Micromax Infinity N12 Review: Stands out for its stylish design and big battery

Towards the end of 2018, Micromax expanded its smartphone lineup by launching the Infinity N series in India. Through this new series, the company jumped onto the notch bandwagon. We saw the launch of two new smartphones, called Infinity N11 and Infinity N12, which have largely similar specifications and features. With a competitive set of features, and prices starting from Rs 8,999, it will no doubt attract many potential buyers. However, before you buy the device from online or offline channels, let’s find out if its value for money or not? I have been using the Infinity N12 for about a week now, and here’s my review.

Build, Design and display

In terms of the design language, the Micromax Infinity N12 is a good looking package. Besides the edge-to-edge notched display, the smartphone also comes with a large battery, and dual rear camera setup. Up front, the Micromax N12 packs a 6.19-inch HD+ display with resolution of 720×1520 pixels, and a 19:9 aspect ratio with a notch. With the price tag in mind, I found the N12’s display to be decent, and not great. The colors are not as sharp as what we have seen on devices in this price range, and the reflective screen also affects legibility under direct sunlight.

The back panel of smartphone may look like glass at first glance, but actually is plastic. Buyers will be able to choose between Velvet Red, Blue Lagoon, and Viola color options. As you can see from the photos, our review unit came in Velvet Red. With a relatively slim width, the smartphone is easy to hold in your hands. That said, we would recommend you to use a case to protect your handset from any harm. Due to the glossy finish at the back, the device does attract fingerprints and smudges quite a bit.

Performance

Micromax N12 is a budget device, and it comes with MediaTek’s Helio P22 SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of onboard storage. In my day-to-day usage there were no major interruptions. What aides the performance is the fact that the device runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. The company has also assured that an Android Pie update will be rolling out in the next 45 days.
I found the overall performance of the device to be satisfactory, especially when you consider the price tag. I didn’t face any issues while operating multiple apps or playing simple games like Subway Surfers. Not surprisingly, the device starts struggling the moment you try playing graphic-intensive games like PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9: Legends. For security, there is a fingerprint sensor, and face unlock feature. While they are not exactly fast, they do come across as accurate.

Cameras

The Micromax Infinity N12 packs a combination of 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel camera sensors at the back. For selfies and video calling there is a 16-megapixel snapper at the front. Both the cameras leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), and offer multiple shooting modes. During a recent trip, I clicked a lot of photos with the device with AI mode turned on. Despite the extra help, I found that the photos were average at best and lacking in details and sharpness.

Apart from the average photo quality, I also found that the phone was particularly slow in processing the images. Needless to say, low light shots too weren’t great, and were largely affected by noise.

Battery

The battery is among the USPs of this Micromax smartphone. The Infinity N12 packs a 4,000mAh battery, and during my usage, it easily lasted for more than a day. My usage includes checking emails, buzzing social network apps, navigation, and little bit of video playback. Heavy users will most likely end up plugging in their charger every night or a little before. The 4,000mAh battery though does not come with fast charging technology, which means that you will have to wait for more than two hours to charge the phone from 0-100 percent.

Verdict

With a price tag of Rs 9,999 , the Infinity N12 is a good option most smartphone buyers. One big advantage is that buyers will be able to easily get their hands on the device. The Infinity N12 may not be the best in the segment, but it manages to get the job done. If you seek a device that looks good and comes with a large battery, then Micromax’s smartphone is the one for you. The smartphone though faces strong competition from smartphones in this range including the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro, Realme 2, Honor 9 Lite, and the Nokia 5.1 Plus to name a few.