The Infinix Hot 10 was launched in Kenya a few weeks back and is currently available in stores for around Ksh 14,000. There is the Infinix Hot 10 Lite that is available at a cheaper price. The Infinix Hot series has always been one of the company’s entry level series but looking at its price, it is edging closer to a mid-range series than an entry level series.
I have been using the Infinix Hot 10 series for a while as my secondary phone and in this review, I will share my thoughts on it and hopefully that will help you decide if it is worth your money. With the Hot 9 still on the market, it is important to consider value for money before buying one.
The Infinix Hot 10 I have for review comes with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage space. These are just some of the things to expect from the phone, you can read more about its specifications here.
Before we get to the review, this is what you are getting in the box.
- The Infinix Hot 10
- USB Cable
- Wall Adapter for charging
- Silicone Case
- Screen Protector
- Earphones
- Quick guide and Warranty card
Design and Build Quality
The Infinix Hot 10 has a surprisingly good design and build quality. Its edges are slightly curved and this helps with comfort when holding the phone. The phone is huge but is not that slippery so using it with one hand will not be an issue for many people.
The back has a gradient colour with the review unit I got having a red bottom and black top. This is the colour of the plastic back cover This colour looks quite good and different from what we see on most smartphones out there.
At the back we also find the fingerprint scanner that works with no fuss, the quad camera setup with a 16MP main sensor. The shots you get with this camera are decent but I think the quad camera setup is just an overkill, two or three sensors could have been enough.
The power and volume buttons on the right are within easy reach even when using the phone with one hand. The dual SIM slot is on the left of the phone with the Micro USB port, headphone jack and speaker grille on the bottom.
Display
The Infinix Hot 10 comes with a 6.78-inch display. This is a big one but I enjoyed using it. It is sharp with a resolution of 720 by 1640. This is not the highest resolution but will be good enough for most settings and for this price.
I could comfortably use the phone outdoors even under direct sunlight. This may not be the brightest display I have used but is good enough.
If you fancy watching movies, playing games or working on your phone, the size of this display may be right for you. The size is not the only good thing though, colour reproduction is also good so the overall experience will be satisfying for most people.
Performance and Software
The Infinix Hot 10 is not a smartphone for power users but it is powerful enough. It is powered by the Helio G70 processor from MediaTek paired with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage space. There is a 4GB variant for those who want more of that.
The review unit I had handled great even with the 3GB of RAM. Multitasking is quite efficient and even playing games did not strain the phone that much. You will not be playing games on the highest settings but at least you can play some of the popular titles out there.
For software, the Hot 10 comes with Android 10 with XOS 6.0 custom UI. XOS has a number of useful features but I still find the ads and pop up notifications annoying. They get in the way of using the phone and make the experience awful. You can disable these and even delete some of the apps but I do not get why one has to go through that process.
You can install a third-party launcher to get rid of some of the annoying pop ups but I feel like no one should be forced to go through that process.
Cameras
The Infinix Hot 10 is not a camera-centric phone but still captures some good shots. The back camera module is made up of a 16 MP main sensor, 2MP depth sensor, 2MP macro lens and a QVGA sensor. The shots you get with the back camera are decent to say the least but do not expect anything out of the ordinary.
The selfie camera is an 8MP one that can also be reliable if you want shots that have enough detail and contrast.
Battery
Since the Infinix Hot 10 is not a very powerful smartphone and its display does not have the highest resolution, you can get the battery to last an entire day or even two. I managed to get a little over 8 hours of screen on time which is good to me.
The one issue I have with the battery is that it does not support fast charging so some patient is needed to charge that 5,200 mAh battery.
Conclusion
The Infinix Hot 10 is a very good phone for anyone looking for a device within this price range. It is powerful enough for most situations and handles day to day tasks without any issues. The 5,200 battery is quite good and is appealing to anyone who is looking for a battery that will be reliable to any kind of use.
The build quality is also great and so is the display. For a smartphone within this price, this is good enough. The cameras are not necessarily the best but may be good for most people.
The one thing I am not particularly happy with is the software and especially the pop-up ads and notifications. I get that the phone is affordable but the software experience should not be this bad no matter what.
Also Read: Realme C15 review
