The Infinix S4 was launched in Kenya in April 2019. The phone is available in 2 variants i.e. 32GB internal storage + 3GB RAM and 64GB Internal storage + 6GB RAM.
We had a chance to take it for a test drive and here are our thoughts on it.
Infinix S4 Specifications
| Price | 3GB/32GB – Ksh 14,999
6GB/64GB – Ksh 18,999 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Screen | Size | 6.2″ HD+ IPS LCD display with waterdrop notch |
| Resolution | 720*1500 | |
| Protection | 2.5D glass covering | |
| Platform | Operating System | XOS v5.0 Cheetah on top of Android 9 Pie |
| Chipset | Mediatek’s Helio P22 SoC | |
| CPU | octa-core processor Cortex-A53 processors clocking at 2.2GHz. | |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8320 GPU | |
| Memory | RAM | 3GB/6GB |
| Internal storage | 32GB/64GB | |
| External | microSD, up to 128GB | |
| Network | Technology | 4G LTE connectivity |
| SIM | Dual SIM | |
| Camera | Main | Triple: 13 MP + 8MP + 2 MP, phase detection autofocus, Quad LED flash |
| Front | 32 MP | |
| Battery | Size | 4000mAh |
| Type | Li-Ion | |
| Colors | Milan Black, Sapphire Cyan, Gold | |
| Features | Rear Fingerprint reader |
The S4 is really light and for this reason it is perfect for one handed use. The 6.2 HD screen almost fits the whole front of the phone. There is a tiny notch at the top of the phone, just enough to fit the selfie camera.
The back of the S4 features a popping allay of colours. The colours available are Purple, Milan Black and Blue. The Blue version is blue at the top with a black gradient at the bottom. A triple rear camera, camera sensor plus the fingerprint sensor completes the feature list at the back.
The screen is nice and bright and works well in both indoor and outdoor environments. Like most modern phones, the screen is visible enough even when the screen brightness is at 0%.
Performance
The S4 comes with a MediaTek Helio P22 processor and either 3GB of RAM or 6GB of RAM plus 32 or 64 GB internal storage respectively. The internal storage is expandable to 128GB via a microSD.
The phone we reviewed had 3GB + 32GB and the combo worked well to ensure the phone ran well even when using multiple apps. I easily ran heavy apps together and the phone still worked fine. However, I need to close some apps when gaming.
Talking of gaming, it is pretty good on the S4 courtesy of the processor and RAM combo and also the screen experience helped.
Software
The S4 comes with Android 9.0 Pie and XOS v5.0 Cheetah OS. The two operating systems generally run well together.
Cheetah OS comes with features such as Smart Panel on the side of the screen where you can access commonly used apps and tools. Cheetah OS also comes with the usual default apps including Phone Master, XOS Launcher, Opera News, Visha, Xclub among others. On the S4, you can be able to uninstall some of these apps and install others that you may prefer. You can also change the launcher by the way.
Camera
The Infinix S4 comes with a super 4 cameras so it is safe to call it a camera phone. At the back, it comes with a triple rear camera that has 13 Megapixel, 8 Megapixel wide-angle camera and a 2MP depth camera plus LED flash. At the front, it has a 32MP AI-powered selfie camera.
The camera software will allow you to use the cameras in various modes that include normal, beauty, bokeh, AR shot, Portrait mode, panorama, auto HDR and wide.
Connectivity
The S4 is dual SIM and comes with Dual 4G LTE. I used it with Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya and it worked well and calls were clear. Mobile data also works pretty well especially when you are on 4G. Unfortunately it didn’t work with Faiba 4G.
Battery
The S4 comes with a huge 4000mAh battery. The battery life is quite something lasting a day on light use and about 12 hours with heavy use.
The phone also charges fast when you use its charger. It charges from zero to 100 in just over an hour (1 hour 16 minutes for me).
The battery works amazing and with this phone you won’t have to worry about running out of charge at all.
Price and availability
The Infinix S4 is available on Infinix Mall for Ksh 13,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage variant and Ksh 17,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage variant.
Other places where it is available include online stores such as Jumia, Kilimall, Masoko, and offline in Infinix branded retail stores. Credit company Lipalater is also offering financing options to purchase the phone through monthly installments.
Final thoughts
The Infinix S4 is an impressive budget phone that packs a punch. Infinix has shown that it is able to pack premium features into a budget phone and they have continued this with the Infinix S4.
I think that this phone is a value for money and it’s a definite buy.