Infinix Hot 8 review: Small budget, triple cam and a massive battery!

Rating:     3.5

Budget phone makers Infinix are back yet again with a new device in hands. This time the Hong Kong-based manufacturer has decided to introduce a device perfect for all the content gobblers. The new Infinix Hot 8 is a smartphone that features a huge 6.52-inch HD+ display and a massive 5000mAh battery inside a very low budget. Packing a bit more than its predecessors, the new smartphone also features an AI-enabled rear triple camera sensor.

After using the device for some time, the following is our honest opinion on the device.

Build, design and display

The Hot 8’s body is made out of good quality polycarbonate and it feels quite premium when held in hand. Not just feel wise but the dual gradient rear design, narrow bezels and the mini-drop notch in front make it a gorgeous looking smartphone. As you can see in the image, we had the quetzal cyan coloured one. Another colour that the Hot 8 comes in is the cosmic purple.

Although the phone sports a huge display, it is very compact and can be easily used one-handedly. The length compared to its breadth is more than a standard design, hence the compactness. This new proportion of design is something every company is reaching out for and Infinix has also decided to opt for it. Apart from its perfect dimensions, the Hot 8 only weighs 179 grams.

The textured power button and the volume keys are placed on the right side of the device and the SIM tray is located on the left-hand side. The rear panel consists of a vertically aligned triple camera and a fingerprint scanner. The loudspeaker, USB port, microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack can be found on the flipside below. The notch shelters the selfie clicker right below the ear-speaker and hiding like a ninja, there’s a front LED flash too on the left side of the notch.

Now moving on to its displaying features, the phone has a 6.52-inch IPS LCD 720x1600 HD+ display. With very minimum bezels and a mini-drop notch, it gives a 90.3 per cent screen to body ratio which is all made up of a 2.5D glass that supports maximum brightness levels touching up to 450 nits.

For watching movies and consuming any other type of high-quality content, the display is quite nice, big and moreover compact for using it on the go. Almost a mini-theatre, the viewing angles are perfect and it even manages to do the same in daylight under a bright sun.

Battery, OS, and performance

One of its main USP is the massive 5000mAh battery powerhouse which easily stretches for almost a couple of days even after pushing the phone to its limits. However, the phone took a little more than 2 hours to charge from 0 per cent to 100. Considering the backup, it is totally fine as it doesn’t come with any fast charging options.

The smartphone features a 12nm Helio Mediatek P22 2.0GHz octa-core processor paired along with 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM. A standard low-budget processor under the hood here, just as same as some previous Infinix phones such as the S4 and the Hot 7 Pro. The phone manages to perform everyday tasks at ease without any glitches but stresses whenever tried to run a high-end game. Anyhow, we don’t expect the phone to do so in this budget.

Not for gaming but it’s perfect for performing all other tasks such as browsing, multitasking, watching videos and listening to music. Along with that, it also has the Dirac surround sound technology integrated. This technology basically enhances the quality of sound that the device produces, giving you clear and crispier audio in return.

The XOS 5.0 Cheetah on top of the Android 9 Pie is very light on battery and is very smooth to use. Although one may find it too spammy but you get an option to toggle off notifications that you do not want to see. The UI is nice and simple and comes with a ton of customisation options that you can make for personalising the device the way you want.

The XOS also features actions and gestures for interacting with the device, they include tapping to wake, flipping the phone to mute incoming calls, covering the screen to silence incoming calls and a very cool way to control your music playlist using gestures while your device’s screen stays off.

There’s also an intelligent voice broadcast feature that broadcasts news and other updates or anything you want it to. Tapping the screen twice will enable the broadcaster and it will recite the news on the loudspeaker. For a phone priced at this price range, the phone sure packs an absolute punch.

Camera

The Infinix Hot 8 is the company’s first mobile phone that features a triple camera setup. A 13MP + 2MP + a dedicated low-light sensor and a quad-LED flash on the back. In the front is an 8MP sensor accompanied by a LED flash. The camera UI is pretty basic, for switching on to different modes you either have to swipe right or left. Different modes here include a bokeh mode, an AR shot mode, beauty mode and finally the panorama.

Now the image processing is quite decent. The details are well preserved and the images come out quite sharp and properly colored. In some instances, like in low-light conditions or indoor, the camera may find it difficult to properly focus and click photos as good as it does in daylight in an outdoor setup. The quad-LED flash on the back is really bright and comes in very handy while shooting in dark.

Without flash (left) and with flash (right).

The selfie clicker is all right for the price and manages to process good quality photos. The best thing about it would be its adjustable front LED flashlight. You can slide up and down the screen in the camera interface for adjusting the brightness of the front flashlight.

Verdict

The Infinix Hot 8 is a phone which features a triple camera setup, a massive 5000mAh battery, and a huge display. Sporting all of this, the phone is available at a price of just Rs 6,999. Really low in budget and packing all the goods, the phone is perfect for the price it’s going for.

Clearly not meant for gaming needs but is a perfect companion for binge-watching your favorite TV shows and movies. If you are looking for a phone that can carry out everyday tasks at ease and can fulfill your entertainment needs without burning down your wallet then this is it.