclusively on Flipkart in two colour variants – Forest Green and Violet.
Box Contents
The unboxing of the Infinix S5 Pro is pretty much the same as any other device in the segment. The box contents of the device include:
- The device itself
- Micro USB cable
- SIM ejection tool
- 2-pin Charging Adapter
- User manual and documentation
- Silicone Protective transparent case
Specs at a glance
Before we get into the device and its in-depth review, let’s have a quick look at the key specifications. Here is the list of what the device is offering in just Rs.9999:
- Display: 6.53-inch(16.59cm) FHD+ Display, 2340 x 1080 Pixels
- Chipset: MediaTek Helio P35 (MTK6765) Processor
- RAM & ROM: 4GB/64GB
- Software: XOS 6.0 on Android 10
- Rear cameras: 48MP + 2MP + Low Light Sensor
- Selfie camera: 16MP Pop-Up selfie camera
- Battery: 4000 mAh Li-ion Polymer Battery
- Weight: 194g
- Dimensions: 162.5×76.88×8.95mm
With key specs discussed, let’s jump right into the review of the Infinix S5 Pro.
Design and Build
Infinix has worked a lot on this device, and it is apparent at first looking at the design. Infinix S5 Pro flaunts an attractive design which doesn’t look inexpensive from any angle. The rear panel is made of plastic that shows a glossy finish and is a fingerprint magnet and attracts a lot of smudges. Since it has a glass-like coating on top of a plastic body, it shines bright and reflects light. The two vibrant colour options of Violet and Forest Green give it a unique look. The rear panel sports a 3D glass finish. There is a triple camera module bumping out of the back panel, which is evident when you lay it on a plane surface. The fingerprint scanner is placed in the centre of the rear panel.
On the front, we see a big minimum bezel display with a pop-up selfie mechanism. The size is too big for a single hand operation which might disturb a few people. The bezels around the chin are pretty slim and make the viewing experience great.
Infinix has provided a triple card slot on the left side for dual sim operation and an expandable memory card. The power button and volume rockers come on the right side for handy use. The bottom edge features a 3.55-mm headphone jack which a lot of users still want, a micro-USB charging jack which stands as a disappointment as in many devices in this segment as we already see the USB Type-C charging. We also get to see a bottom-firing speaker and a mouthpiece on the bottom.
Display
One of the key selling points of the Infinix S5 Pro is it’s large 6.53-inch FHD+ Full View display which is fitted on an IPS LCD panel. The display is notch-less and provides an immersive full viewing experience to the user for watching movies or gaming. Infinix has provided a screen protector in the retail box itself, so you don’t have to worry about the scratches.
The colour output on the screen comes out vivid and sharp because of a resolution of 1080 x 2340 with 395 PPI and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The maximum brightness on the Infinix S5 Pro averages at 360 nits only which makes it difficult to use the device in direct sunlight even though the screen is much bright.
The Infinix S5 Pro is supported by the lowest Widevine CDM level – L3 which does not support HD streaming for any of the entertainment apps and sticks to 480p video streaming only. The Infinix S5 Pro is supported by the lowest Widevine CDM level – L3 which does not support HD streaming for any of the entertainment apps and sticks to 480p video streaming only.
Performance
Looking at the price tag, the users also don’t really expect exceptional performance in such devices due to the absence of powerful chipsets. Infinix S5 Pro is powered by a 2.3 GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 processor which is the best till date by Infinix, supported by 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB to give a decent performance. The Helio P35 chipset is an octa-core processor manufactured on the 12nm process. There is no sign of lagging while using the device for day to day usage like making calls, using WhatsApp, watching videos, browsing the web and taking a few photos. We are taken aback when it comes to extensive gaming as not all games run smooth, although basic gaming is possible, like arcade games. Even multitasking is a challenge. The plastic body of the Infinix S5 Pro heats up on excess use.
Software
The phone runs on Infinix’s custom user interface XOS 6.0 Dolphin which is based on the latest Android 10 operating system. The XOS 6.0 is customisable and comes with many pre-installed third-party apps and a lot of interesting features which the users would definitely love, our favourite being the floating window that provides a shortcut to your most-visited applications. Adding to this, there are a lot of options for battery saving, smart panel and many customisable themes for you to choose from.
Something that we found totally disappointing was that you get to see a lot of unnecessary advertisements all across the user interface.
Infinix has always attracted customers with the price tag, and with Infinix S5 Pro at Rs.9,999 it keeps this maintained. After the success of the predecessors Infinix Hot 8 and S5 Lite, Infinix made sure that they made the necessary improvements, still a way to go for the making a clean UI and make their devices run on a better processor.
The pop-up selfie camera, face unlock, fingerprint scanner, triple rear camera and a great display make it a good budget competitor. There is no other smartphone which can give a full view notch-less screen at this price which makes the Infinix S5 Pro stand out of the league. Keeping in mind that it is an entry-level smartphone, it delivers an overall balanced performance.
