Infinix’s latest mid-range device is the Note 10 Pro, having debuted in the local market recently.
At its Kshs 26,000 price, it competes for the customer’s attention with another device that has been in the local market for a while: the Samsung Galaxy A32. How does it fare?
Specifications
Below is a spec by spec comparison between the two devices:
| Infinix Note 10 Pro | Samsung Galaxy A32 | |
| Dimensions and weight | 172.76 x 78.32 x 8.7 mm | 158.9 x 73.6 x 8.4 mm, 184g |
| Display | 6.95-inch Full HD+ (2460 x 1080 pixels) Infinity-O | 6.4-inch Infinity-V (2400 x 1080 pixels, 411ppi) 90Hz Super AMOLED |
| Camera | Selfie camera: 16MP with Dual Flash Light Main camera: 64MP + 8MP depth sensor + 2MP + 2MP with Quad LED flash | Main: 64MP + 8MP (123-degree wide-angle) + 5MP (macro) + 5MP (depth) Selfie: 20MP |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G95 | MediaTek Helio G80 |
| Memory | 8GB RAM, 128 GB onboard storage (expandable via microSD) | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB internal storage |
| Operating System | Android 11 (XOS 7.6) | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) |
| Battery | 5,000mAh | Same |
| Network | 3G, 4G | Same |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | Same + NFC |
| Colour options | 7° Purple, 95° Black, Heart of Ocean, Morandi Green | Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue, Awesome Violet |
| Others | Fingerprint scanner (on the side) | Same |
More
As can be seen from the above table, both devices bring more to the table than similarly-priced devices have in the past, showing the strides and advancements made over the years.
There are a couple of features that the two smartphones share. Like the 5,000mAh battery, the network connectivity options, the other connectivity options (USB Type-C, Bluetooth, etc), operating system (they both run on Android 11), onboard storage, the placement of the fingerprint sensor and, well, the price.
However, as expected (and the whole point of this comparison exercise), there are also some distinguishing features between the two.
They start right from the design. The Samsung Galaxy A32 is the lighter of the two devices and while the choice of design is subjective, to me, it is the looker of the two.
While both devices have high refresh rate displays (90Hz) and pack Full HD+ panels, there are some tiny and major details to be added. Samsung goes with its tried and tested Super AMOLED display panels while, on the Infinix, you get a good old (IPS) LCD panel. There’s also the big matter of size. At 6.95 inches, the Infinix Note 10 Pro is almost the size of 2012-era small tablets and, it is huge! That pales in comparison to the Galaxy A32’s 6.4-inch display, housed in a smaller frame.
As a result, the Samsung feels more compact, something that should be advantageous to anyone that is a bit concerned about the handling of their device. However, the large display is a boon for users of the Note 10 Pro as it allows them to use that crispy display for things like reading articles, books and consuming a lot more video content, the whole point of bigger displays on devices. Just as is the case with the design, this is down to individual preferences. If you prefer bigger displays, the Infinix smartphone is there for the taking. If the opposite, you are also not short of options.
Yes, both devices are powered by Android 11 but there is a big difference. Each device maker has its own interpretation of Android.
On the Samsung Galaxy A32, there is the One UI, currently in its third version which brings the same experience users of high-end Samsung devices get everywhere, including on the Galaxy A32. This is important not just for the look and feel but also for those that are already invested in the Samsung ecosystem either as past users of Samsung smartphones (for familiarity’s sake, very important) or as owners of other Samsung devices, especially wearables like Samsung smartwatches, fitness trackers and wireless earbuds. This is so because Samsung has democratized its platform to allow compatibility of as many of its devices across the board and the Galaxy A32 is one of the beneficiaries of this stance despite being further down the food chain.
On the Infinix front, the brand prides itself in offering a more practical user experience that has seen it become a hit with younger users while, at the same time, drawing the ire of critics who often deride its XOS user interface of being too cluttered and pulling back the great hardware it produces. That said, XOS has lots of little gems that users coming from other Infinix devices will appreciate and be at home with.
Infinix has also tailored the XOS experience to play nicely with the hardware the Note 10 Pro packs. This is so even though the Note 10 Pro is not in any dire need of hardware smarts. It has lots of power to spare with a fast 8GB RAM chip paired with a MediaTek Helio G95 chipset. This is where, at least on paper, the Samsung falls by the wayside. It has less memory (6GB) and a chipset that is at least a generation older than the one on the Infinix.
As a result, a lot of what we highly praise the Infinix Note 10 Pro for in our review like fast network connectivity and better handling when making video calls (in addition to customizations from Infinix) is down to the chipset.
From where I sit, the two devices are even when it comes to most of the camera experiences with the difference being the shift in gears that Infinix does with the Super Night mode on the Note 10 Pro. During the day and for selfie portraits, macros and the like, they go head-to-head.
Being devices with big batteries, the Infinix Note 10 Pro one-ups the Samsung Galaxy A32 with a faster way to go from 0 to 100% to juice up that 5,000mAh unit.
What’s your pick?
