Infinix Hot3 Review: Everything you need to know

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The Infinix Hot3 is the latest Infinix smartphone to launch in Kenya and is currently one of the best budget Android smartphones you can buy right now.

I have experienced the Infinix Hot3 for close to a one month now and here is my review of the smartphone that is dubbed “Quality for the young”.

Ps. I did my unboxing article earlier last week and you should definitely check that out to have an early preview of what the smartphone has to offer.

Specifications

Display

Display Size: 5.5-inch

Display Type: IPS LCD

Screen Resolution: 1280 x 720 pixels

Screen Resolution Density: 294 ppi

Screen Protection: None

You get a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with the Infinix Hot 3. The display is one of the highlights of the Hot3 considering that it is a massive upgrade from the 5.0-inch display found on the Infinix Hot 2.

The Infinix Hot3 display features a 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, just like the Hot 2. However, it is noteworthy that the Hot 3 display is IPS LCD while the Hot 2 was a TFT display. The advantages of an IPS LCD display are well documented.

The Infinix Hot3 display is vibrant, features some decent viewing angles and outdoor visibility is superb even under direct sunlight.

Below the display you will find the capacitive navigation keys. The presence of the keys is a design cue that differentiates the Hot 3 from the Hot 2.

Still on the navigation keys, they aren’t backlit but they have this awesome reflective coating that improves their visibility even in low light scenes.

Design

Dimensions: Android 5.1 Lollipop

Weight: 151.5 x 76 x 8.3 mm

The Infinix Hot 3 features a fantastic design concept. You get a smooth double curve rear cover, an aspect that greatly enhances the ergonomics of the smartphone.

Another great design feature is the smartphone’s weight. The Infinix Hot3 is extremely light, it is in fact one of the lightest smartphone I have used recently.

You get the power button and volume rocket on the right, the charging port and audio port at the top and the speaker on the rear cover and the snapper on the left.

The Infinix Hot3 design is generally great and I loved the look and the feel.

Performance

Operating System: Android 5.1

CPU: 1.3 GHz Quad-core

RAM: 1 GB

Internal Memory: 16 GB

Micro SD: Yes, up to 32 GB

A 1.3 GHz Quad-core CPU powers the Infinix Hot3. This is coupled with 1 GB of RAM. This, sadly, is the performance profile that is identical to the Infinix Hot 2 and most had expected something better than that.

The meek performance profile of the Infinix Hot 3 consequently leads to stutter here and this ruin the otherwise fluid XUI. Speaking of XUI, Infinix reverted back to its proprietary user interface after a rather brief stint with Google Android One.

The decision to do that was primarily due to the complexity of the stock Android OS runs on the Infinix Hot 2 plus a number of the hardware issues that I documented in a separate article. Personally, I think XUI runs really well on the Hot3 and it was great that Infinix decided to give the masses what they wanted.

Camera

Rear Camera: 8 MP

Secondary Camera: 2 MP

LED Flash: Yes

The camera profile of the Infinix Hot3 is also one of the highlighted features of the smartphone. I say this with particular focus on the front facing camera.

You get a 2 MP camera for your selfies and that is enhanced by an LED flash. The LED flash struggles to illuminate low light scenes, but it’s still better than nothing. The selfie camera performance is not that great, but that wasn’t unexpected if you consider the budget price tag of the Infinix Hot3.

You get an 8MP Camera for general photography. The rear camera is really good and I was generally impressed by its performance.

Battery and Extras

Battery Capacity: Li-ion 3000 mAh

The Infinix Hot3 features a 3000 mAh battery. The battery was able to take me through the day easily. Activating the ultra-power saving mode enables you to squeeze some 48 hours out of the smartphone.

Extras

Dual SIM

Verdict

The Infinix Hot3 is one of the best budget smartphones I have used in 2016. Everything looks and feels good.

Why you should buy the Infinix Hot 3

Great Design

Impressive Display Profile

Awesome camera profile

Cons of the Infinix Hot 3

Sub-par performance profile

Rivals

Rivals of the Infinix Hot 3 includes the Cubot Note S (Ksh. 8,888) and Tecno W4

Price in Kenya

The Infinix Hot 3 has a suggested retail price of Ksh. 7,499 in Kenya.

Be awesome and rate the Infinix Hot3