Infocus Vision 3 (Midnight Black, 18:9 FullVision Display).

InFocus, like many other smartphone makers, had a muted 2017 in India. The company launched only two devices this year and its products were largely overshadowed by similarly priced offerings from the likes of Xiaomi. However, as we draw close to the year, the American smartphone maker, backed by contract manufacturer Foxconn, is preparing to put up a fight.

Highlights

• Design and Display are its USP
• Battery Life is commendable
• Camera fails to impress

InFocus clearly sees its Vision 3 smartphone as a big bet to stay competitive, even as new smartphone makers continue to enter the market. “Our new Vision 3 smartphone will give sleepless nights to competitors,” Piyush Puri, VP India and South Asia for InFocus and Sharp Mobile, said at the technical briefing of the smartphone. Puri added that 18:9 screens will be among the main requirements for smartphone buyers next year. So, the company is not waiting until early next year to launch a phone with 18:9 display.

The Vision 3 is the company’s first device to adopt that aspect ratio and does that at a low cost, which will be considerably difficult to match for most smartphone makers. InFocus Vision 3’s ingredients include: a big display, a large battery, a MediaTek chipset, dual cameras and a design that will set it apart. So, the obvious question is whether InFocus has compromised in any other area to offer that taller display at a low price. We review to find out.

InFocus Vision 3 Design and Display

Yes, the InFocus Vision 3’s design does not belong to its price segment. The biggest selling point of the device is the new design language that trims the bezels surrounding the display. Getting rid of bezels has been a common theme among smartphone makers in 2017 but the feature trickling down to the lower end of the price spectrum is remarkable in its own right.

The InFocus Vision 3 features a 5.7-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels, which translates to 1.03 million pixels. The LCD display on the Vision 3 offers 12.5 percent more pixels than a standard display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. Since there are more pixels than usual, the display looks significantly brighter than a traditional 720p panel. The display is also well supported by the auto-brightness setting which manages to optimize the display brightness according to ambient light.