Infinix Note 4 First Impressions: Iterative Refinements

There is a good chance that some of you are aware that Infinix released the successor to last year’s Note 3, the Note 4. Available on Jumia for almost a week or so, the Note 4 is a phone that targets young people with its large, 1920 by 1080 display, a massive 4300mAh battery and an attractive price tag.

We have an ice blue review unit and have spent a better part of the afternoon playing around with the device.

Infinix has managed to shrink the overall footprint of the device thanks to a smaller, 2.5D (it curves and melts nicely over the side railings, making swipes over edges as comfortable as possible) 5.7-inch screen over the Note 3’s 6″ display. It makes the device a bit manageable, although it is still a large handheld so handling it with two hands is highly advisable.

Another noticeable difference in comparison to the Note 3 is that the Note 4 has dropped the back-mounted fingerprint scanner, and moved it to the front. The sensor is a passive scanner, meaning you need to press for it to respond. In other words, it is a button, and apart from securing your screen and apps, the button works as a home button. It is flanked by capacitive, dot-like keys that are non-lit. While some people may find lack of illumination and markings on the keys a little off (memory will serve you well – the right button takes you back, the one on the left opens recent apps), they work just fine.

On top of the screen is an 8MP eye with a front-facing flash for those who like the dark.

It has been mentioned that this is a device that targets young people, and these are people who do not have a lot of money, supposedly, for premium handsets that are built with premium, pricier materials. However, the Note 4 has struck the right balance when it comes to build quality. While Infinix’s camera-focused devices such as the S2 Pro and Hot S as well as its flagship, the Zero 4 have unibody design, the Note 4 takes a reserved approach with a retractable back cover. Two SIM and microSD card slots reside under that back plate – although the battery itself is non-removable, which is not a bother because you will not want to swap it if its endurance will be close to the Note 3’s.

If you ever played with Samsung Galaxy Note 5, you will notice some resemblance especially on how the back cover is deigned. Its curve is subtly prominent and snuggles naturally onto the device. Because the right amount of curves is always a welcome idea, we are happy to report that they have extended the same philosophy to this device. It is more ergonomic, and there are no sharp edges to dig into your palms during usage.

Unfortunately, the back is a block hole for smudges, which is why you should apply the included clear, plastic case

Of course, the 13MP primary camera is right there at the back with an LED flash to augment its photography duties. We have a full report about the optics department of this device in our full review.

There is no USB Type C here, so the charging and data transfer department is taken care of by micro-USB. A white charger and cable are provided, in addition to white earphones that have remained unchanged for a fourth year in a row.

Worth noting is that the unboxing experience is nice, although you need to be careful with the slide-out compartment because I almost dropped the device while checking out its contents.

Powering the device is an octa-core Mediatek MT6353 SoC with ARM Cortex A53, low-powered cores clocked at 1.3GHz. For memory, there are two gigs of RAM and 16GB of space for your files and apps.

Further tests, including mobile data speeds, Wi-Fi connectivity, a deeper dive into XOS, speaker and headphone output as well earpiece quality (for those who make ‘em phonecalls) will be reported in the full review.