Transsion Holding-owned Infinix Mobility unveiled the Infinix Note 5 at a media press event at the Hotel Triangle in Kampala, Uganda a day after its global launch in Dubai. The Infinix Note 5 becomes the successor to the Infinix Note 4 and Note 4 Pro – coming in the 3GB/32GB, and 4GB/64GB storage variants in Blue, Black, and Red color variants.
The biggest highlight was Infinix partnership with Google Corp. on their Android One Project as it was rumored. Partnering with Google on the Android One program, the Note 5 comes with its user interface (UI) purely Android with the Oreo version ditching Infinix XOS UI we have seen in Infinix Mobiles. In a layman’s term, all the pre-installed application from Infinix are no more. The only application left was the XClub app which is more like social networking and engaging platform for Infinix handset holders.
PC Tech Magazine did receive one of the handsets from Infinix Uganda for review, which will be done in a two-weeks time. However, we list our first impressions about the flagship.
The Infinix Note 5 is a light weight flagship with a 6-Inch full HD+ screen display with a 2.5D gorilla protecting glass, and 18:9 screen ratio. The back of the phone is a poly-carbonate plastic in the shades of blue with matte finish, rounded corners on all the four edges, had its bezels shortened that gives the full display feature.
Briefly on the specification, the Infinix Note 5 packs a Meditek Helio P23 Octa-core clocked at 2.5GHz, a GPU Mali-G71, 3GB/32GB, and 4GB/64GB storage supporting a microSD card of up to 128GB, 16MP and 12MP for the front and rear camera sensors respectively. The phablet is backed on a 4,500mAh non-removable Li-lon battery that can last for 3 straight days on a single charge on an average usage. Meanwhile the charging system is built with a 3A Fast Charge.
One thing we picked out in this first impression was the placement of the fingerprint sensor, and replacement/design on the rear camera. As seen from its predecessor, the Infinix Note 4, the rear camera appeared at the top center, while the fingerprint appeared at the front. With the Note 5, the rear camera was pushed at the top left in a horizontal setting, while the fingerprint was assembled at the back.
Unboxed:
Inside the box is the 6-Inch phone that appears on the top if opened, while underneath are; the User manuals, and Infinix smartphone guides, screen protector, silicon case, sim tray pin injector, a pair of head/earphones with a standard 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB data and charging cable, charging brick.
Our First Impressions on the Infinix Note 5:
- The flagship looks so pleasant, sharp and crisp, and it’s light weight.
- Poly-carbonate plastic can be confused to be more of glass. Infinix has been credited a lot by critics on this.
- The phone can be unlocked with your voice. However, this only happens if the use first presses the power button and not simply leaving it in its sleep mode. Once the power button is pressed, the user says ‘Ok Google‘ then the phone unlocks.
- Contrast is balanced – where the colors really pop up very well on the screen. The shadows, and the highlights show up very well. Such is good for multimedia; Videos, and Photos.
- Its UI is purely Android with the Oreo version. The XOS UI from Infinix has been ditched considering its partnership with Google on the Android One program.
- Google’s highlighted features; Google Assistant, and Google Lens are a major deal on the phone. In our review, will shall look at this for a better understanding.
- Both sim cards support 4G LTE connection.
Infinix Uganda has priced at the flagship at UGX769,000 can be found in all Infinix stores, as well as authorized smartphone sellers country wide.[related-posts]
