The Infinix X3 Slim is probably one of the best thin and light laptops in the Rs 40,000 price range. The combination of an ultra-portable laptop and an Intel 12th-generation chip pulled off by Infinix sets the benchmark for the segment. Its 1080p anti-glare display, 75% keyboard, stacked I/O port selection and solid build quality further make it easily stand out from the competition. The addition of dual front-facing lights is another useful feature in a laptop packed with them. However, the 720p webcam and a set of average speakers do dull the experience of consuming media on an otherwise value-for-money machine. I recommend the Infinix X3 Slim as a great laptop in the Rs 40,000 price range. However, avoid the Intel Core i3-powered variant with 8GB RAM as it won’t last you long enough in 2023 and because the RAM isn’t user upgradable either.
Smartphone brands, especially when they venture into the laptop segment, often catch the attention of tech reviewers like me. They strive to deliver feature-packed products, and my recent Infinix X3 Slim Review is a testament to that. Take the Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G or the Infinix Zerobook Ultra 2023 for example. While the former boasts a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, a 2.5k 120Hz display, and an Nvidia MX550 GPU, the latter is powered by an Intel 13th Gen Core i9, showcasing minor caveats yet immense value for money in design and performance.
So, when Infinix unveiled its next-generation Slim series laptop, the X3 Slim, my expectations were high. After an extensive two-week test, I found myself both pleasantly surprised and slightly disappointed by certain aspects of Infinix’s latest thin and light Windows laptop. Is the Infinix X3 Slim worth its price tag? Here’s my take.
I tested the Infinix X1 Slim way back in 2021 and gave it a Digit rating of 72. While on paper the laptop performed really well, it faltered in terms of some construction issues. But two generations later and only is the Infinix X3 Slim built way better than any other laptop in its class range, it also boasts several features that are mostly alien amongst its rivals.
For starters, the laptop is made out of an aluminium chassis and feels pretty strong to hold and carry around despite its 1.24kg total weight. The laptop’s hinge is also nice and tight and maintains its position doesn’t matter at how low of an angle you put it in. Now you can almost open the lid with one hand and I say “almost” because the laptop’s base could use a little more weight to facilitate opening the lid a bit easier. But it’s nothing that you’d face any issues with.
Inifinx also provides you with a neat little spot for opening the lid so you don’t have to scour your fingers to find one. The keyboard/deck area is also solidly built. The material used negates any kind of flex and for a 13-inch laptop, there’s decent space to allow you to rest your palms. Provided you’ve average-sized hands like me.
On the laptop’s back, the Infinix X3 Slim comes with four rubberised feet with 11 “X” shaped screws holding the backplate. The laptop is pretty easy to open and you just need one small screwdriver and a prying tool. But there isn’t much reason for you to open the Inifnix X3 Slim because it comes with non-upgradable soldered memory. Still, it has a free PCIe Gen 3 SSD slot if you want to upgrade the storage from the stock 512GB.
The keyboard and the trackpad combination works well. The keyboard’s layout is a 75% one while the trackpad is a smooth single-piece unit. The keyboard is backlit and has all the essential function keys ranging from volume to brightness control, turning on the Wi-Fi and disabling the touchpad. The keys have good travel and are even bigger compared to Infinix’s much pricier offering.
The Infinix X3 Slim sports a 14-inch FHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 60Hz refresh rate. And while these are pretty standard specs the screen outshines in its class with 300nits brightness and 98% sRGB colour space coverage. Simply put, the screen has good brightness and can showcase a wide range of colours in the sRGB colour space, which comprises most of the internet, games and streaming apps.
The screen also has good viewing angles and an anti-glare matte coating. Therefore, it is fingerprint-resistant and you can easily work with this laptop in an office environment where there are a lot of overhanging lights.
Speakers on the Infinix X3 Slim are average at best. They’re loud but have a very small sound stage. They also lack base and sound muffled most of the time. I’d recommend a good pair of headphones if you want to watch a movie or a TV show on this thing.
The laptop sports a very healthy selection of I/O ports including two USB Type-C ports, one of which is a thunderbolt port, a USB type-A port, an HDMI slot, an SD card port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The laptop comes with a 65W charging brick which supports PD charging and can charge the laptop to more than 60% in around an hour.
The laptop’s battery life is also excellent thanks to the Intel “U” series chip on board and a big 50Wh battery. In the PC Mark 10 battery test, the laptop lasted around 7 hours of modern office workload with 100% full-screen brightness and battery set to performance mode. It is one of the highest scores in its class.
The laptop has a dual front-facing flashlight which you can turn on using a keyboard shortcut. These lights work well if you’re in a dimly lit room and seem like a useful addition to the laptop. The webcam itself is a 720p unit which is kind of understandable at this price point. But I feel like Inifnix should use a 1080p unit in its next generation.
An Intel 12th Gen Core i5-1235U powers the Infinix X3 Slim and it is a highly power-efficient chip. At max, the chip sucks around 17W. And under most use cases like browsing, streaming and, document editing the chip easily hovers around by using 15-14W. These factors play a major role in helping the laptop deliver a high battery life.
Moreover, the Intel Core i5-1235U is a versatile chip. For reference, the high-end HP Envy x360 15, which costs close to Rs 1 lakh, also uses the same chip and delivers adequate performance across the board. Short of heavy tasks like video editing and running Adobe apps, the Intel Core i5-1235U excels at daily tasks like light photo editing, running Canva, streaming UHD videos and more.
In terms of CPU benchmarks, the Infinix X3 Slim scores as good as yesteryear’s flagship thin and light laptop. It scored 5477 in the Cinebench R3 Multicore score. And 1307 in the single-core score. For reference, it is similar to what the Intel Core i7-1165G7, yesteryear’s flagship, scored. Overall, it is a great thing that an entry-level CPU is capable of offering flagship performance.
Furthermore, in terms of the PC Mark 10 extended test, the Infinix X3 Slim scored 3877 and high points in “Essential” and “Productivity” tasks. The 512GB PCIe Gen 3 SSD has a sequential read and write speed of 3473 and 2608MB/s and the 16GB LPDDR4 RAM has a real-world read and write speed of 59456 and 66604MB/s. The RAM’s speed is around 4400MHz.
The Infinix X3 Slim, while a product of a smartphone brand, demonstrates how to deliver a robust laptop experience at great value. The aluminium chassis, light weight of 1.24kg, and hinge design exhibit top-tier build quality. The 14-inch FHD display impresses with 300nits brightness and a 98% sRGB colour coverage, suitable for most professional tasks. However, the 720p webcam and average speakers do leave room for improvement. Performance-wise, powered by the Intel 12th Gen Core i5-1235U, it can comfortably manage daily tasks and light editing, with benchmark scores rivalling pricier laptops. The generous I/O, particularly the thunderbolt port, and a battery life touching 7 hours in demanding workloads make it a versatile workhorse. A noteworthy feature is its dual front-facing flashlights. While internal upgradeability is limited due to soldered memory, there’s an option to expand storage. In conclusion, the Infinix X3 Slim stands out in its segment, combining superior design, performance, and utility. Minor drawbacks aside, it’s a compelling option for those seeking flagship-level performance without the flagship price.
