The budget smartphone maker Infinix is now back with yet another value for money phone, dubbed as Infinix Hot 8 for the Indian market. Priced at just Rs. 6,999, the phone tends to check almost all the boxes for an entry-level smartphone- it gets a modern design, a massive 5,000mAh battery, and AI-triple cameras. More importantly, it offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage in a segment where most phones settle with either 2/32 or 3/32GB configurations.
That being said, is it really as hot as it seems on paper? Well, let’s check out the same in our full Infinix Hot 8 review.
Infinix Hot 8 Specifications
Before starting with the Infinix Hot 8 review, let’s have a look at the phone’s specifications, pricing and things we get with the device.
- Display: 6.52-inch IPS LCD display, HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, 269ppi, 2.5D Curved Glass
- CPU: 12nm-based octa-core Mediatek Helio P22 (MT6762) Processor (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53)
- GPU: PowerVR GE8320
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
- Software: Android 9 Pie (XOS 5.0)
- Main Camera: 13MP ( f/1.8, PDAF) + 2MP depth sensor + QVGA low light sensor
- Selfie Camera: 8MP (f/2.0)
- Connectivity: micro USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio
- Cellular: Dual SIM
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, rear-mounted
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, Li-ion Polymer, non-removable
Price: Rs. 6,999 for 4/64GB
Box Contents
-
- Infinix Hot 8
- 10W Charger
- Micro USB Cable
- TPU Case
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Documentation
Infinix Hot 8 Review
Design & Display
Starting off with the design, the Infinix Hot 8 gets an attractive polycarbonate back panel with a glossy gradient finish on top. The Quetzal Cyan variant we have here flaunts shiny cyan on the top that merges gradually with a rather darker tone at the bottom. That said, the device is also available in Cosmic Purple colour option.
The phone offers a sleek profile with rounded edges and offers excellent grip in hands. Moreover, it weighs just 179grams (that too with a 5,000mAh battery) which adds to the overall feel of the device.
You get a vertically arranged triple camera setup at the top left corner of the back, followed by a squircle shaped fingerprint scanner and Infinix branding. The textured power button and the volume rockers are located on the right side of the device. Besides, there’s a SIM tray given on the left-hand side, followed by the loudspeaker, micro-USB port, microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom.
Flipping the phone over, you get a large 6.5-inch IPS display with HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The front also gets a water-drop notch on top and is covered by 2.5D Curved Glass. Interestingly, the phone gets very minimal bezels on sides, aiding for an impressive screen to body ratio of 90.3 per cent.
The display itself is tad large but offers right viewing angles and decent sunlight legibility, thanks to the peak brightness of 450 nits. The panel quality, on the other hand, is quite average with passable sharpness and contrast. Overall, the display is quite nice and big for consuming media content on the go.
Performance
Under the hood, the Infinix Hot 8 gets powered by 12nm-based octa-core Mediatek Helio P22 SoC, seen previously on Infinix S4 and Hot 7 Pro. Which is further coupled with PowerVR GE8320 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Notably, the room can be further expanded up to 256GB via microSD card slot.
In our usage, we found the phone to be perfectly fine for day to day use comprising browsing the web, surfing social media, watching videos and playing casual games. The memory management was good for the most part, and we didn’t face any lag issues while navigating through the UI.
However, the device is simply not made for heavy gaming. We tried playing PUBG Mobile on lowest possible graphics settings, and while the game was playable, we did notice occasional frame drops here and there. PUBG Lite, on the other hand, ran fine without any major issues.
Software
Talking about software, the Infinix Hot 8 runs Android 9.0 Pie with the company’s custom XOS 5.0 on top. The UI has tons of customisation features including Game Boost that boosts CPU and clears RAM while gaming, and a dedicated WhatsApp mode that allows only the texting app to access the internet connection. Furthermore, there’s a Bike mode that features auto-call rejection and auto-replies. The XOS even offers an App freezer to pause apps from running in the background.
While the UI is pretty manageable, the area where it disappointed us was in terms of bloatware and spammy notifications. Infinix has stuffed in a lot of unnecessary apps including Opera, PHX News, Flipkart, and games like Danger Dash and Mayan Jump, which might disappoint some.
Cameras
For photography, the Infinix Hot 8 offers a total of three cameras at the rear. This includes a 13-megapixel primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and phase detection autofocus (PDAF), followed by a 2-megapixel sensor for collecting depth information. There’s also a dedicated low-light sensor and a quad-LED flash on the back. For selfies, the phone gets an 8-megapixel camera up front accompanied by an LED flash.
The images shot in daylight conditions are quite decent with the right amount of detail and sharpness on offer. However, you need to take multiple shots to get the best output. The dynamic range is average with the HDR mode, adding a very little into the results.
In low-light, the camera doesn’t perform as good as expected- it exhibits a lack of detail and shows inaccurate colours. Nevertheless, the quad-LED flash gets very bright and gets the job done in dim-lit conditions.
The front camera too is quite apt for t
he price and produces passable results. Selfies are well-exposed, have a reasonably good amount of detail and exhibit rich skin tones. Anyways, the beauty mode is on by default resulting in artificial pictures, so make sure to turn it off.
Battery & Charging
The massive 5,000mAh battery is indeed one of the strongest selling points for the Infinix Hot 8. Following which, the phone easily lasts for over a day with medium to heavy use, including watching movies and videos, using GPS navigation, playing casual games and listening to music over Bluetooth. By the way, there’s no fast charging support, and hence the battery takes over 2 hours to charge with the supplied charging brick.
Infinix Hot 8 Review Verdict- Should you buy it?
For a price of Rs. 6,999, the Infinix Hot 8 is one of the cheapest smartphones to offer 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage, followed by triple rear cameras. And it indeed sets a new benchmark in the segment when it comes to value for money, thanks to the smooth performance, decent cameras, modern design and excellent battery life.
Hence, for an average consumer having a budget of around INR 7,000, the Infinix Hot 8 can be a great all-rounder. In fact, it can even be a capable secondary phone for many. However, if performance and cameras are your top-most priority, we’d suggest having a look at the Realme 3i (review) and Nokia 5.1 Plus (review).
