Infinix Smart 2 first impressions: First look at Redmi 5A’s new rival

Infinix is back with another low-end smartphone in India. Called Smart 2, it targets entry-level consumers who are looking for a balance of top-end specifications and connectivity features such as dual VoLTE. With a price starting at ₹5,999, Infinix is gunning for a largely untapped segment currently dominated by the likes of Xiaomi (with Redmi 5A).

Despite an aggressive price tag, Infinix Smart 2 doesn't hold back on contemporary features. For instance, it comes with an 18:9 FullView display that only just falls short of being the bezelless screen you see on premium phones. However, as expected from an entry-level phone, Smart 2 has a very elementary look and feel to it with a removable back panel.

The volume buttons and power buttons are placed on the right edge. The base has the 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB port. The front is dominated by the display, which has an LED flash and a selfie camera on top. The bottom is bland because it has on-screen navigation buttons. Infinix Smart 2 is a pretty run-of-the-mill phone, but that's not exactly a negative for something in the entry-level category.

The phone is fairly compact with a 5.45-inch HD+ display. The aspect ratio of 18:9, however, makes it more modern. The display quality is quite good and delivers satisfactory legibility indoors as well as outdoors. The auto-brightness is fast too.

On the camera front, it has a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF, f/2.0 aperture and LED flash. During our brief usage, the camera did a fine job at quickly focusing on the subject. The image quality isn't overwhelming, but looking at the price point, we didn't expect it to be exceptional either.

For selfie lovers, the phone has a decent 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. It comes with a bunch of modes, including the popular bokeh that delivers depth-of-field-like effect. But don't expect the quality of its bokeh photos to be on a par with those on top-end phones.

Performance is key for the Xiaomi Redmi 5A, and Infinix Smart 2 aims to match that with a MediaTek 6739 processor having 2GB/3GB RAM options. Although we are yet to conduct performance tests, we found the UI to be slightly sluggish during our brief usage. The phone has a bit of a bloatware problem as well.

The phone doesn't have a fingerprint sensor, but makes up for it with the Face Unlock feature. The company claims it can unlock the phone in 0.3 seconds. We will put these claims to test for our detailed review.

The concept of dual VoLTE is pretty cool, though. With most of the operators launching their VoLTE services, Infinix Smart 2 gives more options to those who use two SIMs and don't want to lose out on the newer communication technology. Also, as the phone doesn't have a hybrid SIM slot, you can use two SIMs along with a microSD card for expandable storage.

Powered by a 3,050mAh battery, the phone is believed to deliver 21 hours of 4G talktime. Stay tuned for our detailed review on camera and performance.