BW Gaming World
Pros:
- Large display
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 6,000 mAh battery
- 2K shooting, if that’s something you fancy
- Starts at INR 12,499
Cons:
- Only 18W charging
- Excruciatingly long boot time
- Bloatware
- Sub-par camera
Infinix has made it very clear that its modus operandi will revolve around keeping its devices feature-heavy and at the same time making them highly affordable. This is one combination that will never go out of style and if this continues, Infinix is surely going to disrupt the consumer tech market in a huge way. In this review, I will be sharing my experience after using the Infinix Hot 30 5G for a few weeks.
I will be dividing this review into three parts, i.e.,
- build quality,
- performance
- experience
Build quality
At an MRP of INR 16,999 and available on ecommerce websites for INR 13,499 (8GM), the Infinix Hot 30 is one of the latest additions to Infinix’s affordable smartphone catalogue.
To be honest, the smartphone leaves a great first impression. The finishing on the device body is top-notch. The plastic body does feel a little ‘plasticky’ at first and there is no denying that. However (and this is a big ‘however’), the phone feels amazing to touch and hold. In fact, the build quality doesn’t let you dwell on the fact that the phone has a plastic body for too long. It just feels very premium.
The phone comes with an IP53 rating, meaning that it offers average protection against dust and water splashes. So, no underwater photography with the Hot 30 anytime soon. An IP67 rating would have been ideal, given that it is the industry standard.
Performance
Display
The 1080 x 2460-pixel display looks fine, feels great and performs even better. Playing FHD videos is effortless. 4K HDR videos, however, are a different story. The Hot 30’s display is an IPS LCD one. It’s a 6.78-inch punch-hole FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh that offers a fluidic experience. The touch is very responsive, as it should be. 580 nits of peak brightness is sufficient for indoor conditions but it could have been better since using it in broad daylight was troublesome. The smartphone does have Sunlight Reading technology just for this problem. However, I would have preferred a brighter screen. Furthermore, as more and more smartphones are offering AMOLED displays, its absence did leave an afterthought.
Hardware
The MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset along with the 8GM RAM allows for a decent amount of operating efficiency. The Dimensity 6020 chipset belongs to MediaTek’s 7nm series of chipsets and uses the ARM Mali G57MC2 GPU for graphics. Hopping from app to app was a seamless experience with no lagging whatsoever. Games like BGMI and Asphalt 9 can also be played without a hiccup in low to medium settings.
In terms of memory, the phone supports up to 1TB of expandable storage. The RAM on my review unit is 8GB LPDDR4X. A 4 GB variant is also available.
The stereo speakers do offer decent audio output for watching content and gaming. Once again, it is important to take note of the price tag before setting unrealistic expectations.
Camera
The Hot 30 5G offers dual primary camera set-up with a 50-megapixel f/1.6 sensor which shoots 2K and 1080p footage at 30fps. In my humble opinion, a 4K 30 fps would have been ideal while a 2K 60 fps shooting capability should have been a bare minimum. The other sensor is an AI one. The 0.08-megapixel adjacent sensor allows for macro shots. On the front, we have an 8-megapixel f/2.0 sensor which can shoot 1080p footage at 30fps. Once again, the selfie camera’s lack of 1080p at 60 fps capability was felt.
The camera is not at all up to the mark and leaves you wanting more. Although I understand that this is what entry-level 5G smartphones are offering at the moment in terms of camera quality, I feel it could have been better. Sharpness, saturation and contrast are nowhere to be seen. The pro mode looks more or less like a gimmick in the sense that there is not much use for it. When was the last time you saw someone fire up the Pro Mode to click a photograph? Shutterbugs like myself, however, might find some use for it.
Gaming
Gaming is where the 240Hz touch refresh rate comes into play. The display works wonders when playing games. It is responsive, smooth and quick. Games like BGMI, Asphalt 9 and Clash Royale run smoothly at low to medium settings. Heavier games like Genshin Impact do create a bit of a problem. The Mali G57 GPU comes into play here as well. Do not expect superior gaming performance, though.
Battery
Gaming phone or not (although I feel the trend of phones is mostly a marketing strategy), we all need a good battery life. The Hot 30’s 6,000 mAh lithium-ion battery proved to be really effective. A full charge lasted me for 2 whole workdays (without gaming). The phone comes along with an 18W fast charger. I have to say it felt a bit like being short-changed. At the very least, a 45W fast charge felt ideal for this device. Although, a quick glance over the price tag made me drop this line of questioning.
Experience: OS and UI
The XOS, Infinix’s own UI based on Android 13 was not bad, truth be told. In fact, it felt easy to use. Something that did bother me during usage was the bloatware. There are a lot of apps that came preinstalled in this phone and most of them could not be uninstalled. Bloatware is something that the China-based consumer electronics manufacturer addressed in its latest GT 10 Pro. However, I feel Infinix needs to be more proactive on this front.
The 8GB RAM variant proved to be great for multitasking. Running multiple apps in the background never caused an issue. Bloatware, however, did cause visual discomfort. Browsing through the phone and finding a ton of unwanted apps that I would never use and cannot uninstall is not a pleasant experience at all. Apart from this constant reminder, the phone handles itself pretty well.
Verdict: Is It Worth It?
The Infinix Hot 30 5G greatly emphasises affordability clubbed with its spec sheet. With the best-in-class features in most departments, the Hot 30 5G is a great option to consider in the under INR 14,000 segment. The big dilemma here is that why not go for Infinix’s own Note 30 5G by spending INR 1,500 more? The Note 30 offers the Dimensity 6080, an upgrade over the 6020 chipset. It also comes with a base storage of 256GB, compared to the Hot 30’s 128GB.
Additionally, if you love the term megapixels like most Indian consumers do, the Note 30 5G offers a 108-megapixel primary camera. Other competitors of the Infinix Hot 30 5G are the vivo T2x and the Samsung Galaxy F14 5G, which, to be honest, are good options too.
Despite the competition, the things that differentiate this phone from the rest are its 6,000 mAh battery and its price point. The bottom line is that if you are in search of a phone that offers great battery life, a good stack of specifications and a pocket-friendly price, the Dimensity 6020-powered Infinix Hot 30 5G is a good option to consider.
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