The smartphone market is experiencing an overhaul, thanks to the emergence of newer (and, say, comparatively “smaller” brands – e.g. realme). The blending of somewhat better-than-expected specs with no-need-to-lose-a-limb price is what keeps these brands must-consider; and in this context, definitely trying to carve a name is Infinix.
No, this company isn’t entirely “new”, as it was founded in 2013 as a brand of Transsion Holdings; but yes, it isn’t as big as the likes of Apple, Samsung, Huawei… or even realme. At least for now. But it’s been making waves in Africa, India, etc.
Now… checking entry-level/midrange smartphone Hot 10 Play provides glimpses on why Infinix is making (lots of) noise.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS/FIRST LOOK
I received the 64GB + 4GB review unit, though OOTB (out of the box), that’s not what you’d notice first. Instead, it’s the – for me – over-emphasis on the non-removable 6,000mAh battery (supposedly allowing it to last up to 13.8 hours of gaming). The latter – i.e. gaming – is what’s emphasized here, since (aside from the name) the to-peel sticker at the front of the unit state “Power Marathon Non-stop Playing”.
That it has 6.82-inch HD+ screen bodes well for Hot 10 Play, even if – after removing all the wrappings – it is admittedly not classy looking. You get a glass front (kudos), but it has a plastic back and plastic frame, as if stressing that – HELLO! – this is an under-P5,000 phone, what’re you expecting?
Onscreen, at the middle on top, is a 8-megapixel (drop notch) selfie camera.
At the right side of the phone, you have the power button, and Vol +/Vol – buttons.
At the left side, you have the SIM and SD card tray.
At the bottom, you have the headphone jack, mic, and… the charging port (Micro USB; surprising since it never occurred to me there are companies still using this).
Flipping the phone over, at the top left portion, you have the electric stove-looking (Damn Apple for “popularizing” this horrible look!) cam panel. This one has two cams + the flash/light (13-megapixel + AI lens rear cameras, LED flash).
And right in the upper middle of the back of the phone, you have the fingerprint reader (even if this does have Face Unlock capability).
An earlier Google tablet measured 7”, and at the time of release, it looked huge. But times have changed indeed, since Hot 10 Play measures 6.82” screen (total dimensions: 171.82 x 77.96 x 8.9mm) doesn’t feel that big, just at par with what’s out in the market these days.
Now, turning the phone on was a breeze – e.g. the review unit was new, and setting up was… fast. You just had to answer “basics” – e.g. location, set up of fingerprint/face to be recognized (or skip this entirely), and so on. Incidentally, I am still bummed by the fingerprint sensor being placed at the back; and this is even if the actual reading was basically not memorable (it more than suffices).
The smartphone has 720 x 1640 pixels resolution; meaning, this isn’t ultra-crisp, but… it wasn’t pixelated either. I think when judging this unit, you will always be reminded by the asking price; and yes, for approx. P5,000, the specs are more than enough indeed.
UNDER THE HOOD
Hot 10 Play is powered by the MediaTek Helio G35 chipset (worth stressing since it differs from the regular Hot 10 that has Helio G70); and runs on the Android 10 + XOS 7 operating system.
OOTB, I didn’t like the “look” of the screen; it reminded me of realme C2 since – when I reviewed that unit – it (also) looked… childish (e.g. thicker widgets). But the same look can be changed via available (and downloadable) themes, so that’s a plus (and I’m just nitpicking).
PERFORMANCE
There are some annoying (for me) “dramas” – e.g. swiping the screen from the edge of the right of the phone will give you a menu (separate from the dropdown menu) containing shortcuts to FB, Messenger, IG, selfie cam, Hi Translate, screenshot, lock screen, scan and screen recording. These, again for me, felt redundant…
Looking at the actual performance becomes… tricky, mainly due to inconsistent performance depending on what’s required of the unit.
To start: How’s the cam?
The first thing you’d notice is the lag when you’re shooting – i.e. there’s that elongated clicking sound before the shot is taken. I took pics of a Siamese fighting fish, and by the time some of the shots were taken, the fish had already moved.
The actual photos are… grainy. The colors were okay in parts (and “kupas” or faded in most parts), but consistency was also an issue particularly since it had a harder time capturing moving subjects (as noted above).
Interestingly, you can zoom 4x. Meaning, you’d just make already-grainy photos grainier.
The front cam sufficed when making video calls; but shots made using the same also provided grainy images (and saturated colors).
At least this one tries, eh? The front camera supports a 3D Face Beauty mode, and the back cams have portrait mode and a wide selfie mode, among others. Note that this one doesn’t have macro and depth sensor, but the cam similarly supports Full HD video recording, slo-mo recording, and is programmed to automatically recognize up to nine different outdoor scenarios with the help of Auto Scene detection (e.g. it kept identifying the fish I was shooting as “Food”).
N.B.: The camera at the back warms, too, after multiple shots…
Now: How’s the gaming?
There are some games already-installed with Hot 10 Play – e.g. “Modern Combat: Rebel Guns”. These, obviously, served as good studies for the phone’s pro-playing claim, and here are some observations re this:
- Games opened fast, which was a plus.
- Details were… surprisingly good (again, this is a less-than-P5,000 unit!).
- No lags experienced.
- Heating was noticeable within a few minutes of playing (it wasn’t uncomfortable; but that it’s there was… not comfortable).
- Prolonged gaming is possible; just bear with the heating.
As for the sound, don’t expect much. Even when playing games, there’s this “lata” (tin can) quality emitting from the unit, so that what you hear is “sabog” (dissipated).
IN THE END…
Hot 10 Play – available in Morandi Green, Aegean Blue, Obsidian Black and 7° Purple (basically, green, blue, black and purple) – sells for PhP4,990 (on May 28 – Super Brand Day – it will be priced at P4,590). And this is worth stressing because other phones priced the same way can’t compete with this unit – e.g. thanks to its 6000 mAh battery, WITH standby time THAT could extend to 55 days; the 64GB + 4GB’s not that bad (considering this is an entry-level/midrange smartphone); the 77.96 x 171.82 x 8.9mm dimensions that make the unit better-than-okay for watching flicks or playing games; dual SIM capability; expandable (up to 512GB) memory; and so on…
Yeah, the cams were underwhelming (and that’s saying a lot).
Yes, there’s that heating when the unit works “harder”.
Yes, there’s that plasticky look/feel.
But for less than PhP5,000, who are we to complain, no?
