Infocus M680 review: Impressive performance at a fair price point
InfocusVERDICT
With a large vibrant 5.5-inch full HD display, good multitasking and decent camera performance, Infocus M680 is a pocket friendly phone worth considering.
PROS:
CONS:
- Plasticky feel especially on the front, a bit difficult to operate using just
- one-hand, battery performance could have been better.
Scores in depth
Design
Features
Performance
Usability
Value
The US smartphone maker Infocus is getting quite aggressive in Indian market and is continuously pushing a number of budget and mid-range smartphones. The company recently came out with two metallic smartphones - M812i and M808i and a budget handsetM260, priced at Rs. 3,999. And now we have the latestM680 in our hands, which is launched today in Indian market at a price of Rs 10,999. The smartphone on paper looks too loaded and competes with the likes of Micromax Canvas 5, Moto G 3rd Gen and other sub-Rs 12,000 smartphones. Let's find out whether the latest device from the American company has the potential to be on our list of favorites or not?
Specifications:
Display: 5.5-inch full HD 1920x1080p display, 401ppi
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1
CPU: 1.5 GHz 64 bit Octa-Core MediaTeK MT6753 SoC,RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB inbuilt storage, expandable upto 64GB via microSD
Cameras: 13MP (rear with LED flash), 13 MP (front)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/2G, GPS, Bluetooth, microUSB charging port, USB OTG
Battery: 2,600mAh
Weight: 158 grams, 7.2mm
Price: Rs 10,999
Design
The recent two devices from Infocus- M812i and M808i had an appealing design and sported an all-metal body, but M680 is made mostly of plastic and does not look or feel premium. The only metallic that we can see in this phone is used in the frame on the side, which carries all the buttons, ports and the SIM tray.
Like we mentioned earlier, the phone is primarily made of plastic but it is the front that is the most disappointing as it does look very appealing. There is a large 5.5-inch display with three touch capacitive buttons at the bottom and a 13MP front facing camera coupled with the usual sensors on the top. The volume rockers on the left side and the power button on the right side are placed ergonomically and offer a good tactile feedback. The SIM-tray is also located on the right side just above the power button. The 3.5 mm audio jack is at the top while the micro USB port is at the bottom along with a mono speaker grill.
In terms of size and handling, the smartphone is not a perfect fit for one hand operation. You have to use it with both hands when you are typing or taking images, else it can easily slip from hands.
Unlike the front, the back of the smartphone looks very clean and has a rich look. The non-removable panel has been given a metallic look but it's actually made of plastic. There is a 13MP camera at the top left corner coupled with an LED flash and an Infocus branding embossed at the centre of the back panel.
Unlike the front, the back of the smartphone looks very clean and has a rich look. The non-removable panel has been given a metallic look but it's actually made of plastic. There is a 13MP camera at the top left corner coupled with an LED flash and an Infocus branding embossed at the centre of the back panel.
Hardware
Infocus has loaded the M680 with almost all the high-end specifications that a smartphone in this price bracket can get. The smartphone is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek CPU coupled with 2GB of RAM. In the same price bracket we also have smartphones like Lenovo K3 Note, CoolPad Note 3 etc which offer 3GB of RAM.
Infocus M680 comes with 16GB of in-built memory that can be expanded by up to 64GB via microSD card. However the bundled SIM tray is a hybrid one, which means you can either use two active SIM cards or one SIM card with a microSD card. In terms of connectivity, the smartphone has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, dual-SIM dual standby, USB OTG and FM Radio.
What is impressive about the smartphone is the integrated camera hardware as both the sides (front and back) are provided with 13MP shooters.
Display
The 5.5-inch 1080p display of M680 will please the users who love to watch movies or play 3D games on their smartphones. The vibrant colours and the good level of brightness make the content easily visible in outdoor conditions. As it is a 5.5-inch panel, the text, pictures and videos are not as crisp as it looks on the 5-inch full HD panel of Xiaomi Mi4i, but the difference is only marginal.
There's one drawback of the Infocus M680, which it does not offer any screen protection for the phone. This means that you will have to rely on tampered glass to protect it from accidental damages.
Performance
Infocus M680 is a capable device and justifies the price point it comes at. The smartphone does not stutter during basic as well as high end tasks and can be used to run a number of applications simultaneously. We streamed a number of full HD videos on YouTube, played games and ran multiple applications with no major performance issues. Call quality was fine and we experience no heating issues on the smartphone as well.
A minor issue was the audio quality from the mono speaker unit, which is not loud and clear and forces you to use the earphones. And sadly, there are no bundled earphones in the package.
Infocus M680 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with the same custom skin much like the one we had seen on M808i and M812i. While reviewing M808i, we faced a number of app crashes and UI felt buggy. But looks like InFocus has tied up things and this time the software performance of this phone felt smooth. There seemed to be no glitches during screen navigation or while jumping from one app to another during multitasking.
The smartphone has a number of pre-installed applications such as Asphalt 8, WPS office, Subway Surfer, Twitter, Mobile Assistant that performs a number of functions such as scanning the device for any security issues, cleans temporary files, manages battery life, etc.
Camera
The 13MP front and rear shooters of the smartphone are decent performers. When used in daylight, the pictures have good detailing and the sensor does not waste any time in focusing a subject or taking a shot. Even in the low-light, the performance is acceptable.
The 13MP front camera will definitely please users who love to take selfies and video chat a lot.
Battery:
We started using the smartphone at 8 in the morning with 100 per cent charge. With moderate to high usage that consisted on numerous calls all through the day, playing games for about 30 minutes, a couple of 1080p YouTube videos and after clicking a handful of shots, the batter had dropped to 21 per cent by 6:30 in the evening. This makes us to conclude that the 2,600mAh battery is decent but in no way can be the selling point for this smartphone. In our opinion, the Infocus M680 has a large 5.5-inch full HD display and deserves at least a 3,000mAH battery.
Likes:
The large full HD display serves well for gaming, reading and multimedia tasks and the 13MP front camera delivers amazing selfies. Moreover, the smartphone can easily handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
Dislikes:
Infocus should have slipped in a more powerful battery unit as the 2,600mAh feels a bit meager for heavy users like us. Users with small hands will find the smartphone a bit difficult to use with one hand.
Verdict:
At 10,999, Infocus M680 seems to be a fair deal. The smartphone performs and looks well at a price that is not heavy on pockets. The only thing that is a bit unsatisfactory is the battery backup on heavy usage. But if used moderately, the smartphone can last for a day.
Besides, M680 has a good display, a decent pair of cameras and delivers good multitasking performance. The smartphone is a good buy in the sub-Rs 12,000 price category.
Specifications:
Display: 5.5-inch full HD 1920x1080p display, 401ppi
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1
CPU: 1.5 GHz 64 bit Octa-Core MediaTeK MT6753 SoC,RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB inbuilt storage, expandable upto 64GB via microSD
Cameras: 13MP (rear with LED flash), 13 MP (front)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/2G, GPS, Bluetooth, microUSB charging port, USB OTG
Battery: 2,600mAh
Weight: 158 grams, 7.2mm
Price: Rs 10,999
Design
The recent two devices from Infocus- M812i and M808i had an appealing design and sported an all-metal body, but M680 is made mostly of plastic and does not look or feel premium. The only metallic that we can see in this phone is used in the frame on the side, which carries all the buttons, ports and the SIM tray.
Like we mentioned earlier, the phone is primarily made of plastic but it is the front that is the most disappointing as it does look very appealing. There is a large 5.5-inch display with three touch capacitive buttons at the bottom and a 13MP front facing camera coupled with the usual sensors on the top. The volume rockers on the left side and the power button on the right side are placed ergonomically and offer a good tactile feedback. The SIM-tray is also located on the right side just above the power button. The 3.5 mm audio jack is at the top while the micro USB port is at the bottom along with a mono speaker grill.
In terms of size and handling, the smartphone is not a perfect fit for one hand operation. You have to use it with both hands when you are typing or taking images, else it can easily slip from hands.
Unlike the front, the back of the smartphone looks very clean and has a rich look. The non-removable panel has been given a metallic look but it's actually made of plastic. There is a 13MP camera at the top left corner coupled with an LED flash and an Infocus branding embossed at the centre of the back panel.
Unlike the front, the back of the smartphone looks very clean and has a rich look. The non-removable panel has been given a metallic look but it's actually made of plastic. There is a 13MP camera at the top left corner coupled with an LED flash and an Infocus branding embossed at the centre of the back panel.
Hardware
Infocus has loaded the M680 with almost all the high-end specifications that a smartphone in this price bracket can get. The smartphone is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek CPU coupled with 2GB of RAM. In the same price bracket we also have smartphones like Lenovo K3 Note, CoolPad Note 3 etc which offer 3GB of RAM.
Infocus M680 comes with 16GB of in-built memory that can be expanded by up to 64GB via microSD card. However the bundled SIM tray is a hybrid one, which means you can either use two active SIM cards or one SIM card with a microSD card. In terms of connectivity, the smartphone has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, dual-SIM dual standby, USB OTG and FM Radio.
What is impressive about the smartphone is the integrated camera hardware as both the sides (front and back) are provided with 13MP shooters.
Display
The 5.5-inch 1080p display of M680 will please the users who love to watch movies or play 3D games on their smartphones. The vibrant colours and the good level of brightness make the content easily visible in outdoor conditions. As it is a 5.5-inch panel, the text, pictures and videos are not as crisp as it looks on the 5-inch full HD panel of Xiaomi Mi4i, but the difference is only marginal.
There's one drawback of the Infocus M680, which it does not offer any screen protection for the phone. This means that you will have to rely on tampered glass to protect it from accidental damages.
Performance
Infocus M680 is a capable device and justifies the price point it comes at. The smartphone does not stutter during basic as well as high end tasks and can be used to run a number of applications simultaneously. We streamed a number of full HD videos on YouTube, played games and ran multiple applications with no major performance issues. Call quality was fine and we experience no heating issues on the smartphone as well.
A minor issue was the audio quality from the mono speaker unit, which is not loud and clear and forces you to use the earphones. And sadly, there are no bundled earphones in the package.
Infocus M680 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with the same custom skin much like the one we had seen on M808i and M812i. While reviewing M808i, we faced a number of app crashes and UI felt buggy. But looks like InFocus has tied up things and this time the software performance of this phone felt smooth. There seemed to be no glitches during screen navigation or while jumping from one app to another during multitasking.
The smartphone has a number of pre-installed applications such as Asphalt 8, WPS office, Subway Surfer, Twitter, Mobile Assistant that performs a number of functions such as scanning the device for any security issues, cleans temporary files, manages battery life, etc.
Camera
The 13MP front and rear shooters of the smartphone are decent performers. When used in daylight, the pictures have good detailing and the sensor does not waste any time in focusing a subject or taking a shot. Even in the low-light, the performance is acceptable.
The 13MP front camera will definitely please users who love to take selfies and video chat a lot.
Battery:
We started using the smartphone at 8 in the morning with 100 per cent charge. With moderate to high usage that consisted on numerous calls all through the day, playing games for about 30 minutes, a couple of 1080p YouTube videos and after clicking a handful of shots, the batter had dropped to 21 per cent by 6:30 in the evening. This makes us to conclude that the 2,600mAh battery is decent but in no way can be the selling point for this smartphone. In our opinion, the Infocus M680 has a large 5.5-inch full HD display and deserves at least a 3,000mAH battery.
Likes:
The large full HD display serves well for gaming, reading and multimedia tasks and the 13MP front camera delivers amazing selfies. Moreover, the smartphone can easily handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
Dislikes:
Infocus should have slipped in a more powerful battery unit as the 2,600mAh feels a bit meager for heavy users like us. Users with small hands will find the smartphone a bit difficult to use with one hand.
Verdict:
At 10,999, Infocus M680 seems to be a fair deal. The smartphone performs and looks well at a price that is not heavy on pockets. The only thing that is a bit unsatisfactory is the battery backup on heavy usage. But if used moderately, the smartphone can last for a day.
Besides, M680 has a good display, a decent pair of cameras and delivers good multitasking performance. The smartphone is a good buy in the sub-Rs 12,000 price category.