Infocus Epic 1 is the new deca-core flagship from the American manufacturer renowned for its value for money projectors. This is the first affordable phone to have 10 CPU cores humming inside, and that’s the drumming point Infocus’s marketing team wants to beat loud and clear.
Infocus Epic 1 Specs and Features
| Model | Infocus Epic 1 |
| CPU | MT6797M Deca-core
(Dual A72 2.1GHz + Quad A53 1.9GHz + Quad A53 1.4GHz) |
| Display | 5.5” Full HD 1080p LTPS Display, Gorilla Glass |
| Memory | ROM: 32GB, RAM: 3GB
Support up to 128GB Micro SD Memory Card |
| Camera | 16MP F2.0 Hybrid PDAF Main Camera, dual-color LED flash
8MP F1.8 82 Degrees Wide View Angle Front Camera |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 4.1，802.11 a b/g/n/ac(2.4/5GHz)，GPS/AGPS＋GLONASS |
| Battery | 3,000mAh |
| Sensor | Ambient Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, E-compass, Gyroscope, magnetic sensor |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano) |
| Others | Fingerprint sensor, Smart Amplifier, IR remote control, USB 2.0 type C for Quick Charge |
| Dimensions and Weight | 153mm x 76mm x 8.4mm and 160gm |
| Price | 12,999 INR |
Infocus hasn’t opted for a radical design approach and from a distance, the Epic 1 feels more or less familiar at this point in time (which isn’t a bad thing, per se). Up close, you will appreciate its metallic sheen, the agreeable slim profile, and its crisp LTPS display panel.
The rear has a curved metal plate with a symmetrically placed fingerprint sensor and camera module. Like all other “Metal unibody phones” in and around this budget, the venerable metal is layered between thin plastic strips on top and bottom – for unhindered signal transmission and reception, that is. While the back has a golden hue, the fascia is gleaming white with more-than-modest bezels around the 5.5-inch Full HD LTPS display panel. The glass adjoining the display is unevenly coated black to conceal the excess border. The earpiece on top has an adorable circular speaker grill (reminiscent of Nextbit Robin).
All said and done, there is no reason to be wary of Infocus Epic 1 design as of now. It feels plenty swanky and is convenient to handle. Take a look:
Infocus Epic 1 Photo Gallery
Once again, the primary talking point is the deca-core SoC, so let’s get that out of the way as well. The MediaTek MT6797M that started shipping around Q2 2016, has the 10 cores arranged as following:
- For heavy lifting – 2 × Cortex-A72 clocked at 2.15 GHz
- Balanced performance cluster – 4 × Cortex-A53 at 1.95 GHz
- Power cluster – 4 × Cortex-A53 at 1.4 GHz
These CPUs are duly assisted by ARM Mali T880 MP4 GPU, 3GB RAM, and 32GB internal storage. Now presence of 10 cores might be mouth watering, but as we have been consistently preaching, more cores do not necessarily translate to better performance. Besides, since the cores are arranged in big.Little arrangement, the SoC will essentially act as a quad-core or perhaps Hexa-core for all practical purposes. The tri-cluster arrangement, however, should help with more efficient battery management (and marketing). For the same reason, the Helio X20 has proved to be more power efficient than the X10 with much better thermal efficiency. It is undeniably a mid-range chipset, but still qualifies as a very decent proposition for the price.
The SoC and all other components are fueled by a 3000mAh battery. The charger bundled in the box doesn’t support fast charging, though. The Epic 1 can accept two Nano SIM cards or one Nano SIM and MicroSD card in its hybrid tray. And yes, 4G VoLTE is also supported.
Expectations
The Infocus Epic 1 gets the design part right and, 10 cores or not, the Helio X20 should be great for more demanding users eyeing an affordable handset. The quality of 16MP rear and 8MP camera remains to be judged (the lighting at the launch event was atrocious), but we won’t be holding our breath as camera quality is this budget is more often than not underwhelming. The Android Marshmallow based software didn’t reek of immature Chinese ROM and felt pleasant, but we will need to test it further before we decide whether we like it or not. We will need to sum up our findings in a full review later, but as far as first impressions go, the Epic 1 feels good for the price.
Also Read: Best Phones Under Rs. 20,000 [October 2016]
