Infinix Hot 10 Review - Android

Officially priced at Php6,990, this thing is for those who want a capable smartphone that doesn’t break the bank. But in this price range, there are already tons of alternatives out there. So the question is, what makes Infinix’s entry different? We find out in our Infinix Hot 10 Review.

Infinix Hot 10 Specs

• Android 10, XOS 7
• Dual SIM, Dual stand by
• 6.78-inch HD+ IPS display, 1640 x 720 pixel resolution, 264ppi
• 2.0GHz MediaTek Helio G70 octa-core processor
• 4GB RAM
• Mali-G52 GPU
• 128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 8-megapixel punch-hole front camera
• 16-megapixel (f/1.8) + 2-megapixel (macro, 4cm) + 2-megapixel (depth sensor) + AI lens rear cameras, Quad LED flash
• Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Headphone jack, DTS Surround Sound
• 4G LTE
• WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
• Bluetooth 5.0
• GPS, GLONASS, BDS
• microUSB
• Dimensions: 171.1 x 77.6 x 8.88mm
• Weight: 204g
• Colors: Amber Red, Moonlight Jade, Ocean Wave, Obsidian Black
• 5,200mAh non-removable battery, 10W charger

What’s in the box?

Unlike most budget phones, the Infinix Hot 10 actually comes with a complete set of accessories in the box. That means it comes with a free pair of earphones, which not many brands are giving for free.

Along with that are the standard inclusions: the device itself, an adorable and tiny 10W charger, a microUSB port, SIM ejector tool, free clear case, and documentations. Disappointingly, the free screen protector doesn’t come pre-applied. On the upside, there’s a free coupon code for a PUBG mobile time-limited drop.

Design and Build Quality

Being a budget smartphone, it’s no surprise that the Infinix Hot 10 is built with cheap materials. The back panel is made with plastic, and it feels and sounds like plastic every time you hold it or place it on a table.

The back panel has this familiar shiny plastic paint job, with a glitters-like appearance that we saw on other entry-level smartphones. Most people will remember the reference, while others will appreciate its arrow-like reflections on top and bottom that points to opposing sides.

What we have here is the Obsidian Black color for a stealthier look. You can also get it in Moonlight Jade, Ocean Wave, and Amber Red — all available in the Philippines.

On the upside, the camera glass sits relatively flush on the back panel with little to no noticeable camera bump. It also feels relatively thin, with curved corners for easy handling. But with a 6.78-inch screen, the Hot 10 is unsurprisingly enormous. Using it with one hand is close to impossible for most people.

Speaking of the screen, the bezels on the front are not the thinnest, but going with a punch-hole for the selfie camera instead of a notch resulted in a better screen-to-body ratio. There’s a thin opening on the top for the earpiece and the LED notification indicator, which is now a rare feature on smartphones.

There’s the two nano-SIM card and microSD card slot on the left, while the right has the physical volume controls and lock/power switch. The buttons feel plastic-y and wobble a little, but they are surprisingly tactile when pressed.

On the bottom, we have the headphone jack, the only microphone and loudspeaker on this device, and unfortunately, a microUSB port instead of Type-C.

Overall, we’re fine — but not blown away — by the design of the Infinix Hot 10. It looks decent and feels sturdy enough, no weird flexing that hints at any possible future problems.

Display and Sound

The Infinix Hot 10 has a massive 6.78-inch screen. It sure is great for multitasking and media consumption. But for a display this large, an HD+ 1640 x 720 resolution feels a little lacking. Although, we doubt the normal eye will notice much difference in sharpness.

Other than that, there’s nothing much to say about the screen. The IPS panel projects decent colors and contrast. Not the best, but it does the job. It even has an Inadvertently Mode, which apparently prevents accidental operation caused by fabric when sliding in your pocket.

The loudspeaker and free earphones are usable, but nothing to brag about. It also has DTS audio and software-level audio configuration that you can play with to improve the sound.

Hardware and Performance

Powering the Infinix Hot 10 is the MediaTek Helio G70 octa-core processor, with 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and Mali-G52 GPU.

Infinix Hot 10 Benchmark scores

As the name suggests, it’s a CPU made for gaming, so no surprise that it performed decently when we ran Call of Duty Mobile and League of Legends Wild Rift under medium settings.

Call of Duty Mobile and League of Legends Wild Rift on Infinix Hot 10

The performance in basic and daily tasks was relatively smooth for an entry-level smartphone. Social media browsing, multitasking, playing music and video — pretty much everything is smooth sailing on this device. Other than taking pictures, it takes a second or two to take the photo after pressing the shutter button.

Software and User Interface

The Infinix Hot 10 runs on an Android 10-based XOS7 interface. Right off the bat, we were pretty overwhelmed by how packed and far away it is from the stock Android look. But if you’re a “trendy” user who wants to see more on your phone screen, this should fit your taste.

Controle Center | App Drawer

Between the control center and the notifications tab are app icons for quick access. Swiping up from the home screen quickly reveals the app drawer, with a carousel of “Instant Apps” on the top that lets you play games from the browser without the need of downloading them.

There are a couple of pre-installed games out here for those who want to get up and running after setting up the device. But if you don’t like them taking up space on your device, you can uninstall them easily.

Phone Boost/Cleaner | App Drawer with DTS Sound, Face unlock apps

Other pre-installed app includes a phone cleaner that lets you wipe programs running in the background, giving you a more tangible feeling that your phone is getting an extra boost.

What’s weird is that there are system features that shouldn’t have a dedicated app but did. You can see an app for the Face Unlock, DTS Sound, and others in the app launcher. I guess it’s helpful if you want quick access to them without digging deep in the settings menu.

The Infinix Hot 10 uses Kika Keyboard out of the box, which is, personally, a pain to use. Thankfully, you can easily switch to Google Keyboard by tapping the icon on the bottom right corner.

Infinix might also overuse the term AI in the camera department. If you’re not familiar with the naming, you might look for the standard “Photo” mode on the camera app, which is called AI Cam in the Hot 10 instead. Even the gallery app is called “AI Gallery” making it hard to search for in the alphabetized app gallery.

Other notable features include Palm Store, a built-in app store with some of Google Play-banned apps like AnTuTu. There’s also XShare if you’re tired of ShareIt’s ads.

Like most budget phones, a Game Mode feature helps improve the gaming experience, and even comes with a Game Anti-Addiction feature with parental control.

Social Turbo is also here to apparently enhance the experience for WhatsApp users. It can save voice recordings, enable beauty mode on video chat, and more.

The XOS7 is not the cleanest Android interface in the market. But clearly, it’s not meant to be. It’s for the fans who want an outrageous interface that will allow their owners to feel that they are indeed getting more than what they pay for.

Security

With the Infinix Hot 10, you’re getting a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, which takes two to three tries before it can correctly recognize my fingerprint and unlock the device. The face unlock is not super fast either.

It also has Google Play Protect and Find My Device feature. On the downside, the Android Security was last updated in November, while the Google Play system update happened way back in May 2020.

Camera

Like most budget phones, the Infinix Hot 10 is guilty of increasing the camera count, despite how pretty useless the other lenses are, just to keep things interesting. The four shooters consist of a 16-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel macro (up to 4cm), 2-megapixel depth sensor), and an AI lens. We wish Infinix just disregarded the three other lenses and went with a more usable ultra-wide/macro camera.

10/01/2021 10:48 AM

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