The Infinix S4 is the latest device from Infinix to be launched in the Kenyan market. Infinix is selling it at Ksh.14,999. At that budget-friendly price, the Infinix S4 positions itself as a very competitive device in a market that is so much flooded with devices in the same price range.
The phone was launched back in April, and according to Migwi Livingstone, Chief Business Development Officer, Transsion Holding East Africa ‘’“The Infinix S4 is a premium designed to offer excellent selfie camera and performance feature’’
Remember the main highlight which is also the key selling point for the Infinix S4 is the 32MP selfie camera. I need to also mention that Infinix launched two variants of the S4. There’s the 3GB/32GB variant which Infinix is selling at Ksh.14,999 and the 6GB/64GB variant that will retail at Ksh.18,999. We got the 3GB/32GB variant as our review unit and we already did the unboxing for you which you can read here.
At Ksh.14,999, is the Infinix S4 worth it? Would I spend my money on it? First, below are some key specifications:
- 6.2-inch HD+ waterdrop display
- Android 9 Pie O.S
- 2.0GHz Octa-Core Mediatek P22 processor
- 3GB of RAM with 32GB built-in storage expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card
- 32MP A.I selfie camera and triple rear cameras (13MP+8MP+2MP)
- Face Unlock and fingerprint sensor
- 4000mAh non-removable Li–Ion battery
Design and Display
The Infinix S4 comes with a 6.2-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1500 pixels and measures 75.3 x 156.7 x 8.3 mm ((height x width x thickness). Remember it’s also the first from the company to come with a waterdrop notch which houses the 32MP selfie camera. The overall design is pretty good, especially the Nebula Blue color we got for review. It is really good looking.
The shiny cover at the back gives the phone a premium look, one might actually mistake the back cover for glass, but its actually plastic that has been perfectly fitted to give the S4 a decent look. It is here that you also have the triple camera setup in a vertical array with a flashlight just below them.
Infinix and Transsion in general never disappoint when it comes to their phone’s display. And it never compromised with the S4. The display is great and sharp both indoors and outdoors, probably one of the best for a phone in this price range. The colour reproduction, contrasts, and viewing angles are all great and decent, nothing to complain about here. At the bottom, you have the speaker grills, the Micro USB port and headphone jerk. If you were expecting a USB type C then you might be a bit disappointed. The SIM and MicroSD card tray are on the left while the power and volume buttons are all on the right.
Specs, battery, Performance and connectivity
The Infinix S4 is powered by a Mediatek Helio P22 MT6762 chipset and comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review article, we also have a 6GB RAM and 64GB variant. The Infinix S4 runs on Android OS v9.0 (Pie) out of the box powered by4000 mAh, non-removable battery which can last you an entire day.
The device comes with Infinix’s new XOS v5.0 Cheetah User Interface based on Android 9.0 Pie. The new U.I is a great improvement from its previous version, the XOS 4.0 Honeybee. It is also mostly AI focused. Even with these improvements, the S4 still comes with bloatware which is a bit disappointing. As I said, XOS v5.0 Cheetah comes with some amazing improvements. Like, we are getting smart messaging, some intelligent notifications. The app icons have also been redesigned to look more elegant.
One cool additional feature is the smart panel which is available on the device’s display where you swipe left to bring features and your commonly used apps to give you easier access.
The impressive 4000mAh battery is capable of running you for more than a day on a single charge. In the phone settings, there’s also a Battery Lab feature that shows you how much time you have left before you run out of juice.
There is a wide range of security options for the device. You can choose to have a screen lock pattern, PIN or password; a fingerprint scanner or face unlock.
The Infinix S4 is dual SIM support 4G LTE so no need to worry about that. Unfortunately, the phone does not support Faiba 4G. I wish it did though especially for those people who price-conscious when it comes to data. Faiba 4G offers some great data packages at very affordable rates.
Cameras
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Infinix S4 comes with a triple 13-megapixels, 8-megapixels and 2-megapixels camera. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is 32-megapixels packed with the latest AI imaging techniques. We are also getting different modes including beauty, bokeh, AR shot, Portrait mode, panorama, auto HDR and wide.
Images captured are sharp and clear, Infinix really wins here. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Check sample images below: (Click on the images to expand).
More images are available on our TechTrendsKE Instagram page.
Conclusion, Price and Availability
The Infinix S4 is a good device, not perfect though. Apart from the bloatware and the usual annoying ads from Transsion, it gets everything done. The cameras are good, the battery life is impressive and yes, the new XOS v5.0 Cheetah User Interface comes with some really great improvements.
The new design is also very appealing. I wish Infinix included fas charging on the S4, but well, we can excuse them here considering this is a budget device.
The device is available on Infinix’s e-commerce site Infinix Mall. It is also available for purchase on Jumia, Kilimall, Masoko, and other Infinix authorized retailers across the country.
