Infinix S5 Review - This Isn't What We Asked For

Okay so barely a year that Infinix unveiled the S4, and what do we have here guys?

Its successor, the all new Infinix S5.

Now look, you see i don’t have any problems with these smartphone companies releasing new smartphones every month.

No, i can’t have a problem with that. But the issue right now is, if you are to release new versions of smartphones even when its predecessor is not up to a year old, then give us a strong reason to purchase it, by making the differences, to count.

And that is one simple thing that Infinix couldn’t do.

You see I’m not saying that the new Infinix S5 is a bad phone after all, no I’m not putting it that way.

But personally, i just think that the new S5 is no different from the S4 of a few months ago, save for the new hole punch front facing camera design, a new storage option which i don’t even think should be counted as a feature in the first place, and finally an increase in price.

I mean these things have the same display resolution, even when the S5 ships with a bigger 6.6″ display, but the resolution is still HD+.

Aside from their displays, they also have same android versions, 9.0 Pie, same processors (Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22), same front facing cameras (32MP), and even same battery sizes (4000mAh).

So why the rush in releasing a new model of a smartphone, when you know it’s not gonna be different from the old model?

Just to rip people off their money i guess.. But that is definitely for those who wants to get ripped off at the first place.

But anyways, as it has always been our culture, let us take some of our time, to review the “not necessary” Infinix S5 smartphone.

BUT WAIT, before we do that, i think it is high time i remind you that if you haven’t read our best in-depth comparison yet, between the Infinix S5, and its older sibling the S4, together with the Hot 8, then i don’t know how you’ve managed to be alive.

Trust me, it’s good stuff. You can check it out here..

So without further ado, let’s get started.. #Enjoy

Must Read – The Infinix S5 basic and advanced android tips & tricks, for both new and old users of Infinix smartphones

Infinix S5 Review – Design

Dimensions: 164 × 76 × 7.9mm
Weight: 178g
Material: Polycarbonate (plastic)
Color: Quetzal Cyan, Violet & Black

In terms of design, I’d say that the Infinix S5 took a lot of things from the already beautiful Infinix S4, and even the new Hot 8 as well.

Oh and by the way, if you haven’t read our reviews on these two aforementioned smartphones, you should do yourself some good by doing so right now..

Trust me, they’re definitely worth your time.. Their links are given below..

Read
• Infinix S4 Review – A New Beginning For The S Series
• Infinix Hot 8 Review – What Infinix Should Have Done A Long Time Ago

So in terms of design, i’d say that the new S5 is a good looking smartphone.

The body (back) is made of this kind of patterned polycarbonate (it is plastic, don’t let English confuse to you) material that makes it look like carbon fiber.

Looking at the S5, we have four camera lenses physically, but logically, there are just three camera lenses, because when you open the camera app and use something like your thumb to cover the last lens, nothing still changes, no matter what camera mode that you’re shooting with.

And even on GSMArena’s website, the Infinix S5 is listed to have just three cameras and not four as Infinix claimed.

A very rear real life scenario of “the more you look, the less you see..”

So who’s Infinix trying to deceive, me?

Definitely not me, i mean i don’t think so..

So the three (sorry, four) cameras as Infinix claimed, are arranged in a vertical order on the back of the Infinix S5, with a quad flash that is separate from the camera housing or whatever.

And then as usual, you’ve got nothing at the top of the phone, at the right is where you get your volume rockers and power button.

On the left is a 3-in-1 sim+microSD card slot, that supports two 4G LTE nano-sims and a one microSD card.

Then finally at the bottom, you have your 3.5mm headphones jack, a microUSB 2.0 slow charging port, a microphone and the loudspeaker grill.

And by the way, due to the increased display size on the S5, we can that it is a pretty large phone, measuring 164mm in height, 76mm in width, 7.9mm in thickness, and weighs a total of 178g.

Aside the light weight, the S5 might not be too compact for people with small hands. But all the same, it’s a beautiful piece of a not impressive tech device.

Infinix S5 Review – Display

Size: 6.6″
Resolution: 720 × 1600p (HD+)
Type: IPS LCD
Protection: None

Now coming down to the display on this thing, we’re staring at a gigantic 6.6″ something.

Personally i feel that the display is okay, especially when considering its enormous size and the hole punch front facing camera, but i still feel Infinix could have done better, at least by giving us a higher resolution display.

I mean, something like a Full HD should have sounded a lot better right? But they missed their chance.

But all the same, i don’t have any problems with it.. Now let’s move on to the next agenda..

Hardware & Software

Processor: Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12nm)
GPU: PowerVR GE8320
RAM & Storage: 4GB + 64GB | 6GB + 128GB
Android Version: 9.0 Pie
Custom UI: Yes, XOS 5.5 Cheetah

If you’re thinking Infinix brought any thing new to the table in terms of processor, RAM, Storage and software, then I’m sorry to burst your bubbles, but there’s absolutely nothing new here.

So the same Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12nm) chip-set that was used on the S4, is the same thing that is being used here guys, coupled with either a 4GB of RAM, or 6GB, with 64GB and 128GB storage options respectively.

So performance-wise, I’d say that you’ll get a decent and lag-free performance on your normal day-to-day usage, but when it comes to things like playing heavy duty games such as PUBG, Call of Duty, Asphalt 9 and the rest, then you might not really be that impressed due to the little lags here and there, with slight frame drops, but it doesn’t make the games totally unplayable though.

So in conclusion, i’d say that the Infinix S5 is not a smartphone for hardcore gamers.

And then in terms of software, you already know what it is. It ships with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, coupled with the latest installment of XOS, the XOS 5.5 Cheetah.

So you should get all the usuals such as bloatware in the app drawer, which can uninstalled though.

You also get your navigation gesture system, your quick gesture setting such as lift to wake, tap to wake, music gesture, etc.

And Infinix has included some new gesture, which are;

Hover your palm over the phone to reject a call. Something that looks like this.. ✋
Or raise two fingers up to take the call.. Like this.. ✌️

So apart from those things, there is nothing else that the Infinix S5 brings to the table.

Personally it would have been more preferable if the S5 shipped with Android 10 out of the box.

And to make matters worse, there is even no guarantee as to if it will be getting the said Android 10 update any sooner or later.

So you see, one more reason why i think the S5 is just simply an unnecessary device.

But in the meantime, you can check out these articles below to see the list of Infinix phones which we think might be getting Android 10 update any sooner or later..

And some reasons why we think the S4 might or might not be getting the said Android 10 update.. #Enjoy

Read – Infinix S4 and Hot 8 Android 10 update. Everything you need to know

Infinix S5 Review – The Cameras

Back: 16MP (wide) + 5MP (Ultra-wide + Macro) + 2MP (Depth Sensor) + AI Lens
Front: 32MP

So this time around, Infinix used a 16MP main shooter on the S5, instead of the 13MP one that was found on the S4 model.

And in addition to that, there is a new 5MP ultra-wide lens that also doubles as the macro lens, then there is another 2MP lens that serves as a depth sensor, and finally another lens which the megapixel count is not specified, but Infinix calls it the “AI lens“.

To be honest, i still don’t know what it does though.

So when it comes to the quality of photos taken on the S5, I’ll say that the phone did impress me a lot more than it doesn’t.

Normal 1X photos appears to be pretty sharp with a lot of details and adequate color saturation.

But where things began to look likd it is taking a different turn altogether, is while taking portrait shots and ultra-wide photographs.

The photos are not bad though, just that they appeared to be a kind of little washed out especially for the portrait shots, but they still look sharp by the way.

Here are some photos taken with the Infinix S5.

Now let’s move over to see how the 4000mAh battery performs, and the security of this thing, and maybe we’ll call it a day.

Battery & Security

Size: 4000mAh
Fast Charging: No
Security: Capacitive Fingerprint Reader + Face Unlock

In terms of battery, there is a 4000mAh power cell that keeps this thing running all day long.

Personally i initially thought Infinix would have used the 5000mAh power cell that they used on the Hot 8, but even without that, the S5 still manages to keep up with the competition.

But whether the battery is truly a long lasting power cell, it is time that will tell.

But for now, on your normal day-to-day usage while doing stuffs like making and receiving calls, sending and receiving text messages, emails, browsing the web, and maybe watching a couple of movies, you should be getting roughly a two days of usage, without needing to recharge.

But if you’re among the folks that plays a lot of games, streams music and videos all the time, download heavy stuffs from the internet and all that.

Well, it might get you through the day, but you’d be scrambling for where you left your “not fast charger“, by the time it is dusk.

Oh, and talking about “not fast charging”, the Infinix S5 takes roughly around 3hrs, to charge from 0 – 100%, via its microUSB 2.0 port.

Makes me wonder if Infinix has some personal issues with smartphone companies launching their midrange devices with USB Type-C out of the box.

So that’s for the battery on the Infinix S5, and then coming down to security, well you’ve got the usuals.

A capacitive fingerprint reader that is located at the back of the phone, works pretty well and gets the job done.

And then you’ve also got your usual 2D face unlocking system, that works even faster than the fingerprint reader.

And Infinix has even added some new options to it, that lets you choose whether the phone should skip the lockscreen during face unlock, or still remain on the lockscreen and lets you use a swipe up gesture just like the iPhones.

So for battery and security, I’d say that I’m more impressed, more than I’m not. So a win-win for the S5.

Infinix S5 Review – Pricing

For pricing, well Infinix released four variants of the S5, with only their storage and RAM options being their most significant differences.

So first of all, there are two main variants of the S5,

First is the 4GB RAM variant, with 64GB of Storage, and is sold for 53, 000 Naira
Then there is a second variant with 6GB of RAM, and an ass whooping 128GB of Storage, and sold for 63, 500 Naira

And then we have two additional S5 Lite variants. The S5 Lite variants ships with just three cameras this time, instead of four, and on the front is a 16MP snapper, instead of the 32MP one that is found on the regular S5 variants.

And as far as storage and pricing goes, here you go.

A 4GB RAM variant with 64GB of Storage, and cost a sum of 46, 500 Naira
A lesser 3GB RAM variant with 32GB of Storage, and is sold for 42,500 Naira

So whichever one your budget can afford, you go for it. But i think the regular Infinix S5 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of Storage is the device that everybody is going to rush for.

But all the same, that’s everything we can say for the new Infinix S5 smartphone.

Now if you’d ask me if the S5 is a phone that is worth buying at a time like this.

First of all, I’ll say that if you already own something the S4, then you have no business aiming for the S5, except you have this money somewhere, that you’re probably not using again.

But aside from that, the Infinix S5 is a beautifully crafted device with large display, four(triple) rear cameras with a 32MP front facing lens that makes a hole in the already beautiful display, numerous storage options and a good battery too.

So in conclusion, the S5 is definitely worth buying in 2019, but that still doesn’t cancel the fact that Infinix were just too much in a hurry of releasing it, at least they should have waited for the S4 to have its one year tour complete.

Alright guys, so that’s all for today. Do let us know what your thoughts are in the comments section below.

Don’t forget to share this article if you enjoyed reading it, as well subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t done so before now..

And as always, I’ll see you all tomorrow, #Peace Out…

#Cheers…emmanuelGodwin

Image Credits: Fisayo Fosudo

Infinix S5 Review – Not Worth Your Cash