Micromax Canvas Infinity first impressions: Infinity display at a budget, but will it be a hit?

Micromax is the first Indian company to come with the phone with an aspect ratio of 18:9, but is it any good? We’ve been using the phone much before the launch, and here’s our first impressions.

Micromax Canvas Infinity Design and Display

Even though the Canvas Infinity has a 5.7-inch screen, people with small hands will feel comfortable to handle the phone properly. This is because the Canvas Infinity has minimal bezels, and like LG and Samsung opted for a taller phone to accommodate the 18:9 aspect ratio.

Micromax Canvas Infinity’s back pops off to reveal a battery, two separate SIM slots, and a microSD slot.

The metal frame surrounds the phone, with 2.5D curved glass dominating the front. The screen has rounded corners with a thin bezel over the top and bottom. Flip over and the Canvas Infinity reveals a single camera lens, a fingerprint scanner and the mono speaker. Unlike other unibody, metal clad devices, the Canvas Infinity’s back pops off to reveal a battery, two separate SIM slots and a microSD slot.

The Canvas Infinity is constructed out of metal, but the back is removable like the Moto G5. The bottom of the smartphone houses a USB 2.0 connector with the headphone jack located at the top of the phone.

Micromax Canvas Infinity’s display measures 5.7-inch size, and boasting a resolution of 1440 x 720p.

Canvas Infinity’s display measures 5.7-inch size, and boasting a resolution of 1440 x 720p. The screen is taller than the other phones with the same size, like we saw in case of the Galaxy S8. Although the phone’s resolution is on the lower side, details are sharp and viewing angles are good. But I found that there is a big problem with the video content that is not fit for an 18:9 aspect ratio.

When watching a video on YouTube, you get black bars on the sides of the video. At the moment, there’s a limited amount of 18:9 content online, but it will eventually grow with the acceptability of devices like the Canvas Infinity.

Micromax Canvas Infinity Processor, Software

Under the hood, the Canvas Infinity uses a Snapdragon 425 processor coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory. There’s a room to expand the internal storage via a microSD card slot. In my short time spent with the Canvas Infinity, I was able to open web pages, load apps, and play games like Super Mario Run without the device stuttering. The overall performance of the Canvas Infinity was fine.

But yes, many will complaint about the choice of the processor used by the makers. Frankly that doesn’t matter, because this isn’t a handset projected to be the one to handle the most graphically-demanding games that we could find in the Play Store.

The overall performance of the Canvas Infinity, in the short time I had it, was fine.

Inside the Canvas Infinity is a 2,900mAh battery, which should get a full day without any issue. Since I have started using the phone, it’s hard to pass on the final verdict with limited testing.

Micromax Canvas Infinity comes loaded with the latest Android 7.1 Nougat and the user interface has been kept close to stock Android, which results in faster loading of apps. There are no pre-installed apps from third-party developers, with the exception of Narendra Modi app and basic default apps. The phone comes with some smart settings like One-handed mode, Smart Gestures, and Smart Action. You can also double-tap to wake the screen on the Canvas Infinity.

Micromax Canvas Infinity Camera

There’s a single 13-megapixel camera lens on the rear, and it has an f/2.0 aperture. While the initial results were fairly decent, I don’t really see the camera being a selling point of the device. The camera app launched quickly and snapped photos in seconds. Even though, the phone does not feature dual cameras on the back, it uses some software work to give you the option to blur the background while keeping the foreground subject in focus.

Camera sample from Micromax Canvas Infinity. (Image resized for web)

The forward facing 16-megapixel camera is rather interesting. It took nice shots – even in low light conditions. Like many smartphones, the Canvas Infinity too comes with a front facing flash. But there’s one feature that really shines. When you take a selfie in low light, the front facing camera detects the surroundings and automatically turns on. I was impressed by how precise the feature was during my testing. Plus, the selfie camera has a “bokeh” mode that works reasonably well.

Micromax Canvas Infinity first impressions conclusion

There’s no denying that Micromax Canvas Infinity is the company’s biggest gamble till date. It features a design that no other Indian smartphone manufacturer has tried before. In fact, many of its key competitors like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo are still repeating the same designs over and over again. Overall, Micromax has upped its game with the Canvas Infinity. Now, to see if this impresses the buyers.