The Infinix S4 is the latest smartphone from Infinix launched mid last month and I’ve been using it as my daily driver since then and this is my definitive full review. I even compared it with the Huawei Y7 Prime 2019 to see how it stacks up against competing smartphones in its price category. Sorry for digressing so let’s get to the review and tell you why this is my next smartphone and hopefully you too.
Here’s what the Infinix S4 packs:
Infinix S4 Specifications and Price in Kenya
| Display | Type | IPS LCD display with waterdrop notch |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.2" HD+ | |
| Resolution | 720*1500 | |
| Protection | 2.5D glass covering | |
| Platform | Operating System | XOS v5.0 Cheetah on top of Android Pie |
| Chipset | Mediatek’s Helio P22 SoC | |
| CPU | octa-core processor Cortex-A53 processors clocking at 2.2GHz. | |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8320 GPU | |
| Memory | RAM | 3/6GB |
| Internal | 32/64GB | |
| External | microSD, up to 128GB | |
| Network | Technology | 4G LTE connectivity |
| SIM | Dual SIM | |
| Camera | Main | Triple: 13 MP + 8MP + 2 MP, phase detection autofocus, Quad LED flash |
| Front | 32 MP | |
| Battery | Size | 4000mAh |
| Type | Li-Ion | |
| Colors | Milan Black, Sapphire Cyan, Gold | |
| Features | Rear Fingerprint reader | |
| Price | 3GB/32GB variant: Ksh 13,999 6GB variant: ~ Ksh 18,999 |
Display and Design
The Inifinix S4 comes in a sleek frame and manages to fit a large 6.2 inch HD display that simply dazzles thanks to the smaller bezels and waterdrop notch that houses the 32MP selfie camera.
Infinix is doing its best with the S4 to maximize the display experience without massively increasing device footprint so you’ll still get the thin chin below the display, but the rest of the screen is nearly touching the sides. All this is covered with a 2.5D glass coat that gives it a smooth, continuous and premium feel.
The display is vibrant with decent legibility both indoors and outdoors and you’ll definitely enjoy consuming multimedia content whether it is watching videos, scrolling through social media or browsing the web.
The back is stunning with the color-gradient scheme and comes in purple, Milan Black and blue. Our review unit had the color-shifting blue on the top back and black gradient on the bottom back. You also get the triple rear camera setup plus the rear fingerprint sensor. There’s face unlock as added biometrics but I preferred the former.
Worth noting, the Infinix S4 is much lighter and surprisingly sturdy for one-handed use.
Software and Performance
The Infinx S4 sport Infinix‘s new user interface, XOS v5.0 Cheetah that runs on top of Android 9.0 Pie. Cheetah XOS is an improvement from its previous version. It is relatively lighter as far as heavy Android skins go.
That said, there is still work to be done on the software end. There Infinix S4 still comes with bloatware even though it has tried removing dual apps and sticking with Google’s options. You can uninstall the bloatware and get another launcher such as Nova or Evie Launcher or Microsoft Launcher. I opted for Google’s Gboard app instead of the default keyboard app.
There’s a couple of software enhancement features XOS V5 packs such as the Smart Panel on the side of the display where you swipe left to reveal commonly used tools and apps which you can customize to suit your needs. I put shortcuts to apps I frequently open but don’t need to stay on the home screen.
You also get to tweak around with the navigation buttons as you could remove them and go all in with gestures or a mixture of both like I did.
Inside the phone, you get a MediaTek Helio P22 processor and either 3GB of RAM or 6GB of RAM coupled with 32 or 64 GB of onboard storage respectively expandable to 128GB via a microSD. Our review had the former configuration. I have had smooth sailing with the 3GB of RAM variant as it handles multi-app switching relatively well. This means I could to go back to up to 5 recently opened apps without the said apps relaunching. The 6GB RAM variant is a sweet deal when compared to its what the competition offers.
Gaming on the Infinix S4 has been relatively good. The phone handles light to moderate games at ease. I got to play Lords Mobile: Battle of the Empires, Ninja Arashi, and Candy Crush with no hassle. Lag will be experienced when launching RAM intense apps such as Asphalt 9: Legends.
Infinix S4 handles general performance pretty well and gets a mark of approval from yours truly.
Cameras
Optics-wise, the Infinix S4 packs a triple rear camera set-up that features a 13MP standard sensor, an 8MP wide-angle sensor and a 2MP depth sensor aligned vertically next to the quad LED flash. On the front you get, a 32MP AI-powered selfie camera. You get to play with various modes including beauty, bokeh, AR shot, Portrait mode, panorama, auto HDR and wide.
Take a look at these camera samples(Click on each to expand) in their various modes:
Selfies
~Normal selfies
~Beauty selfies
~Portraits
Normal Photos
~Normal rear
~Bokeh shots
Lowlight shots
Wide angle shots
Battery Life
The Infinix S4 has a 4000mAh battery that gives excellent battery life for everyday use. The huge battery should easily last more than a day for most users. It has served me well for the past few days. On a full day of light to moderate usage, the battery could pull almost two days. On days where I put the phone to heavy tasks, I could get a full day and still end with like between 20% to 30% charge left – enough for my late night browsing before hitting the sack.
In terms of charging, the Infinix S4 has charges relatively faster considering its massive capacity. I would connect it to the charge up in the morning and it would juice up from 0 to 100% in less than an hour and a half while I try to make myself presentable as a functioning member of the society during my morning routine(Video coming up soon!)
All in all, the battery life on the Infinix S4 work just fine without you worrying about when next to charge when you’re on the move doing errands or when you’re just in the office securing that bag, lol!
Connectivity
The Infinix S4 is dual SIM and 4G LTE enabled so expect an excellent experience from browsing the web to getting clear calls. All Kenyan networks are supported except for Faiba 4G. This won’t be an issue for most of you but a letdown for price-conscious data minded users.
Why the Infinix S4 is worth buying?
Is the Infinix S4 the perfect phone? No. But does it get the job done for a phone at its price market? Absolutely.
There’s a lot to like about the Infinix S4 especially the chock-full of features it packs such as the triple rear camera setup, the 32 MP selfie camera that’s only reserved to the expensive midrange and flagship phones of rival companies, the huge battery, the excellent display, and attention-grabbing design and general impressive performance. All these tick off my checklist of what a budget phone should have and even surpass some of my expectations – this is why the Infinix S4 will my next device as it packs form and function without the compromise. This should be enough reason for you to go and get one too.
Pricing and Availability
If you’re interested in picking one up yourself, the Infinix S4 starts selling on Infinix Mall for Ksh 13,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage variant and Ksh 17,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage variant.
Other retailing partners include online stores Jumia, Kilimall, Masoko, and other official branded physical stores. Lipalater is also offering financing options through monthly installments.
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