For the last few months, Infinix has been churning out some great smartphones in the budget segment of under Rs 10,000. One such device is the Infinix S4. While the S4 focuses on a 32MP selfie camera, it’s rear camera is supposedly quite good too. Let us dive into the full review to see if that turns out to be true.
The phone comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage priced at Rs 8,999. The phone will be available for purchase from Flipkart starting from May 28.
Specifications – Infinix S4 Review
| Design | Dimension: 156.7 x 75.3 x 8.3 mm |
| Material: Glass | |
| SIM: Dual Nano SIM | |
| Display | Type: HD IPS, LCD Capacitive touchscreen |
| Size: 6.2-inches | |
| Screen Resolution: 19:9, 720 x 1520 pixels | |
| Multi-touch: Yes | |
| Software and performance | Operating System: Android 9.0 Pie |
| Chipset: Octa-Core 2.0GHz, MediaTek Helio P22 | |
| RAM: 3GB RAM | |
| Internal Storage: 32GB | |
| Card Slot: Yes, up to 128GB (dedicated slot) | |
| Camera | Primary: Triple rear sensors 13MP + 8MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera: 32MP | |
| Network and Connectivity | WLAN: WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, WiFi direct, hotspot |
| 2G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | |
| 3G: WCDMA: B1 2100MHz / B8 900 MHz / 1900 MHz / 850 MHz | |
| 4G: Yes | |
| Bluetooth: Yes, v5.0 | |
| USB: Yes, microUSB 2.0 | |
| Loudspeaker: Yes | |
| Audio Jack: Yes, 3.5mm | |
| Fingerprint Sensor: Yes | |
| NFC: No | |
| Infrared: No | |
| Sensor: Proximity, Accelerometer, Light Sensor, Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Gravity | |
| Battery | Capacity: 4,000mAh, non-removable |
| Type: Li-ion | |
| Fast Charging: NO | |
| OTG Support: YES |
Infinix S4 Review: Design and Build
Probably one of the major talking points on this device. The Infinix S4 has a gorgeous 6.2-inch screen which has good color reproduction and contrasts. The selfie camera is placed in a waterdrop notch which is in tandem with industry standards these days.
The back panel is similar to the S3 Plus. It is unlikely that this is made up of glas but it does give a glass-like feeling and the gradient underneath is spectacular. However, slapping a case on the device would be your best bet.
Nonetheless, there’s no refuting that the Infinix S4 is super comfortable to wield – which really is saying something since the phone houses a massive 4,000mAh battery. The charging port at the bottom is microUSB. The dual SIM tray on the left edge has a dedicated card slot.
The volume rocker keys and the power button settle on the right edge while the loud speaker, charging port, headphone jack and microphone inhabit the bottom edge of the Infinix S4.
Flipping the phone reveals not one, not two but three camera modules aligned in a vertical setup with a quad-LED flashlight just below them.
On the downside, the fingerprint scanner requires us to really stretch our index fingers all the way to the top. But there is Face Unlock too and it proved to be a more reliable alternative on the handset. However, fingerprint will still be used by the majority since the S4 has no front flashlight to illuminate a user’s face for face unlock in dark environment.
Infinix S4 Review: Display
The gorgeous HD IPS, LCD Capacitive touchscreen display is what really makes the S4 tick. The display has a resolution of 720p x 1520p. We have come to terms that 720p is the standard on Infinix devices of this price range. However, the water drop notch that makes for a visibly large display wins back some love. The HD+ panel also ensures that the 4,000 mAh can serve you longer.
The colour rendering on the screen is all but spectacular with a level of readability in direct sunlight that won’t make you complain. However, Infinix would do better in this area. Eye care mode is present to make for a comfortable reading experience at night.
Infinix S4 Review: Performance and Software
The Infinix S4 has an Octa-Core 2.0GHz, MediaTek Helio P22 chipset that has a higher clock speed than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430’s 1.4GHz. This octa-core mobile platform is rather mediocre but does all the day to day Android business with ease. It is also one of the best you can get on a phone at this price.
We didn’t face any issues with regular usage, even when engaging with multiple apps. However, high-end games lagged and we would not suggest it for serious gaming.
Both the fingerprint sensor and face unlock are moderately fast.
The Infinix S4 boots Android 9 Pie blended with Infinix’s in house XOS 5 Cheetah. The software skin is fine, and comes with a lot of features. But in our humble opinion, the time for custom skins is long gone and companies should focus on giving stock android experience, which is not just smoother and faster, but crispier too.
Let’s speak about the new all-pervading smart panel. As with out last Infinix review, we really like this feature and found ourselves using it regularly.
The phone supports 4G connectivity. Also, call quality is clear and we didn’t face any issue with calling or connectivity in our area.
Infinix S4 Review: Battery and Audio
The Infinix S4 packs a non-removable 4,000mAh battery unit and this is actually at par with battery focused devices like the itel P33. The device is charged via a microUSB port, Infinix could have earned brownie points for providing USB-C and quick charging, but it did not.
The 4,000mAh battery backup on the Infinix S4 is reliable and Infinix S4 can easily last a day of heavy usage. However, it doesn’t support fast charging; meaning you have to turn to the bundled regular charger and it will take about 2 hours to fully charge the phone.
We thoroughly used the device with a couple of hours of Netflix, Spotify, Social media apps and mail accounts in the background. Not to mention a couple of hours of voice calls on 4G VoLTE. We ended our day with 20% juice still left in the device.
On average usage, you can register two days of battery. Although the S4 wasn’t specifically made for consumers who prioritize battery backup above all else, its battery stamina is still commendable.
The audio output via loudspeaker at the back is fairly decent. When using headphones, the audio experience is good.
Infinix S4 Review: Camera Performance
This is the business end of the S4, cameras. The rear camera is a bazooka of sensors. The camera unit embraces a 13MP autofocus sensor, an 8MP fixed focus wide angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor that makes for better portraits that than software powered bokeh effect.
The Image quality is fairly better than the Smart 3 Plus and the wide angle pictures turn out very well.
The camera has a couple of shooting modes that we are already familiar with from other Infinix devices. However, the Infinix S4 camera is heavy on artificial intelligence. The normal mode is the AI Cam. This means that the camera automatically adjusts the settings to give you the perfect shot in different lighting conditions and subject movement.
There is also AR Shot on both cameras. Sure, this is a fun feature, but nothing more than that.
The selfie camera, has a higher resolution 32MP sensor and this increase is accompanied by an analogous improvement in selfie quality. The selfies look stunning and super detailed.
The selfie camera takes nice photos in illuminated environments but things begin to change as night approaches. Low light performance is sub-par but in level with what is seen on devices at this price point.
Infinix S4 Review: Verdict
The shinning body and spec sheet of the Infinix S4 almost make its predecessors feel inferior. For 8,999, you get a large 6.2-inch display with a small water drop notch, better selfies, better connectivity, a better portrait mode for the rear camera and a wide-angle lens.
When compared to the emerging competition from Xiaomi and Samsung M line, what the S4 doesn’t offer in quality makes it up in beauty and affordability.
If you are not much into high-end gaming, would value selfie quality over build material and lack of fast charging, and are restricted by a budget, the Infinix S4 won’t disappoint.
