Infinix Hot 30i Review: Premiumness on budget
Pros: Attractive looks, high refresh rate, double RAM and storage.
Cons: Old water-drop notch panel, average camera, Android 12 OS.
Infinix has been on a launch spree lately. The Chinese tech giant unveiled nearly four smartphones and a couple of laptops. Last month, it launched the Infinix Hot 30i—its first and the cheapest phone in the new Hot 30 lineup.
The smartphone brings some notable features that can easily lure customers such as a 90Hz display, 8GB of in-built RAM, and a shiny premium-looking design.
I used the device for several days and here’s my review of the Infinix Hot 30i. As usual, let’s have a glance at the specs before we get our teeth into the review.
Infinix Hot 30i: Price and Specs
Model
Infinix Hot 30i
Model no.
Inxinix X669C
Price and variants
Rs 8,199 (4GB/64GB), Rs 9,999 (8GB/128GB)
Colors
Glacier Blue, Mirror Black
Availability
Flipkart
Display size
6.6-inch water-drop notch display
Display specs
IPS LCD panel, 90Hz RR, 180Hz TSR, HD+ (720 x 1612 pixels pixels), 500 nits peak
Protection
Panda Glass (MN228 )
Security
Side-mounted FPS, facial unlock
Camera setup
Rear – Dual cameras, Front – single camera
Camera specs
50MP AI dual cameras, Macro mode available
Video maximum
Rear – 1080p at 30fps,| Front – 1080p at 30fs
Chipset
12nm MediaTek Helio G37, IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU
RAM and storage
4GB/8GB LPDDR4x, 64GB/128GB eMMC
Battery and charging
5,000mAh + 10W wired
Operating system
Android 12 OS, XOS 12
Software support
–
IP rating
No IP rating
Sensors
Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Compass, Gyroscope, fingerprint
Network and connectivity
Dual Nano SIM 4G | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth
Infinix Hot 30i: Design and Display
On the design front, Infinix has gone with a stylish approach. Whether you pick the Mirror Black shade or the Glacier Blue color, you’d find a premium-looking design on the back. It’s shiny, reflective, and eye-grabbing.
It reminds me of the glossy back of the Realme 2 that arrived back in 2018. That said, it’s a polycarbonate back but by no means it looks tacky as you can see in the photos.
Coming to the front, however, the story is different. It boasts a water-drop notch panel with noticeable bezels, especially at the bottom. The front does signal that it’s a basic phone as opposed to the back.
There’s a power button and a volume rocker on the right spine and a SIM/microSD card tray on the left spine. The power key doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and the tray on the left isn’t a hybrid slot, but rather a full triple slot to house two Nano SIMs and a dedicated microSD card.
The device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port, and a single speaker at the bottom. There’s nothing on the top.
The smartphone sports a large 6.6-inch HD+ display that refreshes at 90Hz making the overall scrolling experience smoother. It is fairly bright indoors but I had some difficulties while browsing in the daylight.
One concern I have about the display of the phone is that it’s a bit less vibrant. Now, this is not just about the Hot 30i, but even some other Infinix phones I had tested featured a bit dull display.
I like slightly vibrant panels, something that Motorola offers in most phones. But the same may not be for everyone.
Overall, the phone looks premium on the back but lacks the modern design and vibrancy on the front.
Infinix Hot 30i: Cameras
There’s not much to look at on the camera front. The device is equipped with a dual camera on the rear and a single camera on the front. It clicks average photos and videos.
There’s a 50MP main lens and an auxiliary sensor. The main lens with the AI Cam mode, which is the default camera mode, helps to process the shots better but only when you take control of the exposure levels. Meaning, you’d have to adjust the exposure to make the final shot look acceptable.
Also, the camera sometimes struggles to focus when there are multiple things in the frame. But as said, once you get the right focus and lighting, the image may turn out to be likable for the price.
It has Portrait mode, Beauty mode, and AR shot mode, which is basically Memoji or AR filters similar to Snapchat and Instagram. The 5MP selfie camera is average.
Videography is limited to 1080p at 30fps and there’s no stabilization, as you’d expect from an entry-level offering. The final video again is acceptable when you are still, but it gets too shaky if you are recording while walking.
The Hot 30i isn’t a camera phone but does the job of offering decent footage and portraits.
Infinix Hot 30i: Performance
The Infinix Hot 30i is more of an entry-level all-rounder than a performance-centric phone. The chip that it comes with—the MediaTek Helio G37— isn’t meant for gaming or for powerful tasks, but paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it keeps the device running. Additionally, there’s 8GB of virtual RAM support making the total RAM on the phone up to 16GB, which is bonkers for the price.
It can handle a few apps together and can help you play titles like Subway Surfers, COC, and Asphalt on low settings.
The device scored 1,34,238 points on AnTuTu and maintained a stability of 85 percent in the CPU throttle test.
In my day-to-day usage, jumping from one app to another was a good experience but it does have some minor lags. For instance, in the Youtube app, the scrolling is a bit jittery.
Overall it’s a good device for basic tasks such as calling, WhatsApp messaging, browsing the Internet, and video watching.
While I’m on the performance bit, I’d also like to highlight the software. The device boots on old Android 12 OS out of the box with XOS 12 on top. I wished it came with Android 13, since now many manufacturers are offering the latest software.
Nonetheless, the XOS, as always, is feature-rich. You’ll find lots of utility features such as peak proof, eye-care, focus mode, and kids mode, among others.
However, when swiping from top to bottom to open the quick actions panel or notifications panel, I did find some lags. But that happens when you do not use the device for some time, let’s say for a day or two. In continued usage, it’s less but it’s still there.
There’s bloatware on the phone just like other Infinix phones, but again all of that can be disabled and some of it can be uninstalled.
Still, I’d want Infinix to reduce the bloatware further and focus more on the speed of the UI.
Moving to the battery, Infinix has offered a 5,000mAh cell that can easily offer a day of battery life. Charging the battery from 0 percent to 100 percent takes more than 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is too slow.
Motorola’s Moto G13 with the same battery and charging speed goes to 100 percent in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Infinix Hot 30i: Connectivity and extras
The Hot 30i comes with a triple slot that lets you put in two nano SIMs and a microSD card slot. The call quality on the phone was great and there were no issues with 4G connectivity.
It has Wi-Fi 5 and supports 2.4GHz as well as 5GHz bands. The device was quick to connect to my home Wi-Fi and never did it automatically disconnected.
As for the fingerprint scanner, it works most of the time unlike the Infinix Smart 7, which I reviewed sometime back. Facial unlock also works as it should.
The device features a single speaker setup at the bottom. It’s loud but can get muffled. A stereo speaker offering could have been better. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack as well, which is great for those using wired earphones.
Infinix Hot 30i: Verdict
The Infinix Hot 30i gets you a good-looking rear design, a high refresh rate display, extra RAM, an all-day battery life, and added software features.
It is worth noting that the device doesn’t get you a dual-speaker setup, a modern front look, and a clean interface. Also, it boots on older Android 12 OS out of the box.
At the price of Rs 8,199 for the 4GB + 64GB variant and Rs 9,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, the Infinix Hot 30i is worth your money if you are looking for a good-looking phone that’s feature-packed and are fine with the aforesaid limitations.
If you strictly want a phone with the latest software and features like a stereo speaker setup, you can have a look at the Moto G13. There’s also the Realme C55 that offers faster 33W charging for extra Rs 1,000.
The post Infinix Hot 30i Review: Premiumness on budget appeared first on Techlusive.
Pros: Attractive looks, high refresh rate, double RAM and storage.
Cons: Old water-drop notch panel, average camera, Android 12 OS.
Infinix has been on a launch spree lately. The Chinese tech giant unveiled nearly four smartphones and a couple of laptops. Last month, it launched the Infinix Hot 30i—its first and the cheapest phone in the new Hot 30 lineup.
The smartphone brings some notable features that can easily lure customers such as a 90Hz display, 8GB of in-built RAM, and a shiny premium-looking design.
I used the device for several days and here’s my review of the Infinix Hot 30i. As usual, let’s have a glance at the specs before we get our teeth into the review.
Infinix Hot 30i: Price and Specs
Model
Infinix Hot 30i
Model no.
Inxinix X669C
Price and variants
Rs 8,199 (4GB/64GB), Rs 9,999 (8GB/128GB)
Colors
Glacier Blue, Mirror Black
Availability
Flipkart
Display size
6.6-inch water-drop notch display
Display specs
IPS LCD panel, 90Hz RR, 180Hz TSR, HD+ (720 x 1612 pixels pixels), 500 nits peak
Protection
Panda Glass (MN228 )
Security
Side-mounted FPS, facial unlock
Camera setup
Rear – Dual cameras, Front – single camera
Camera specs
50MP AI dual cameras, Macro mode available
Video maximum
Rear – 1080p at 30fps,| Front – 1080p at 30fs
Chipset
12nm MediaTek Helio G37, IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU
RAM and storage
4GB/8GB LPDDR4x, 64GB/128GB eMMC
Battery and charging
5,000mAh + 10W wired
Operating system
Android 12 OS, XOS 12
Software support
–
IP rating
No IP rating
Sensors
Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Compass, Gyroscope, fingerprint
Network and connectivity
Dual Nano SIM 4G | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth
Infinix Hot 30i: Design and Display
On the design front, Infinix has gone with a stylish approach. Whether you pick the Mirror Black shade or the Glacier Blue color, you’d find a premium-looking design on the back. It’s shiny, reflective, and eye-grabbing.
It reminds me of the glossy back of the Realme 2 that arrived back in 2018. That said, it’s a polycarbonate back but by no means it looks tacky as you can see in the photos.
Coming to the front, however, the story is different. It boasts a water-drop notch panel with noticeable bezels, especially at the bottom. The front does signal that it’s a basic phone as opposed to the back.
There’s a power button and a volume rocker on the right spine and a SIM/microSD card tray on the left spine. The power key doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and the tray on the left isn’t a hybrid slot, but rather a full triple slot to house two Nano SIMs and a dedicated microSD card.
The device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port, and a single speaker at the bottom. There’s nothing on the top.
The smartphone sports a large 6.6-inch HD+ display that refreshes at 90Hz making the overall scrolling experience smoother. It is fairly bright indoors but I had some difficulties while browsing in the daylight.
One concern I have about the display of the phone is that it’s a bit less vibrant. Now, this is not just about the Hot 30i, but even some other Infinix phones I had tested featured a bit dull display.
I like slightly vibrant panels, something that Motorola offers in most phones. But the same may not be for everyone.
Overall, the phone looks premium on the back but lacks the modern design and vibrancy on the front.
Infinix Hot 30i: Cameras
There’s not much to look at on the camera front. The device is equipped with a dual camera on the rear and a single camera on the front. It clicks average photos and videos.
There’s a 50MP main lens and an auxiliary sensor. The main lens with the AI Cam mode, which is the default camera mode, helps to process the shots better but only when you take control of the exposure levels. Meaning, you’d have to adjust the exposure to make the final shot look acceptable.
Also, the camera sometimes struggles to focus when there are multiple things in the frame. But as said, once you get the right focus and lighting, the image may turn out to be likable for the price.
It has Portrait mode, Beauty mode, and AR shot mode, which is basically Memoji or AR filters similar to Snapchat and Instagram. The 5MP selfie camera is average.
Videography is limited to 1080p at 30fps and there’s no stabilization, as you’d expect from an entry-level offering. The final video again is acceptable when you are still, but it gets too shaky if you are recording while walking.
The Hot 30i isn’t a camera phone but does the job of offering decent footage and portraits.
Infinix Hot 30i: Performance
The Infinix Hot 30i is more of an entry-level all-rounder than a performance-centric phone. The chip that it comes with—the MediaTek Helio G37— isn’t meant for gaming or for powerful tasks, but paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it keeps the device running. Additionally, there’s 8GB of virtual RAM support making the total RAM on the phone up to 16GB, which is bonkers for the price.
It can handle a few apps together and can help you play titles like Subway Surfers, COC, and Asphalt on low settings.
The device scored 1,34,238 points on AnTuTu and maintained a stability of 85 percent in the CPU throttle test.
In my day-to-day usage, jumping from one app to another was a good experience but it does have some minor lags. For instance, in the Youtube app, the scrolling is a bit jittery.
Overall it’s a good device for basic tasks such as calling, WhatsApp messaging, browsing the Internet, and video watching.
While I’m on the performance bit, I’d also like to highlight the software. The device boots on old Android 12 OS out of the box with XOS 12 on top. I wished it came with Android 13, since now many manufacturers are offering the latest software.
Nonetheless, the XOS, as always, is feature-rich. You’ll find lots of utility features such as peak proof, eye-care, focus mode, and kids mode, among others.
However, when swiping from top to bottom to open the quick actions panel or notifications panel, I did find some lags. But that happens when you do not use the device for some time, let’s say for a day or two. In continued usage, it’s less but it’s still there.
There’s bloatware on the phone just like other Infinix phones, but again all of that can be disabled and some of it can be uninstalled.
Still, I’d want Infinix to reduce the bloatware further and focus more on the speed of the UI.
Moving to the battery, Infinix has offered a 5,000mAh cell that can easily offer a day of battery life. Charging the battery from 0 percent to 100 percent takes more than 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is too slow.
Motorola’s Moto G13 with the same battery and charging speed goes to 100 percent in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Infinix Hot 30i: Connectivity and extras
The Hot 30i comes with a triple slot that lets you put in two nano SIMs and a microSD card slot. The call quality on the phone was great and there were no issues with 4G connectivity.
It has Wi-Fi 5 and supports 2.4GHz as well as 5GHz bands. The device was quick to connect to my home Wi-Fi and never did it automatically disconnected.
As for the fingerprint scanner, it works most of the time unlike the Infinix Smart 7, which I reviewed sometime back. Facial unlock also works as it should.
The device features a single speaker setup at the bottom. It’s loud but can get muffled. A stereo speaker offering could have been better. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack as well, which is great for those using wired earphones.
Infinix Hot 30i: Verdict
The Infinix Hot 30i gets you a good-looking rear design, a high refresh rate display, extra RAM, an all-day battery life, and added software features.
It is worth noting that the device doesn’t get you a dual-speaker setup, a modern front look, and a clean interface. Also, it boots on older Android 12 OS out of the box.
At the price of Rs 8,199 for the 4GB + 64GB variant and Rs 9,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, the Infinix Hot 30i is worth your money if you are looking for a good-looking phone that’s feature-packed and are fine with the aforesaid limitations.
If you strictly want a phone with the latest software and features like a stereo speaker setup, you can have a look at the Moto G13. There’s also the Realme C55 that offers faster 33W charging for extra Rs 1,000.
The post Infinix Hot 30i Review: Premiumness on budget appeared first on Techlusive.
Pros: Attractive looks, high refresh rate, double RAM and storage.
Cons: Old water-drop notch panel, average camera, Android 12 OS.
Infinix has been on a launch spree lately. The Chinese tech giant unveiled nearly four smartphones and a couple of laptops. Last month, it launched the Infinix Hot 30i—its first and the cheapest phone in the new Hot 30 lineup.
The smartphone brings some notable features that can easily lure customers such as a 90Hz display, 8GB of in-built RAM, and a shiny premium-looking design.
I used the device for several days and here’s my review of the Infinix Hot 30i. As usual, let’s have a glance at the specs before we get our teeth into the review.
Infinix Hot 30i: Price and Specs
Model
Infinix Hot 30i
Model no.
Inxinix X669C
Price and variants
Rs 8,199 (4GB/64GB), Rs 9,999 (8GB/128GB)
Colors
Glacier Blue, Mirror Black
Availability
Flipkart
Display size
6.6-inch water-drop notch display
Display specs
IPS LCD panel, 90Hz RR, 180Hz TSR, HD+ (720 x 1612 pixels pixels), 500 nits peak
Protection
Panda Glass (MN228 )
Security
Side-mounted FPS, facial unlock
Camera setup
Rear – Dual cameras, Front – single camera
Camera specs
50MP AI dual cameras, Macro mode available
Video maximum
Rear – 1080p at 30fps,| Front – 1080p at 30fs
Chipset
12nm MediaTek Helio G37, IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU
RAM and storage
4GB/8GB LPDDR4x, 64GB/128GB eMMC
Battery and charging
5,000mAh + 10W wired
Operating system
Android 12 OS, XOS 12
Software support
–
IP rating
No IP rating
Sensors
Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Compass, Gyroscope, fingerprint
Network and connectivity
Dual Nano SIM 4G | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth
Infinix Hot 30i: Design and Display
On the design front, Infinix has gone with a stylish approach. Whether you pick the Mirror Black shade or the Glacier Blue color, you’d find a premium-looking design on the back. It’s shiny, reflective, and eye-grabbing.
It reminds me of the glossy back of the Realme 2 that arrived back in 2018. That said, it’s a polycarbonate back but by no means it looks tacky as you can see in the photos.
Coming to the front, however, the story is different. It boasts a water-drop notch panel with noticeable bezels, especially at the bottom. The front does signal that it’s a basic phone as opposed to the back.
There’s a power button and a volume rocker on the right spine and a SIM/microSD card tray on the left spine. The power key doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and the tray on the left isn’t a hybrid slot, but rather a full triple slot to house two Nano SIMs and a dedicated microSD card.
The device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port, and a single speaker at the bottom. There’s nothing on the top.
The smartphone sports a large 6.6-inch HD+ display that refreshes at 90Hz making the overall scrolling experience smoother. It is fairly bright indoors but I had some difficulties while browsing in the daylight.
One concern I have about the display of the phone is that it’s a bit less vibrant. Now, this is not just about the Hot 30i, but even some other Infinix phones I had tested featured a bit dull display.
I like slightly vibrant panels, something that Motorola offers in most phones. But the same may not be for everyone.
Overall, the phone looks premium on the back but lacks the modern design and vibrancy on the front.
Infinix Hot 30i: Cameras
There’s not much to look at on the camera front. The device is equipped with a dual camera on the rear and a single camera on the front. It clicks average photos and videos.
There’s a 50MP main lens and an auxiliary sensor. The main lens with the AI Cam mode, which is the default camera mode, helps to process the shots better but only when you take control of the exposure levels. Meaning, you’d have to adjust the exposure to make the final shot look acceptable.
Also, the camera sometimes struggles to focus when there are multiple things in the frame. But as said, once you get the right focus and lighting, the image may turn out to be likable for the price.
It has Portrait mode, Beauty mode, and AR shot mode, which is basically Memoji or AR filters similar to Snapchat and Instagram. The 5MP selfie camera is average.
Videography is limited to 1080p at 30fps and there’s no stabilization, as you’d expect from an entry-level offering. The final video again is acceptable when you are still, but it gets too shaky if you are recording while walking.
The Hot 30i isn’t a camera phone but does the job of offering decent footage and portraits.
Infinix Hot 30i: Performance
The Infinix Hot 30i is more of an entry-level all-rounder than a performance-centric phone. The chip that it comes with—the MediaTek Helio G37— isn’t meant for gaming or for powerful tasks, but paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it keeps the device running. Additionally, there’s 8GB of virtual RAM support making the total RAM on the phone up to 16GB, which is bonkers for the price.
It can handle a few apps together and can help you play titles like Subway Surfers, COC, and Asphalt on low settings.
The device scored 1,34,238 points on AnTuTu and maintained a stability of 85 percent in the CPU throttle test.
In my day-to-day usage, jumping from one app to another was a good experience but it does have some minor lags. For instance, in the Youtube app, the scrolling is a bit jittery.
Overall it’s a good device for basic tasks such as calling, WhatsApp messaging, browsing the Internet, and video watching.
While I’m on the performance bit, I’d also like to highlight the software. The device boots on old Android 12 OS out of the box with XOS 12 on top. I wished it came with Android 13, since now many manufacturers are offering the latest software.
Nonetheless, the XOS, as always, is feature-rich. You’ll find lots of utility features such as peak proof, eye-care, focus mode, and kids mode, among others.
However, when swiping from top to bottom to open the quick actions panel or notifications panel, I did find some lags. But that happens when you do not use the device for some time, let’s say for a day or two. In continued usage, it’s less but it’s still there.
There’s bloatware on the phone just like other Infinix phones, but again all of that can be disabled and some of it can be uninstalled.
Still, I’d want Infinix to reduce the bloatware further and focus more on the speed of the UI.
Moving to the battery, Infinix has offered a 5,000mAh cell that can easily offer a day of battery life. Charging the battery from 0 percent to 100 percent takes more than 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is too slow.
Motorola’s Moto G13 with the same battery and charging speed goes to 100 percent in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Infinix Hot 30i: Connectivity and extras
The Hot 30i comes with a triple slot that lets you put in two nano SIMs and a microSD card slot. The call quality on the phone was great and there were no issues with 4G connectivity.
It has Wi-Fi 5 and supports 2.4GHz as well as 5GHz bands. The device was quick to connect to my home Wi-Fi and never did it automatically disconnected.
As for the fingerprint scanner, it works most of the time unlike the Infinix Smart 7, which I reviewed sometime back. Facial unlock also works as it should.
The device features a single speaker setup at the bottom. It’s loud but can get muffled. A stereo speaker offering could have been better. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack as well, which is great for those using wired earphones.
Infinix Hot 30i: Verdict
The Infinix Hot 30i gets you a good-looking rear design, a high refresh rate display, extra RAM, an all-day battery life, and added software features.
It is worth noting that the device doesn’t get you a dual-speaker setup, a modern front look, and a clean interface. Also, it boots on older Android 12 OS out of the box.
At the price of Rs 8,199 for the 4GB + 64GB variant and Rs 9,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, the Infinix Hot 30i is worth your money if you are looking for a good-looking phone that’s feature-packed and are fine with the aforesaid limitations.
If you strictly want a phone with the latest software and features like a stereo speaker setup, you can have a look at the Moto G13. There’s also the Realme C55 that offers faster 33W charging for extra Rs 1,000.
The post Infinix Hot 30i Review: Premiumness on budget appeared first on Techlusive.
