Infinix Zero 5G review

The competition

At the time of writing, the Infinix Zero 5G is still a bit difficult to track down in actual retail stores. Best we can gather it costs around $250 or INR 18,990. Then again, we found the one Nigerian listing that sells the device for NGN 169,500, which is significantly more - around $400. That just seems excessive, so we'll look for alternatives below EUR 250 or $290. Still a decently-wide net to cast on today's sprawling budget market.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 instantly springs to mind. It might not be readily available on every market, but if you have access to it it's hard to beat its value proposition. Some of its specs highlights include a 6.43-inch 90Hz AMOLED display, stereo speakers, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 front, IP53 ingress protection, 50MP primary camera and 8MP ultrawide and a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W charging.

One potentially important thing to note is that the Snapdragon 860 has DSP limitations and can only record 1080p video despite its otherwise excellent features and specs. If that is a major problem, you could potentially consider the slightly older Redmi Note 10 or better yet Redmi Note 10S instead for a very similar experience.

Despite being nearly a year old by now, the Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro manages to maintain its status as the go-to budget device for the best possible performance on the cheap. With its Snapdragon 860 chipset pushing pixels to a fast 120Hz IPS, LCD with HDR support, albeit at a max of just around 450 nits of brightness. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass 6, stereo speakers, a big 5,160 mAh battery, 33W charging and a similar camera setup to the Infinix Zero 5G. The Poco M4 Pro 5G is a good 5G alternative if the next-generation network connectivity is high on your list of priorities.

For a more "western-friendly" big-brand alternative, look no further than Samsung's excellent Galaxy A family. At current pricing, the Galaxy A32 comes in just a bit over the asking price of the Infinix Zero 5G. If not, the Galaxy A22 is an excellent step-down option.

The A32 is a great all-around device with one of Samsung's splendid 90Hz AMOLED 6.4-inch panels, a big 5,000 mAh battery, though with only 15W charging and a solid camera setup. Granted, the MediaTek Helio G80 is a bit of a downgrade compared to the Dimensity 900 5G in the Infinix. Still, once again, if 5G is a priority, you can sacrifice a few things, including the gorgeous AMOLED panel and get the Galaxy A32 5G and still stay within budget.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 • Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro • Samsung Galaxy A32

The verdict

There's no point beating about the bush - the Infinix Zero 5G's real life performance fell a bit short of what its specs sheet made us expect. After some well rounded Infinix devices, like the Zero X Pro and the Note 11 Pro, the Zero 5G feels lopsided.

We will be the first to admit that the Zero 5G punches above its price class in terms of design, rocking an exquisite aesthetic. It has stellar battery life too. But most of all, the excellent Dimensity 900 5G chipset is typically found in higher-end offers like the Oppo Reno7 5G or the Reno6 5G before it. In fact, even getting a decent 5G device for under $300 is a bit of a challenge in itself.

But Infinix had to make some significant compromises in other areas - the lack of ingress protection and any official mention of display protection is quite unnerving, the overall quality of the display itself is disappointing, the single speaker is not impressive either, and the camera performance has as many downs as ups. While the hardware is there and there are some aspects Infinix managed to nail, the sub-par processing in certain conditions is really dragging down the camera experience.

Considering all of this, we can't wholeheartedly recommend the Infinix Zero 5G. Some troubling hardware corners were cut in its creation, and some unfortunate camera issues managed to further soil the experience. If the latter is addressed with software updates, we'll be far more willing to give it the thumbs up. If history is any indication, though, we'll likely see Infinix release a replacement model instead.

Pros

• Solid and strong plastic body. Recognizable design.
• Dual-SIM support and True Dual 5G SIM (5G SA + 5G SA) standby and VoNR. Supports 13 5G bands (X6715 model).
• Great battery life and decently-quick 33W charging.
• XOS10 is chuck-full of features and customization options.
• The Mediatek Dimensity 900 5G is an excellent all-around performer with modern features and connectivity. It is a step up from the MediaTek G-series chips Infinix usually uses.
• The 2x telephoto does pretty well in daylight. Selfies are great and you get an LED selfie flash for low-light conditions. Solid low-light performance from the main and selfie cameras, particularly with Super Night mode.
• Solid 4K clips from the main cam and good 2x 1080p clips from the telephoto. Decent video stabilization all around. Great quality 4K selfie videos.
• FM radio, 3.5mm jack, dedicated microSD slot.

Cons

• No ingress protection. No word on protective glass front. Cosmic Black and Horizon Blue are slippery and collect a lot of fingerprints.
• Volume rockers feel horrible - mushy and soft.
• Display has disappointing max brightness, terrible color accuracy and pixel response time is very sluggish, which leads to smearing.
• Google Widevine L3 DRM means no HD and higher quality streaming on services like Netflix.
• No stereo speaker setup, not even a hybrid one, just a single bottom-firing speaker with average performance.
• XOS 10 is still based on Android 11. It has a lot of pre-installed bloat and it lacks proper organization for some of its menus.
• The main camera has an annoying color hue present in half of the daylight shots. The telephoto has temperamental autofocus, can't double as a macro cam and struggles in low-light. Poor portraits from both cameras, despite contrary marketing.
• No NFC.