Infinix Smart 10 HD

At Rs. 22,499, the Infinix Smart 10 HD makes sense only for light use. It gets the basics right: a smooth 90Hz screen, a 5000 mAh battery, a dedicated microSD slot, a headphone jack and automatic call recording.

The weak point is the 2GB of RAM. The phone runs well when new, but it is likely to feel slower over time as apps and data build up. Charging is also slow at 10W.

Verdict: a reasonable choice for calls, messaging, social media and videos. If you can spend a little more, a phone with 4GB of RAM, such as the VGOTEL New 17 at Rs. 27,699, will stay usable for longer.

Official specs: a 6.6-inch IPS LCD with a 720 x 1612 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate and up to 500 nits peak brightness, with a centred punch-hole camera.

Real-world use: scrolling feels smooth thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate, and brightness is fine for the price indoors. In direct sunlight the screen can be harder to read. Video watching is acceptable, although the HD+ resolution is not as sharp as Full HD panels.

Official specs: an octa-core 12 nm Unisoc chip with two Cortex-A75 and six Cortex-A55 cores, Mali-G57 MC1 graphics, 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The box advertises extra virtual memory, but the physical RAM is 2GB.

Real-world use: the chip is not powerful but handles calls, social media, YouTube and simple everyday tasks. The small RAM is the main limit: as more apps are installed, the phone is likely to slow down or lag. It is not a good choice for heavy games or keeping many apps open at once.

Official specs: a 13 MP main camera with autofocus and an LED flash, and an 8 MP selfie camera. Both record video up to 1080p at 30fps.

Real-world use: daylight photos are decent for the price, with good detail and colour. Portrait background blur is weak and focusing is not always quick or accurate. Video has no stabilisation, so clips shot while walking will look shaky. Modes include portrait, beauty, AI camera, panorama and time-lapse.

Official specs: a 5000 mAh battery with 10W wired charging and reverse wired charging.

Real-world use: the included 10W charger is a basic 5V/2A adapter with a USB-A to USB-C cable, and there is no fast charging, so expect a long wait for a full charge. A reliable screen-on time measurement is not available, so we do not estimate battery life here.

The phone runs XOS 13 on Android 14 (Go edition). The Go edition uses lighter apps designed for phones with little memory, which helps the 2GB RAM but limits some features.

Useful extras include automatic call recording without an announcement. Infinix has not published a clear update commitment for this phone, so do not count on major Android upgrades.