Infinix XPad Review: Compact and Competent

Like most budget tablets available in India, Infinix's first tablet, the XPad, has been designed to focus on content consumption, with large displays accompanied by loudspeakers. But adding cellular connectivity at Rs. 12,999 (for the base 4GB + 128GB variant) means you can also place calls with it, adding extra value. We received the top-end 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant for this review, which is priced at Rs. 15,999, which is a competitive price tag for a budget tablet. Indeed, Infinix seems to have gotten the value quotient right from the get-go. However, what makes budget devices interesting is finding out where manufacturers cut corners. And boy, was I in for a few surprises!

Infinix XPad Design: Plain jane

• Dimensions - 257.04 x 168.62 x 7.58mm
• Weight - 496 grams
• Finishes - Titan Gold, Frost Blue, Stellar Grey

Despite its pricing, it's clear that Infinix has not cut down on quality. The tablet has a metal unibody design which wraps around the sides. Save for the rounded corners and the squarish camera module, all of the tablet's surfaces are properly flat, including its sides.

The Infinix XPad has a metal unibody design with a textured plastic insert at the top

A third of the tablet's back is wrapped in brushed aluminium (metal), while a small strip, which also takes up the top, is made out of plastic for radio reception. While the power/volume buttons and SIM card tray are at the top, the rear camera module sits on the back side of this plastic insert, which has a fun concentric circular pattern on it.

While the plastic insert does not gather any fingerprints or smudges due to its textured nature, the metal part does. The good part is that these smudges are only visible at certain angles. The bad part is that they aren't easy to wipe off.

The tablet offers 4G connectivity and can also be used to place voice calls (via its speakers).

I wish Infinix had included a basic cover case in the box or even sold it as an optional accessory. Since this tablet weighs nearly half a kilo, a foldable case that would also double up as a basic stand would have been useful for keeping it upright while consuming video, which is this tablet's main selling point. The tablet supports no accessories and only comes with a cable and a charger in the box.

Infinix XPad Display: Not the smoothest experience

• Display size - 11-inch, 1,200 x 1,980 pixels
• Display type - IPS LCD, 90Hz
• Display protection - Glass

The Infinix XPad's display shows natural colours. It's a very basic IPS LCD panel, so you should not expect deep blacks like an AMOLED panel. Viewing angles are limited to the user only because contrast and brightness levels drop significantly when viewed off-centre. The display's odd 16:10 aspect ratio works well when watching movies, meaning you will see minimal letter-boxing at the top and bottom.

The tablet's 90Hz refresh rate full-HD+ display is sufficiently bright outdoors

When using the tablet, I noticed that the display never changed its brightness levels depending on the lighting around me. So, I assumed that the adaptive brightness may have been switched off. After some searching, it turns out that the tablet does not have the toggle in its Display settings. Basically, you will have to manually adjust the brightness to your surroundings every single time, which can be a deal breaker for some. Adaptive brightness is a basic feature that's even found on entry-level smartphones, so it is a bit surprising to see it omitted on this tablet.

Infinix XPad Software: Back to basics

• Operating system - XOS V14
• Android version - Android 14
• Latest security patch - September, 2024

Despite its XOS branding, Infinix has done a fabulous job by delivering a severely trimmed-down version of the software. Android 14 on the Infinix XPad is a near-stock experience with a few native Infinix apps like XArena, Folax (AI), and My Health. The only third-party app that cannot be uninstalled is CarlCare (for after-sales support).

Folax AI cannot replace Google's Gemini that's already available on most Android devices today

Folax AI is a nice integration for a budget tablet. It basically works using Open AI's ChatGPT, and so the results are decent, provided you ask the right questions. Setting it up is easy as well and just takes a few clicks. The assistant is voice-operated as well and can be triggered by a voice command. However, with Gemini already being available, I did find the latter (along with Google Assistant) better integrated to handle or check system-related queries, as something as simple as setting a timer was not possible using Folax AI.

Infinix XPad Performance: Average stuff

• Processor - MediaTek Helio G99 (2.2Ghz, 6nm)
• RAM - 4/8GB LPDDR4X
• Storage - 128/256GB EMMC (expandable up to 1TB)

When it comes to day-to-day usage, the XPad does a fine job of launching apps and multitasking, but it somehow cannot retain too many apps in memory despite packing 8GB of RAM. Expect older apps in memory to restart after launching more than 6 apps. While overall app switching just about met expectations in terms of smoothness, scrolling within any app was quite stuttery, hinting at the lack of software optimisation and bad GPU performance.

Gaming performance, given the basic budget, is decent. The tablet is better suited for casual games than graphics-intensive ones. Asphalt Legends Unite was playable with several skipped frames at High-quality graphics. However, even at high quality, the graphics lacked good textures, and objects appeared quite blocky on the large display. I then tried Call of Duty: Mobile. The game settings max out at Medium graphics and High frame rate, but touch response when playing the game was too slow for competitive FPS titles.

The 3.5mm headphone jack mainly comes of use when tuning into radio stations via the FM Radio app

As for synthetic benchmarks, the Infinix XPad managed 731 and 1,984 points in Geekbench, which is a lot better than the Redmi Pad SE's 407 and 1,351 scores. The tablet also managed 4,72,167 points in AnTuTu and 63, 26 and 15fps in GXFBench's T-Rex, Manhattan 3.1 and Car Chase test suites, respectively.

Since most games maxed out at 60Hz, the 90Hz refresh rate is only useful when browsing through the software interface, but even those interactions felt jerky and stuttery, which was surprising given the near-stock software.

The inclusion of a 3.5mm jack is a good idea at this price point, but most will find the quad-speaker setup sufficient both when watching video or playing games. The tablet also supports Widevine L1 security, and so you can enjoy streaming shows in Full HD resolution. The speakers produce rich, room-filling sound with just enough bass to make the viewing experience enjoyable, even at full volume. The 3.5mm headphone jack does come in use, if you want to listen to FM radio using the FM Radio app.

Unlike most smartphones at this price point, there's no secure form of biometric authentication on the XPad. The tablet offers a basic passcode unlock, and you will have to punch in a passcode every single time you need to use it, as it lacks even a basic 2D face unlock feature.

After a while, this can get annoying, not to mention that everyone around you will know your passcode given how many times you keep punching it in with onlookers present, be it in an office, at home or even in a local metro/train.

Infinix XPad Cameras: Gets the job done

• Primary camera - 8-megapixel with flash
• Selfie camera - 8-megapixel with flash
• Rear camera video recording - 720p/1080p @30fps, 2K @30fps

Photographs from the primary camera are passable but don't pack in much detail and show saturated colours. The selfie camera does a decent job and offers a flash which can be used when placing video calls in low light. Indeed, the presence of a front flash sure makes a solid case for the missing face unlock feature.

Bottom: Selfie camera sample, Top: Primary camera sample (Tap images to expand)

Video recordings produce average detail with flat textures, even in daylight. Stabilisation isn't great and the camera tends to clip bright areas or objects in contrasted daylight scenes.

Infinix XPad Battery: Nothing new

• Battery capacity - 7,000mAh
• Charging rate - 18W
• Charger in the box - Yes

The Infinix XPad manages just 7-8 hours of continuous usage if all you do with it is stream movies all day. If you watch movies saved on the tablet's local storage, it will last 11 hours and 7 minutes, which is basically the result from our video loop battery test. As for charging, the 18W charger takes 3 hours and 5 minutes to fully charge, managing a 21 percent charge in the first 30 minutes. All in all, battery and charging are similar to what the competition offers.

Infinix XPad: Verdict

Honor's Pad X8a (Rs. 9,999) is the only worthy competitor to Infinix's XPad, as the company also offers an optional (or combo) cover that doubles up as a stand. However, it falls short when it comes to hardware as it is only available with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage and also lacks cellular connectivity. Honor also does not provide a charger in the box. The Redmi Pad 4G (Rs. 10,999) is also a decent competitor, offers specifications similar (except for a smaller 8.7-inch display) to the Honor tablet, and comes with an optional cover accessory.

As it stands, the Infinix XPad is the only tablet that does what it does in this budget segment, and there's really no touching it, whether it's hardware, software or battery life (despite its missing features and performance hiccups). And so, the XPad, despite its flaws, is still easy to recommend as it offers extremely good value for money.