Infinix Hot 30 Review: An Affordable Gaming Phone with Some Deal Breakers
May 1, 2023The Infinix Hot30 is a relative newcomer to the gaming space, but how well will it appeal to people looking for a budget-friendly phone?
Performance: Helio G88, 8GB RAM
Main Display: 6.78-inch IPS LCD (1080×2460)
Weight: 196g
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Charging: 33W Fast Charging
Features: 1080p / 720p HD video recording
Rear Camera: 50 MP Main Camera, 8MP Wide Angle
Front Camera: 16 MP, 1080p video recording
Colour: Sonic White
Rating: 8.5/10
Price: RM599
Infinix is a little-known brand that produces some of the best bang for buck smartphones on the market today. The newly launched Hot 30 proves my point perfectly. It aims to please without breaking the bank. At just RM549, you’re looking at a phone that looks like it costs double the MSRP with the performance to match a mid-range smartphone.
The Looks
It’s a fairly large device that employs glossy, shimmering plastic to mimic the refraction produced by a glass-coated rear. Wavy horizontal lines form an arc as they spread out to cover three quarters of the body. Their reflections when moving the phone about, make for an interesting “laser effect” one that isn’t common for budget-priced devices.
Infinix makes the Hot 30 in three different colours: Surfing Green, Racing Black and Sonic White. Choosing between them is a matter of personal preference. Personally, I’d take the Racing Black over the other two because of the depth to the level of detail.
This “cool” effect is also true of the plastic frame. It looks good enough to pass off as metal and feels substantially solid for what it is. What completes it for me is the seamless packaging of the rear panel, frame and display with there being hardly any gaps between them. This isn’t something you’d usually see at this end of the smartphone spectrum, yet, Infinix seems to have pulled it off.
The camera “array” consists of three individual circles that protrude slightly from the base. It’s neatly done, which adds to the overall “quality” perception. There doesn’t seem to be a single misstep with regard to the Hot 30’s looks, which is something that isn’t easy to pull off at its price point.
On the left-hand side of the frame is the volume rocker and fingerprint-mounted power button. Both are recessed slightly from the surface of the frame. They feel pleasant to use but you can tell, aren’t made from premium material. That said, the buttons are still fairly decent to use during normal operation.
At the bottom of the phone is a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port and a bottom firing speaker. Since the phone offers stereo sound, there’s another speaker mounted near the earpiece. Overall, the sound quality is pretty good.
The Performance
The DTS Surround Dual Speakers are designed to provide an enhanced audio experience, enriching your music, videos, and gaming sessions. With this feature, you can expect a more immersive sound experience. However, you will notice that the audio quality might not be as clear as expected, especially when the volume is increased to the maximum level.
At this point, you’ll feel substantial vibration near the camera lenses. While this might not be a dealbreaker, it’s worth noting that it could impact the overall audio experience. To avoid this issue, it’s advisable to keep the volume at a moderate level.
When the volume is set to full blast, the sound feels like it’s being trapped in a box-like. While this may limit the clarity of the audio, it’s worth noting that this issue can be resolved by adjusting the volume to a medium level. By doing so, you can still enjoy your favorite games and music without compromising on sound quality.
Infinix has given the Hot 30 a punch hole display, which again, isn’t common at this price range. It’s a LCD unit with a FHD+ resolution but it supports a 90Hz refresh rate. The colours produced are quite punchy and bright but is nowhere near as good as an AMOLED panel. Due to the slightly higher than average refresh rate, every response is met with quick feedback.
Powering the phone is a MediaTek Helio G88, which is supposed to be optimized for gaming. During regular use, it does a decent job of keeping everything operating smoothly. Menus and animation work smoothly but there is some stuttering from time to time. This impact doesn’t seem to bother overall performance in apps or games.
The Hot 30 comes with a skinned version of Android 13 called XOS. There’s a sense of familiarity to the appearance and behavior to the app menu, quick launch settings and general settings hierarchy. Though slightly tweaked, the UI functions fairly similarly to other Android phones.
It’s 6.78-inch display is a decent size for gaming, streaming content and reading long articles. This versatility will allow it to win over many people, especially those who are looking for a device that does most things fairly well.
Apps launch without a fuss and most games run without issue. That said, there are some frame drops from time to time, especially in in-game menus. However, this is very rare during gameplay especially in Free Fire, Asphalt9: Legends and Need For Speed No Limits.
Though highly playable, models and resolution aren’t very sharp. This is probably due to said games scaling down the graphics to match the hardware performance. Overall, you should have an enjoyable time playing most games, just don’t expect to be blown away by their supported resolutions. That’s because it’s not achievable here without dropping some frames.
After an intense Free Fire gaming session, I did notice the phone body getting a little warm, which is to be expected. However, the Hot 30’s cooling solution was able to keep the temperature under control so that it was comfortable enough to keep playing.
The phone comes with 8GB of RAM, which is plenty for most people. But if for some reason, you’d like to have a higher ceiling limit, the system is able to allocate up to 8GB more through the use of the internal storage. You can decide how much extra “RAM” you need by accessing the memory settings menu.
There’s a total of 256GB internal storage space but there is an SD card slot available in case you’d like to add more storage. It would be great if this expandability was still an option on more premium phones, but I digress.
In terms of overall performance, I have nothing negative to say, because for a budget phone it handles most tasks very well. This includes shuffling between various messaging apps and streaming ones like YouTube.
Some frame drops and lagging is to be expected especially if you are trying to do a lot at any given time. However, you’ll only witness these issues on occasion. When turning on the phone, allow it sometime to boot everything up probably. Try to rush this process, you’ll be greeted by an irresponsive UI and slightly laggy app performance.
Camera Performance
Infinix has equipped the Hot 30 with a 50MP wide, and despite the physical size, an almost microscopic depth sensor. The phone boasts an AI Cam mode, which is a feature that utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance your photos.
The AI software does it’s best to complement the 50MP sensor by ensuring that your pictures are amplified, resulting in stunning visuals with enhanced colors, sharpness, and overall picture quality.
The Hot 30 offers a Beauty mode that takes your selfies to the next level. This feature intelligently enhances your facial features, smoothening out imperfections and improving skin tones. With the Beauty mode, you can confidently capture good quality self-portraits that highlight your natural beauty, leaving you with Instagram-worthy photos.
Low-light photography is often a challenge for smartphone users, but the Hot 30 addresses this with its portrait and super night features. In dimly lit environments, these features work fairly well to adjust the surrounding lighting area, allowing you to capture clear, detailed photos even in dark places.
However, it’s important to note that the Hot 30 has a unique limitation when it comes to video recording. Unlike other brands in the market, it only supports only one way recording. During a live session you can’t toggle between the front and rear camera.
If you are moving while recording, the video tends to be shaky so it’s best to move it slowly and keep both hands on it while shooting a scene. Steady movements will help temper micro-shakes which is expected of phones without optical image stabilization.
Infinix Hot 30 is a budget-friendly smartphone that packs a punch when it comes to camera features. From the AI Cam’s intelligent image amplification to the Beauty mode’s flawless selfies as well as the portrait and super night features, the Hot 30 allows you to capture decent quality photos in most lighting conditions.
The camera app does have some interesting features. It offers Film Maser and in-cam templates to spruce up your videos. There are several options to choose from including funky short clips and interesting panorama ones. It offers something for everyone, which should make this phone a good option for the TikTok community.
Battery Life
A 5,000mAh battery ensures that the Hot 30 offers more than a day of average usage. However, if you play games constantly during a single day, expect to reach for the charger by the evening. But it’s good to know that Infinix includes a 33W fast charger in the box. It’s something that’s almost non-existent at this price range, so count your blessings.
Power Marathon is a feature that’s nestled into the general settings menu. When activated it enables extremely frugal use of battery power, allowing you to use the last remaining 5% of charge for several hours of regular use. That said, for the sake of battery health, never allow the overall charge to dip below 20%. This will allow it to serve you longer with its original capacity.
Should You Buy This Phone?
If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, this could be the phone for you. It’s extremely affordable yet functions just as well as mid-range phones above RM1,000. It offers decent gaming performance but is most suitable for general purpose use like streaming, social media interactions and general communication with family and friends.
There are far superior phones out there, but when you compare the price tags, you’ll learn to forgive the Hot 30 for most of its flaws. That’s because it’s going to be extremely difficult to find an alternative that offers so much yet asks very little of you.
