I have been using the Infinix Note 6 for seven days now. I already did the unboxing piece, and if you read it, you have a basic understanding of this mid-level priced smartphone.
It costs Shs749,000. That’s a lot of money, implying you need to read this article to the end before you decide to spend close to a million shillings on the phone.
Just as we stated earlier, the packaging is fantastic; the box is thick and it is decorated with amazing graphics. Even the inside is super cool.
However, when you pull the phone out of the box, you start having some doubts. Why? Because of the chunky bezels. They’re so thick they don’t give you an appeal of a modern device.
But this impression changes as you go on to play around with some of the phone’s features, especially the camera and the AI- and AR-powered X Pen.
The hind cover of the Note 6 is quite masculine: it wears a warm Mocha Brown metallic chassis decorated with tender print.
However, the transparent rubber screen protector Infinix manufactured to protect it is super lousy. It performs its job but it’s not appealing.
The front screen doesn’t come with a protector so you’ll have to acquire one.
For charging, Infinix Note has a proprietary fast-charging system that is powered by a Micro USB.
It has a 40000mAh non-removable Li-Po battery, which is 500mAh weaker than that in the Infinix Note 5.
The device is packed with in-ear canalphones. The ones I used are white in color. Their output was not impressive. You will have to acquire better ones if you play a lot of music.
Other components of the outside part of the Note 6, include the SIM tray, which is located on the left side. It can house two dual 4G/LTE nano sims and an SD card. The power and volume buttons are on the right side.
At the bottom is where your 3.5mm headphone jack is located. This part also holds the microphone, a micro USB port, and a speaker.
The device weighs 173g and it is 7.7mm thick.
Booting
Note 6 launches at a commendable speed. It has a 6.014-inch screen, which is good, only that the chin is quite big.
The display is AMOLED with a screen resolution of 1080×2340 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. This makes the display warmer and appealing.
With Artificial Intelligence, you can automate the device to regulate the amount of light, depending on whether you are in a dark or bright environment.
The Infinix Note 6 runs XOS 5.0 based on Android 9 Pie and packs 64GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 128GB).
It has a 4GB RAM.
The X Pen
Located at the extreme bottom right of the phone near the speaker, the X Pen is powered by Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence.
To use it, you’ll open an application called X Note. After launching it, you’ll perform a number of activities, including painting, writing memos, notes and so on.
More software components
The bloatware is a lot and it consumes an enviable percentage of the ROM. There are apps you can use to delete bloatware.
When you pull down the Notifications shade, you’ll access a number of helpful Quick Settings toggles in Infinix Note 6.
Some of the notable ones include Eye Care, which you’ll use to dim light; Multi-window to allow you use the split-screen mode; Cast for screen mirroring; Silent screen recording; and you can easily take a screenshot by tapping on the ‘Screenshot’ toggle.
There’s also ‘WhatsApp mode’, which you’ll use to limit background data usage.
You’ll also find Game Boost which you’ll use to improve gaming performance by limiting background operations, and One-hand, which has been added so you can easily use the phone’s large screen with one hand.
The others are the common ones like Flashlight, Do not disturb (enable Silent Mode), Location (GPS), Data Saver, Hotspot, Bike Mode and so on.
Additionally, this device supports the OTG function so you can connect it to other devices, say, a mouse, USB flash drive, Keyboard, etc.
To access OTG< you’ll go to Settings>Connected devices>OTG.
Another cool thing about this smartphone is that it comes with its own Voice Recorder app, a thing that you won’t find in some phones like Xiaomi brands.
You can also record your phone calls, though this is increasingly getting limited by some manufacturers because of privacy issues. And third-party apps are horrible.
CAMERAS
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Infinix Note 6 on the rear packs a 16-megapixel primary camera with an f/1,8 aperture; a second 8-megapixel camera and a third 2-megapixel camera.
It sports a 16-megapixel camera on the front for selfies. The selfies are great.
All the three-four modes of taking pictures: AI camera, Beauty, Bokeh, and AR mode perform well.
Using Artificial Intelligence, you can blur images, enable flashlight adjustment and enhance the shooting of portrait pictures.
Security
In Note 6, Infinix allows you to pick from all forms of locking and unlocking your phone, well apart from using a pattern.
You can use a password, face unlock or your fingerprint. While locking your phone with any these systems won’t stop people from using it or stealing it, it reduces the chances of, especially, the former.
While face unlock and fingerprint are the sweetest to use, the former has limitations, i.e. you can’t use it in the dark. For a first-time face unlock user, it’s crucial to note that your phone is supposed to be at a distance (about 20cm) from you. Don’t bring it very close to the face.
We tested all the options and they worked very well.
Infinix note 6 specs
Model: Note 6
Release date: July 2019
Battery capacity: 4000mAh
Colours: Midnight Black, Mocha Brown and Aqua Blue
Screen size: 6.01 inches
Resolution: 1080×2160 pixels
Processor: 2.3GHz octa-core
Processor make: MediaTek Helio P35
RAM: 4GB
Internal storage: 64GB
Expandable storage: Yes
Expandable storage type: microSD
Expandable storage: up to 128GB
Rear camera: 16-megapixel (f/1,8) + 8-megapixel + 2-megapixel
Front camera: 16-megapixel
Operating system: Android 9 Pie
Skin: XOS 5.0
Wi-Fi: Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
GPS: Yes
Bluetooth: Yes
USB OTG: Yes
Micro-USB: Yes
Headphones: 3.5mm
Number of SIMs: 2
SIM Types: Nano-SIM
Fingerprint sensor: Yes
Compass/ Magnetometer: Yes
Proximity sensor: Yes
Ambient light sensor: Yes
Gyroscope: Yes
