You have probably read our review of the Infinix HOT 30. The phone underwent significant upgrades to its processor, fast charging, and video features making it one of the best budget phones you can actually buy in Kenya right now. In this article though, we will be talking about the Infinix HOT 30 Play which is part of the devices in this series. 

The Infinix HOT 30 Play is a budget-friendly smartphone that aims to provide solid performance and essential features at an affordable price point. In Kenya, Infinix is selling the device for Ksh.18,999 catering for users looking for a reliable device without breaking the bank.

Inside the box, you have the usual accessories including:

• A plastic case
• Type-C cable
• An 18W charger
• A pair of earphones 
• A Sim ejector tool and
• The Infinix HOT 30 Play itself

The Infinix HOT 30 Play is a well-built phone. The  Purple colour option review unit we have looks pretty good but of course, you can also buy the phone in black or white.

The glass-like design makes the phone gives the phone a premium look. Looks very soling. 

On the ride side, you have a side-mounted fingerprint reader embedded in the power button plus the volume rockers. The left side houses the nano-sim card slot offering you slots for two cards and an extra for expandable storage.

At the bottom, we have the headphone jack, microphone, type-C port and bottom-facing speaker. Coming to the front you’re greeted by this nice looking  6.82-inch screen rocking a 90Hz refresh rate and HD+ resolution and a punch hole cutout for the front-facing camera.  Despite the lower resolution, the screen is still crisp and handles everything just fine.  The device offers an immersive viewing experience, making it suitable for multimedia consumption, gaming, and web browsing. 

When it comes to performance, the Infinix HOT 30 Play is powered by a capable Helio G37 chipset. While the Chipset may not be the most powerful on the market, it provides satisfactory performance for most users’ needs. Additionally, it comes with a decent amount of  8GB  and up to 8GB virtual RAM allowing for smooth multitasking and ample space for apps, media, and files.

The Infinix HOT 30 Play also comes with Android 13 and XOS 12.6 straight out of the box. I have always had issues with XOS but I will have to admit the software experience feels a little bit better this time around.  Infinix seems to have listened to customer feedback and made it cleaner will less bloatware.

Let’s talk about the camera. 

The camera capabilities of the Infinix HOT 30 Play are generally suitable for casual photography.  Infinix has added a 16MP main camera with a depth sensor while the selfie camera is 8MP. Video recording is also capped at 1080p 30fps for both back and selfie videos.

In low-light environments, image quality might suffer due to the limitations of budget-friendly smartphone cameras. The front-facing camera should however be sufficient for capturing selfies and video calls. You also have a number of camera modes to play around with including AI, Beauty, Portrait, Slow motion,  among others. You can check some sample shots below:

The battery is one of my favourite things about the Infinix HOT 30 Play. Infinix has added a massive 6000mAh battery with an 18W charger included in the box. Here is the thing, this battery can last you a whole two days straight on regular usage and you will still have some juice left to last you a few hours. However, it’s important to consider that battery performance can vary depending on individual usage patterns and settings.

The 18W charger added in the box is however slow so you might need to wait for like 50 minutes to get it to around 90% from 0%. 

Conclusion

Overall, the Infinix HOT 30 Play is a budget smartphone with a decent set of features for its price range.  While it may not have all the bells and whistles of higher-end devices, it aims to provide reliable performance, a large display, a satisfactory camera experience and a very impressive battery life.

If you’re looking for an affordable smartphone that covers the basics and doesn’t compromise on essential features, the HOT 30 Play could be worth considering. 

Infinix HOT 30 Play Specs

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