It is easy to make a flagship device, but is it easy to make a budget-friendly device without cutting out on major features? Well, Infinix here has been proving us wrong if it is a yes for a couple of years for now. Infinix is back with yet another surprise with the Infinix Smart 3 Plus. Coming to the key feature, the Infinix Smart 3 Plus is one of the first phones to have the waterdrop notch display in this price segment.
Does the device hold up strong in all the aspects? Continue to read on our review of the device after using it for a good amount of time.
Build and Design
Build and design wise, the Infinix Smart 3 Plus has the best you can get at this price range. What feels premium here is the glass back but note that it is an excellent fingerprint magnet. The device is packed in a plastic unibody with buttons and ports around the device. On the rear, we have the glass body which is one of the firsts to have in this price range along with the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and the triple camera setup.
On the front, we have a 6.2-inch display with a waterdrop notch and we’ll be talking about the display in the next section. Anyhow, the notch consists of the selfie camera, the earpiece and the proximity sensor. Although the bezels do are mostly not visible, they are noticeable enough and the thick chin at the bottom adds up to it. However, this is one of the best display you could get in a smartphone for this price; can’t complain.
As soon as you get hold of the device, it fits in perfectly well to your hand and has that grip feel added to it. On the right, we have the volume rockers along with a textured power button which feels good to press. All the buttons surprisingly tend to give good feedback when pressed.
And on the left, we have the SIM card tray which can equip two micro SIM cards along with a MicroSD card. Down, we have the MicroUSB port along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, the speaker grills, and a microphone. All in all, the device is great in terms of build and design, at least for the price they are offering it for. We here have the Classy Black color variant which we loved, but you also have a Blue color variant in case you want to have it.
Display
The Infinix Smart 3 Plus sports a 6.2-inch HD+ display which has a waterdrop notch. The 2.5D curved display adds up to the looks but the 720p display does not put up with the large display. As a result, the display is not sharp enough but that’s okay again considering the price.
However, the saturation levels and the color output looks great which will cover up for the lower resolution. The brightness levels are also pretty great and you can easily use it under direct sunlight, but beware of the battery drain. All-in-all, we would have loved to see a more crispier display which could have been possible if they had the phone a little smaller but it doesn’t make sense. So yeah, we are pretty satisfied with the display on the Infinix Smart 3 Plus.
Performance
The device is powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 chipset combined with 2GB of RAM. From what we have tested, the device holds up good for minimal usage in day-to-day usage. The Helio A22 falls under comparison with the Snapdragon 450 which has the similar clock speeds.
For the price this phone is offered, you can’t expect much in terms of hardcore usage like gaming and heavy multi-tasking. With minimal usage, the device held up pretty good so we stepped out to test it with something hard. We tried out playing PUBG on this device and it turned out rather not that disappointing. It performed better than what we have thought it would. With the graphics set to the lowest and with the XOS’s game boost feature, the game played smooth enough with minimal frame drops and lag. Otherwise, games like Subway Surfers played pretty well.
Battery
The Inifinix Smart 3 Plus is equipped with a 3500 mAh battery which as expected can you last a day. From what we have used, the device lasted out through the day without having to charge it up in between. Our usage included basic browsing, using social media, basic games, and a bit of YouTube in a day.
From what the company claims, this device also has AI Smart Power Saving feature which learns the pattern of usage by the user and helps to optimize the battery to last longer. Out of the box, the device comes with a 5V – 1.2A charger which takes about 2 hours to fully charge the battery from 10%.
Cameras
Finally, this is a section where the Infinix Smart 3 Plus excels in this price range. There is a triple-lens rear camera setup which includes a depth sensor and a tertiary light sensor to get great outputs even in low light conditions. There is a 13MP primary sensor along with the 2MP depth sensor and the tertiary light sensor. Have a look at the samples and you can speak for yourself about this camera.
The photos we took in bright day light conditions came out pretty good with good amount of detail and color reproduction. However, the low light condition is where the camera struggles despite having those extra sensors. The images in low light came out over-sharpened along with plenty of noise. But the HDR comes to rescue in such conditions and helps in giving a better output.
Coming to the front camera, there is an 8MP sensor which takes decent quality selfies but lacks in detailing. The beauty mode and the AR sticker mode available make the selfie taking more fun. Even the portrait mode is just okay with decent edge detection. All-in-all, the camera can be concluded as just being okay.
Software and Miscellaneous
The Inifinix Smart 3 Plus runs on the company’s own custom UI, the XOS Cheetah which is based on the Android Pie 9.0. Just like any other custom UIs, even this has a lot of customization options. What the XOS Cheetah offers which many other custom UIs don’t is the app drawer. You get smart features which will help you quick access your shortcuts like the Smart Drawer and the Smart Panel features.
Talking about the camera UI, the stock camera app doesn’t have much modes in offer and the only default mode is the AI Camera mode that detects the scene and makes the necessary settings change. We have noticed a bit of shutter lag which is kind of disappointing but is still okay for this device’s targeted users.
The connectivity of WiFi is pretty quick including switching between the mobile data and the WiFi. The call quality felt promising enough with minimal disturbance, thanks to the noise cancelling mic. Also, the speakers are loud enough but they lack the quality and bass which we see on most of the phones. Again, it’s what you get in a sub Rs.8000 phone.
Infinix Smart 3 Plus Verdict
All in all, Infinix here has done a great job in making this device with all the desired features of a budget smartphone consumer. Priced at Rs.6999, this device holds up strong with the other phones in this price segment. The large display, the triple-lens rear camera setup, and the 3500 mAh battery makes this device the best in its price range for media consumption and day to day use for a mediocre smartphone user. Again, if you are someone looking for plenty of features in a basic phone, this is the one for you. We do hope you make a wise decision and select the best device for your usage.
Pros
- Glass-back design
- Triple-lens rear camera setup
- Dedicated slot for MicroSD card along with dual Micro SIM cards
- Impressive Battery Life
Cons
- Bloated Software infused with advertisements
- Struggles with multi-tasking
- Mediocre Camera Performance Plus The camera app is buggy
