The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity is the latest addition to the local brand’s entry-level line-up.
Priced at Php7,999 (discounted to Php6,999 from time to time), does the Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity a better choice in this saturated market? We find out in our full review.
Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity Specs
- Android 10
- Dual SIM, dual standby
- 6.52-inch HD+ TrueView display, 1600 x 720 pixel resolution, 269ppi
- 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor
- 8GB RAM
- Mali-G72 MP3
- 128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 256GB
- 8-megapixel front camera
- 12-megapixel + 20-megapixel (depth sensor) + 2-megapixel (mono) + 2-megapixel (AI) rear cameras
- Face unlock
- 4G LTE
- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- GPS
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 162 x 75 x 9.3mm
- Weight: 192g
- Colors: Blue, Black
- 4,000mAh non-removable battery
Design and Build Quality
Being a budget smartphone, the Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity is made with cheap materials. But unlike most entry-level phones, it doesn’t feel fragile. In fact, it made the device lighter and more comfortable in the hands.
It also looks nice. The Aqua Infinity has a rounded glass on the back for the quad cameras, with a premium-looking ring surrounding it. The LED flash is outside the circle.
The Aqua Infinity also has a removable back panel, which we never thought we’d see again. It hides the dual SIM card slot, microSD card slot, and battery. This also means that the battery is easily replaceable.
On the front, there’s a 6.52-inch HD+ screen, with the 8-megapixel selfie camera inside a waterdrop notch. It has a screen protector pre-applied, but the one in our unit is misaligned.
We also have an LED notification light on top of the camera that only projects a single color. Bright blue when charging, normal if low on battery, and constant blue for unseen notification.
The left side has the lock/power button and volume controls. The buttons are still plastic but provide a satisfying click when pressed.
We then have the headphone jack on the top. While at the bottom, we have the loudspeaker, microphone, and a USB Type-C port.
Overall, the chassis is excellent. Paired with the distinct design, the Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity is a well-dressed smartphone. For extra protection, there’s a free clear case on the back that you can use.
Display and Sound Quality
With the Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity, you’re getting a standard 6.52-inch HD+ IPS screen with a 1600 x 720 pixel resolution. It’s a decent screen — fine colors, acceptable sharpness, usable outdoors — but we should already get a FHD+ resolution for the price.
The loudspeaker on the back is bad, even for the price. It sounds muffled with low volume. Thankfully, there’s free in-ear earphones in the box to improve the experience.
Hardware and Performance
The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity is powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor, 128GB of storage that can go up to 256GB via a microSD card, and, for some reason, 8GB of RAM.
Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity benchmark scores:
Having 8GB of RAM looks good and paper and can keep tons of apps running simultaneously, but don’t expect a significant performance boost out of it.
It used to be one of the best mid-range chipsets, but the Helio P60 is starting to feel slow. Albeit, it’s still usable. No random hiccups, sudden closures, and whatnot.
Gaming is also not the best. League of Legends Wild Rift, Mobile Legends, and other less graphically-intensive games should perform fine. But heavy titles like Call of Duty Mobile struggle. We had to settle with low graphics settings and frame rates to get the best possible performance.
Software and User Interface
The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity runs on Android 10 with the company’s own interface on top.
Cherry Mobile’s UI, like the Aqua S9 Max has, despite looking simple, feels outdated. It would’ve been better if the company stuck with the stock-Android look, which is more straightforward and easy to use. But for some reason, most Android OEMs like Cherry Mobile insist on using their own.
It may not be the best-looking UI, but those who plan on keeping this device can get used to it. Cherry Mobile is also sparing us from bloatware, but for some reason, there had to be a dedicated app for Face Unlock and Wireless Update.
If you haven’t noticed, the Aqua Infinity lacks a fingerprint scanner, which is a big bummer for the price. With that, you’d have to rely on its face unlock feature.
Camera
The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity has a 12-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel mono, 2-megapixel AI, and for some reason, a 20-megapixel depth-sensor. Let’s be real; the last three cameras are pretty useless. It would have been better to see an ultra-wide lens instead.
Just like most smartphones, it has AI Scene Detection, Night Mode, Beauty, and a feature called FaceCute, which is pretty self-explanatory.
On the upside, the main camera takes clean images in good lighting. The colors are appealing, the contrast is clean, and the dynamic range does a decent job if you intend to use it. The quality degrades in low-light scenarios with softer quality, but the colors are still passable. You can enable the Night Mode feature, but the difference is barely noticeable.
The 8-megapixel front-facing camera doesn’t take photos as good as what other 8-megapixel front-facing camera does. Still, it’s more than enough for social media selfies, video calls, online classes, and TikTok.
Battery
The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity comes with a 4,000mAh battery, which provides satisfactory longevity.
We were able to get 10 hours of screen-on time after light to moderate use (watching videos, social media) before reaching 13%. It also took 22 hours before we had to recharge it again. So, like most smartphones, you’d be charging this every night.
Verdict
The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity’s key highlight is its ridiculous-for-the-price 8GB of RAM, a distinct design with a removable back panel, and battery life.
However, those are not enough to stand out from the competition. Especially since it lacks a fingerprint scanner and only has an HD+ screen instead of FHD+. Also, the interface needs a lot of cleaning.
With that, you’re better off looking somewhere else. If you can add a thousand or two to your budget, you can get the Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 Max instead.
Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity pricing and availability in the Philippines
The Cherry Mobile Aqua Infinity is available in tons of physical and online stores nationwide. It officially retails for Php7,999. But as of writing, the device is available on the Cherry Shop website for only Php6,999. It even comes with a Cherry Mobile Flare Watch and Crystal Speaker for free.
Pros
- Distinct design
- Large RAM for multitasking
- Decent battery life
Cons
- No fingerprint scanner
- HD+ instead of FHD+
- Interface could be improved