Infinix Hot S Review: Everything you need to know

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The Infinix Hot S is one the latest budget smartphones to hit the Kenyan market. The Hot S falls under the mid-range segment, but its specifications and design, makes it look more of a premium smartphone.

The Infinix Hot S is the first smartphone from the ‘Hot S’ range and was the first smartphone from Infinix Mobility to feature a fingerprint sensor.

I have been using the Infinix Hot S for some weeks now. Here is a summary of my general experience which I believe might be of help especially if you are out shopping for a new smartphone.

P.s: You should definitely check out our comprehensive unboxing article to get an early preview of what the Infinix Hot S has to offer.

Unboxing Video

Specifications

Camera

Rear Camera: 13 MP

Secondary Camera: 5 MP

LED Flash: Yes (Dual Tone)

The Infinix Hot S is marketed as a camera phone and this is the core reason why Infinix wants you to buy the smartphone.

The Infinix Hot S comes with a 13 MP camera for general photography and a 5 MP camera for your selfies. The camera performance is good and both the front and rear camera deliver some stellar images.

The camera software comes with a number of auxiliary features and is generally awesome.

Fingerprint Sensor!

I was really excited when I read that Huawei is planning to release a budget phone with a fingerprint sensor. I waited, waited and it didn’t happen. However, Infinix has done it. The company has given the premium feature a budget price tag.

When I say a fingerprint sensor I am not talking about a gimmick feature, but rather something that works really well.

The Infinix Hot S fingerprint sensor works almost flawlessly and in addition to the securing your smartphone, you can use the fingerprint sensor to perform extra tasks such as taking photos and as a track pad to scroll through your gallery.

I like it!

Display

Display Size: 5.2-inches

Display Type: IPS LCD Capacitive

Screen Resolution: 720 x 1280 Pixels

Screen Resolution Density: 267 ppi

Screen Protection: None

The Infinix Hot S display is amazing. The IPS LCD display is vibrant but really struggles to perform when under direct sunlight. General outdoor visibility is superb and therefore you won’t have to squint your eyeballs to read texts when you in the outdoors.

The display has a mild form of a 3D effect and I generally think the display is great. The Infinix Hot S direct competitor the, Tecno Camon C9,  has a such a display and thus it would have been great if the Hot S also had one.

Design

Dimensions: 148.8 x 73.2 x 8.1 mm

Weight: 140g

The Infinix Hot S has a solid unibody candy bar design. You therefore, don’t get a removable cover, something that I think is great, since the design is flawless.

The Infinix Hot S looks and feels premium and using it kinda gives you a feeling that you got more than you paid for. I have a feeling the iPhone SE might have inspired the device since from the looks, the HOT S is designed for buyers who dislike large-screened smartphones.

The Infinix Hot S design is sleek and compact, and if you have been using large smartphones, it will take some time for you to get used to the petite size.

Performance

Operating System: Android 6.0 XOS

CPU: 1.5GHz octa-core

RAM: 2 GB

Internal Memory: 16 GB

Micro SD: Yes, Yes, up to 128GB

You get XOS v2.0 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the Infinix Hot S. XOS first ran on the Hot S and the customized OS runs very well on the device. The interface is sleek and neat, something that complements the exquisite design of the Infinix Hot S.

A 1.5GHz octa-core chipset powers the Infinix Hot S and this coupled with 2GB RAM. It is awesome that the Infinix Hot S comes with 2GB RAM since anything less than that would have been just nasty.

Check out the Antuntu and GeekBench scores of the Infinix Hot S.

Geekbench

Battery and Extras

Battery Capacity: Li-ion 3000 mAh

A Li-ion 3000 mAh powers the Infinix the Infinix Hot S. I feel like the battery is the Achilles heel of the Infinix Hot S. The battery kind of struggles to perform and you will definitely notice it, especially if you have used the Infinix Note 3.

However, the good thing is that the battery can with moderate usage take you through the day on a single charge and it think this is okay,

Extras

4G LTE

Verdict

The Infinix Hot S is a fine choice if you are out shopping for a budget smartphone that is a ‘beauty with brains’

Why you should buy the Infinix Hot S

Impressive Design

Stellar Camera Performance

Fingerprint Authentication

Amazing  Performance Profile

Cons of the Infinix Hot S

Sub-par battery performance

Rivals

Rivals of the Infinix Hot S include the Tecno Camon C9 (Ksh. 15,499) and Wiko Fever (ksh. 19,999).

Price in Kenya

The Infinix Hot S has a suggested retail price of Ksh. 12,999 in Kenya. The smartphone is available in Safaricom shops, Infinix Shops countrywide and online.

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