InFocus M330 review: A strong smartphone player in the mid-range field

You’d think the Rs 8,000 – 10,000 price band in the smartphone market is already cluttered with no room for Johnny-come-latelies. Xiaomi’s Redmi Note is one of the devices that have reshaped the value perception in this segment. InFocus is an Oregon-based company that is best known for its display and projection technologies. The company is attempting to carve a niche in the ever expanding Asian smartphone market and has launched two devices, including the higher priced M330, in India. The M330 is manufactured by Foxconn, one of the world’s best known electronic ‘contract’ manufacturing firms, and is priced at Rs 9,999.

One look at the M330 and you wouldn’t peg it as a sub Rs 10,000 device; ideal if you want to make an impression without breaking the bank. The build quality is very refined for a device at this price point - an all-glass front with a metallic rim and a white plastic rear. The metal rim and the contrast of colours (between the front and back) add a nice design element. It’s not all perfect though – the volume rocker on the left spine is not very tactile while the white rear cover loves fingerprints and dirt. At 167g, the M330 is not too bulky for a device that sports a 5.5-inch touch screen and feels good to hold. The IPS display, with Corning Glass 2 protection (1280 x 720 pixels), packs a decent 267 Pixels per inch; it’s certainly good enough for the occasional YouTube video or to flip through your image galleries. You will need your ‘go to’ headphones for a movie though; the audio output from the solitary rear speaker is inadequate.

The M330 is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core Mediatek (MT6592) processor with 2GB of RAM. We were pleased with the device’s multi-tasking abilities, it’s certainly geared for low GUI games. The device clocked 31958 on our AnTuTu benchmark test, trumping the Xiaomi Redmi Note and the Xiaomi Mi2 on this test. The M330’s corresponding score on the PCMark test (Work performance test) was 2452. The device comes with 16GB of internal memory that can be expanded up to 64GB via micro SD card support. The micro SD card slot and the SIM slots are located above the removable battery. The dual SIM slot is one of the bugbears of this device; it requires some effort to swap SIM cards. One of the other disappointing aspects of the M330 is the lack of 4G support (unlike the Xiaomi Redmi Note) however the M330 is one of the only devices in this price segment with NFC support.

Consumers expect spectacular results from cameras on budget devices and often that can be an unreasonable expectation. The M330 features a 13MP primary cam with a Sony Exmor R sensor. Images clicked in ambient light were slightly above average while low-light images (even with the LED flash) are quite noisy. It’s the same with the 8MP front shooter; low-light results are below par but the ‘Beauty mode’ enhanced selfies significantly. We like the uncluttered camera UI that allows you to click images in a flash without wading through multiple menu options.

The uncluttered, minimalist ‘InLife’ custom UI enhances the Android user experience. The device currently sports Android 4.4 (KitKat), and there’s no word about an upgrade to Android Lollipop yet. The other big strength in the M330 arsenal is the 3100 mAh battery. The battery doesn’t just charge quickly but will comfortably get you through a busy day at work with extensive data usage, and still have enough juice for you to indulge in some gaming once you are back home.

It’s important for new smartphone brands, aiming to impress unforgiving Indian consumers, to get their act together almost from the first device. The InFocus M330 is a great start from a brand that has minimal brand awareness in India. The build quality is impressive, the battery is quite robust while the processor and RAM should help you get through routine tasks without huffing or puffing. InFocus might have missed a trick by not offering 4G support on this device. If that’s not a deal breaker for you, the M330 is good bang for your buck.

What we liked: Build, robust battery, NFC support (rare at this price tag)    
What we didn’t like:  Inconvenient SIM slot, lowlight photography, No 4G support 
Price: Rs 9999/- 

5.5-inch screen is 1280 x 720 pixels with a 267 PPI pixel density 
13MP primary shooter with LED flash / 8MP front Camera (With beauty mode)