Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Dependable Stock Android Phone With A Handy Stylus

Infinix, a Transsion Holding subsidiary, has been steadily consolidating its position in the Indian smartphone market with a primary focus on affordable and budget categories. Over the last year, we have seen Infinix do things differently – which is always a welcome approach, particularly on the affordable side of the spectrum. Close on the heels of, Note 5, Infinix’s first Android One phone targeted at customers who appreciate pure Android software, the company has introduced a stylus version of the same. (हिंदी में पढ़िए)

The Note 5 Stylus is a mid-range phone with a solid metal body, a big battery, unadulterated Android software, and a full HD+ display. But yes, the primary attraction of the Infinix Note 5 Stylus is its X Pen. So how well does all that hardware add up? Is the X Pen comparable to Samsung’s S Pen? Let’s answer these questions and more in our Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review.

Page Contents:

• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Price and Specification
• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Design and Build Quality
• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Display and X-Pen
• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Software and Performace
• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Camera
• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Battery
• Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Verdict with Pros and Cons

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Price and Specifications

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Design and Build Quality

The metallic design feels familiar as it used to be quite common up until last year, right before the deluge of glass body and glass-finish phone. Yet in 2018, the metal back with U-shaped antenna bands on the Note 5 Stylus doesn’t feel regressive but is kind of refreshing. And solid.

At the same time, I am not sure if the same sentiments hold for the fascia. The bezels on the front are a hair too thick, judging by the current standards. Perhaps to accommodate stylus, there is a slight gap between the digitizer and LCD and thus the display doesn’t pop as it should.

Ergonomically, the Note 5 Stylus has curves in the right places and is very comfortable to hold and to operate. It’s moderately heavy, which is understandable for a phone with a stylus and a big battery.

The fingerprint reader and the camera sensor are there on the rear panel. The top edge of the phone is a clean slate while bottom edge features the 3.5 mm audio jack, micro USB charging port, mice, speaker grills and X-pen stylus. As for keys placement, the volume rocker and power button are both on the right edge. Both these keys feel firm and offer good tactile feedback. The Right edge only includes a triple slot that includes dual sim and a dedicated microSD card slot.

Also Read: 17 cool things you could do with the SPen on Galaxy Note9

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Display and X-Pen

The Infinix Note 5 Stylus is one of the rare phones (or the only phone?) in its class that includes a stylus. The display is 5.93-inches in size and has 1080×2160 pixels resolution.

The LCD screen is bright (can go up to 500 Nits) and we had no difficulty viewing it indoors or outdoors. The display colors seem to favor colder tones and, unfortunately, can’t be tweaked. There is slight touch latency that we have noticed with the device. Overall, the display quality is average, but not a deal breaker by any means.

The biggest attraction here is the Stylus pen which Infinix has named as XPen. The idea behind packaging an XPen is to offer an S-Pen alternative at a low price point. For instance, if you are an executive who has been sticking to the Note series just so you can conveniently sign documents on the move, you might consider keeping a Note 5 Stylus as a secondary phone instead.

Infinix has done a good job with the Pen. It still lacks the S Pen finesse (with regards to both form and function), but it’s close. As soon as you eject the Xpen, you get Samsung’s Air Command-like pop-up menu with options to paint, create memo, and take screenshots. The most interesting Infinix X Pen feature, that is handwriting recognition in Calculator, is yet to roll out. The XPen is still something different and unique, and could add value to budget buyer’s kitty.

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Software and Performance

The UI is clean and bloat-free since Android One partners are only allowed up to 3 apps of their own, which in Note 5 Stylus case are Camera, XClub and Xnote apps. The other pre-installed apps on the phone are from Google own suite that includes Maps, Gmail, Youtube, and Google photos integrated with Google Lens and Google Maps. The Android Pie update is also expected to land soon on the Note 5 Stylus.

Infiinix, for its first-ever Stylus phone, opted for MediaTek Helio P23 chipset that is teamed up with 4GB of RAM. The Note 5 Stylus packs in 64GB of internal storage along with support for microSD card up to 256GB with a dedicated slot. But is that good enough? Well, for most day to day task it is. We had no trouble with regular tasks like checking emails, WhatsApp or switch between social accounts. We also managed to do some casual gaming on Infinix’s new Note 5 Stylus. We tired Shadow Flight 3 and PUGB Mobile while the Shadow Flight 3 was smooth our PUBG mobile experience on medium setting was strictly average.

The performance is good enough for moderate to heavy day-to-day usage, but the Note 5 Stylus isn’t a heavy-duty gaming phone.

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Camera Review

At a time when Dual cameras are a norm, Infinix decided to go with single sensors on both front and back. Considering the performance we usually get from dual cameras on phones under 20K, the use of single shooters is certainly not off-putting.

For what it’s worth, You can still shoot bokeh shots with blurred backdrop using the software powered portrait mode. The actual image quality can be a hit or a miss, though.

The rear camera can shoot pleasant shots with a bit oversaturated colors under direct sunlight. In low light, Images have excessive noise. The camera also has a manual mode which comes in quite handy. The selfie camera can capture a good amount of details in proper lighting.

Overall, the camera quality is workable but definitely not the best in its class.

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review: Battery

Infinix has encased a 4,000mAh battery inside the metallic shell of the Note 5 Stylus. The good part is the 18W charger that can quickly top up this sizeable battery. The phone offers impressive battery life as we manage to get more than a days juice on a single charge. Our day included using multiple social media accounts, multiple Gmail accounts synced, WhatsApp, about an hour of music playback, some camera time, and streaming videos.

Infinix Note 5 Stylus Review Verdict: Is it really worth it?

The Infinx Note 5 Stylus brings a stylus to the mass market. However, not everybody needs one. If you do, the Note 5 Plus is worth considering and its light software and solid build will prove to be a few added bonus. The day to day experience is pretty smooth and reliable. At the same time, if Stylus is not a thing that you particularly value, you may consider options like the Redmi Note 6 Pro and the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2.