While Infinix focuses on the Zero Flip and Hot 50 Pro Plus, the Infinix Hot 50i is often overlooked. However, after using it for over two weeks, I believe it stands out among smartphones priced under 14K.
The Hot 50i offers outstanding features for its price, making it my top pick for budget smartphones this year.
Infinix is running a sale on this phone on its site as it’s going for Ksh 13,199 and you get a free bag gift – its RRP is Ksh 13,699. TL;DR: Infinix’s newest budget smartphone performs surprisingly well – it’s an affordable device you’ll love.
DESIGN
Infinix Hot 50i is stunning, especially in Sage Green, which truly stands out among the common greys and blacks, featuring a captivating matte back that shines beautifully in the light.
The Infinix Hot 50i is lightweight yet feels premium, featuring an IP54 rating against dust and water, a sleek square camera island, a headphone jack, a Type-C charging port, dual speakers, and a plastic frame with volume rockers, and a fingerprint-embedded power button.
Infinix Hot 50i has significantly improved with a larger 6.7-inch LCD screen that features a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits brightness, along with an Always-on display. The screen is great to use and look at. The fast refresh rate is handy and a joy when interacting with apps like social media or gaming.
This phone’s design is effortlessly impressive, making it a standout accessory to showcase, especially without a case.
PERFORMANCE
The Infinix Hot 50i features a Helio G81 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 6GB of Virtual RAM (max), and 128GB of storage, running on Android 14 and XOS 14.5, making it suitable for light to moderate use, with occasional lag for heavier users, all at a commendable price.
The Hot 50i ran smoothly, efficiently managed my tasks, and offered impressive battery life, making it a great overall device.
CAMERAS
While many top-camera smartphones are pricey, the Infinix Hot 50i is a budget-friendly option with impressive camera performance.
Hot 50i features a 48MP main camera and an 8MP selfie camera, both capable of recording 1440p video at 30fps. It also has various creative modes, including short video, normal photo, beauty, portrait, super night, timelapse, and 48MP mode.
Despite its price, the Hot 50i stands out. It competes well with upper mid-range models and nearly matches the camera performance of my flagship Zero 30.
The bokeh shots are sweet even in low light, as you’ll see below. I love this phone. It’s solid indoors and outdoors. The colours are vibrant, the photos are bright, and the saturation is just right. The photos are beautiful, sharp, and detailed—you’ll be happy sharing them and selfies on social media.
Overall, I do think that the Hot 50i is the best affordable camera smartphone this year.
BATTERY LIFE
For power, the Infinix Hot 50i has a 5000mAh battery with 18W charging like its predecessor. It’s not as fast, but you can’t complain that much at this price. You can get to 65% from empty in an hour and then another quarter an hour to full charge. You also get bypass charging, which is handy when you want to use the phone when plugged in.
In terms of stamina, the phone can keep up – light use can pull you two days, and heavy use can give you a day and a half.
VERDICT
There’s a lot to like about the Hot 50i – it’s pretty solid regarding design, performance, cameras, and battery life. And the low price of 13K – it’s hard to beat. If at this point, I have not convinced you enough to run, don’t walk to get the HOT 50i – you’re on your own, kid.
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