Review And Experience – The New Infinix Zero 4

As you may be aware, Infinix launched two of its flagship smartphones into the Kenyan market last month – the Infinix Zero 4 and Infinix Zero 4 Plus. The Zero 4 Plus is more superior than the Zero 4 as we compared here but both phones are 4G enabled and support dual micro SIM among other features.

I’ve been using the Zero 4 since just before launch and I love it! For one, the phone has some curves. Including the screen itself which appears to rise and taper off ever so slightly. This is a departure from some of the series’ rather boxy predecessors. I have a few favourites about the phone already, top of them being the noticeably smooth and brilliant screen. I’ve never really paid any particular attention to phone screens or scrutinized them much but this one is noticeably superior.

Phones can be oh so fragile but the Zero 4 cannot be counted in this category. It is a solid aluminium piece with a tough corning gorilla glass screen. For those needing extra protection other than these two, the phone comes with a free screen protector and free back cover. I’ve always had a dislike for flip covers because I feel they cover up the beauty of a phone but with the Zero 4, the cover only covers the back. It is custom made so it fits snugly.

Not that I’m using this back cover either. Its made of clear plastic and I don’t feel like covering the high quality aluminium finish at the back either. Ok I dislike phone covers of any kind. Then again, I treat my phones with love and care so I do not particularly need covers. But I do appreciate that there are those whose jobs and lifestyles would call for extra safety features on the phone.

Colours

I would have given anything to have the Zero 4 in silver purple and even went ahead to ask for a replacement piece but that did not work out. I’m having to use a grey piece but there are other colours out there. The phone comes in Filbert brown most fitting for the gentlemen, Barbie pink which I can totally see my niece loving, Galaxy blue and Silver purple which would have been my choice.

Security

The phone has a finger print scanner at the back. Fingerprint set up is quick and easy and you can scan and store upto 5 fingers. There is a security question and a PIN option for backup security. I like that the fingerprint scanner is not single function. You can configure it to be able to use it to take photos, accept calls and browse photos by swiping left or right. I read that you can also authorize purchases and app access though I’m yet to try that out.

Camera

The camera on Infinix Zero 4 is 16mp front and 8mp back with LED flash. And it is not just a regular phone camera. It comes equipped with Pro-Mode – a beautiful clock inspired dial with which you can manually play around with features like white balance, exposure, shutter speed and ISO among others. ISO goes upto 1600 but images are grainy at this level. The Pro-Mode feature puts superior camera options at your fingertips and is perfect for those wishing to start knowing professional photography.

The Zero 4 camera has a zoom feature designed to produce good photos even at 4X. And with Optical Image Stabilization, shaky hands will not severely spoil your photo. Activate ISO when shooting on the move or in low light conditions and enjoy good photos. Pretty good feature for a phone camera I would say.

I was never one for selfies but an interesting feature in the Zero 4 might just change that. The panoramic selfie which not only captures your self-loving self but the landscape around as well.

Camera mode will go off if you’re inactive for 90 seconds but you can wake it up by double tapping. I find this feature useful because the phone does not go taking random photos when you’re not even aware.

Design  

As mentioned earlier, the phone has a high-quality aluminium build with soft edges. It has a smooth corning glass screen and combined with the aluminium body, it is an overall refined device which feels good to carry around. It’s slightly heavier than phones I’ve been using in the recent past but that’s no issue.

The speaker and microphone are at the bottom of the phone alongside the charging port, while the jack is at the top.

The camera bumps out quite a bit at the back right above the finger print scanner though this is less noticeable if you’re using the protective back cover. Not a problem for me except I always have this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I’m hurting the lense whenever I put the phone down.

The phone has a tiny LED notification light at the front and I’ve come to realize I’ve missed that!

Battery

First of all the phone comes with the fast charge feature. Gone are the days for charging a gadget for hours or overnight. As long as you use the original charger and cable, your phone will charge from 0 to 100 in slightly over 1 hour. I cannot emphasize enough what this means for a battery guzzler like me. If I’m somewhere with just 20 minutes to charge my phone, I’m assured enough charge to last several hours.

The phone will also notify you of what power intensive apps you’re using and you can opt to not use them. It also of course comes with battery saving features but personally I don’t believe in restricting myself from full phone use. I use and use and charge and charge and for that I always have a power-bank or two on my person. You can see why fast charge is such a sweet deal for me!

For another perspective of fast charge, a 5 minute charge will allow for continuous shooting 220 photos.

The battery is 3200mAh and is non-removable.

Storage and performance

Infinix Zero 4 has internal storage of 32GB expandable to 128GB via memory card. With this kind of storage, you’re sorted for all your apps, heavy photography and even videos. It 3GB RAM which allows for speedy performance even for the most ardent multi tasker of us. Also really good for gamers.

Conclusion

The Infinix Zero 4 is a worthy purchase and is retailing at Kshs.18,999/- on Jumia and in shops around the country.