Infinix Hot S Review: The Hottest

Beauty, they say, lies in the eyes of the beholder. The Infinix Hot S is the next best thing in the Infinix Hot series. This device was launched just months after the release of the Infinix Hot 3. The naming is different here, and we can’t really say the motive behind that. But the recent release of the Infinix Hot 4 tells us this is definitely a branched off series. We can gladly affirm that the breakaway in nomenclature also came with a corresponding paradigm shift in hardware specs, features, design, software, and even price.

The Infinix Hot S is pricier than it’s predecessors, but is it worth it? The posts below can help prepare you:

• You can use the Infinix Hot S on these 4G networks
• Infinix Hot S Gallery
• XOS Chameleon: Infinix Hot S Software review
• Infinix Hot S VS Infinix Hot 3: Camera Review
• Official Infinix Hot S X521 Specifications & Price

Now let’s dive into the review proper, starting with the major pros and cons.

Hardware/Design
What we have here is a shift in design compared to previous Infinix phones. A slim build with a unibody metallic frame. The material on the side is more polished and shiny, compared to the metal at the back-less glossy for better grip. Overall the phone is very light and the 8.1 mm thickness makes this phone very pleasing to look at. The front side of this phone looks plain – Typical with most other phones of it’s kind. The 8 MP selfie lens bulges at the top left side. Beside it you find the ear piece, and close by lies a couple of sensors and the front LED flash.

The most beautiful side, the back side. You see the 13 MP lens, dual LED flash, Fingerprint scanner. On the left-hand side, The left side houses the eject-able compartment, which can either take two SIM cards or one SIM and a micro SD card. On the right side, we have the power/lock key and volume rockers.

On top of the Infinix Hot S, we find just the audio jack, while at the bottom, you see two speaker grills, the one on the left acts as the microphone. This phone is good to look at and handle.  Mimicking a lot from the original Infinix Zero – users of the phone can relate.

Software
The Infinix Hot S is feature filled in terms of software. It is also the first phone to run the new XOS Chameleon-based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. You can read more in the full software review.

Display and Multimedia
This phone comes with a 5.2 inch panel with a resolution of 1,280 x 720 at 320 ppi here. The display comes out really sharp with rich colours. Like seen on many other Infinix phones, we found a Miravision app that is used to tweak the display. There’s no Gorilla Glass protection here, but viewing angles are great. This display reproduces colours excellently, but sunlight legibility is very poor unless you cramp up the brightness to at least 50%.

The dual speaker grills at the bottom could deceive you to think that this phone has dual speakers, but that’s not the case. The left sided one harbours the mic. Meanwhile, sound playback on this phone is pretty good, Though not spectacular. At highest volume, the treble is a bit tinny, but overall it’s OK. Using earphones greatly improves the audio quality.

The same applies for playing videos on this phone. With the good display, decent sound, and a good app like MX Player, you are bound to enjoy watching videos on this phone.

Camera
The Infinix Hot S carries a rear 13.3 MP lens and an 8.3 MP for selfies. There’s a dual LED flash behind and a soft flash for selfies. For the rear images taken so far. The quality is really sharp. The lens takes in lots of details, colours too. In some shots, It seems as if it takes in too much colour. In dark places, the flash does well, though some shots are too blurry. You can find the full camera review with comparisons. HERE.

Multitasking /Performance
We had a bitter-sweet experience in this aspect of the Infinix Hot S. Performance wise, we have a smash grab experience. 90% of the time, this phone runs fast and glides through apps. It gets to a point when opened apps begin to restart. At times, the phone just freezes. Under heavy usage, the phone warms up a bit. Though not as hot as a boiling kettle. The heat also notches up while charging and pressing the phone at the same time. Below are test results from Antutu and Quadrant apps.

Battery life
The Infinix Hot S comes with a 3000 mAh battery. This should take you through a day of regular usage. My regular use covered: 2 SIM cards installed, steady 3G (emails syncing and chatting apps all active), 3-4 hours of hotspot, and 2 hours of movie playback. Below are screen shots of the battery test results. The phone takes a while to charge from 5% to 100% – almost 3 hours.

Miscellaneous
This phone has no back lit capacitive buttons. It has USB OTG that works well. Call clarity is good on this device. During heavy usage, this phone warms up a bit. I’m glad that you can peg to 4G, 3G Or Auto 4G/3G/2G. From time to time, you are notified of the power intensive apps on the phone.

Infinix Hot S Review: Final Words
The Infinix Hot S is undoubtedly a beautiful device. It ticks all the boxes you will need in any smartphone. The price tag is justified, compared to the features it brings to the table. We should blame the price more on the Nigerian economic situation. Overall, if camera and media is your thing, and you require a sleek, handy phone for yourself or bae. You should look towards this direction.

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Author: Mister Mobility

Master storyteller and founder of Mobility Nigeria, Mister Mobility, has used and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001.