Infinix launched the Infinix HOT 8 a few weeks ago. The HOT 8 packs some great features such as the triple rear cameras, a 6.6-inch touchscreen display, 2GB of RAM, an entry-level MediaTek processor, a huge 5000mAh battery amongst others.
With a triple rear camera system feature, which is the most outstanding of its features, HOT 8 comes at a very pocket friendly price, retailing at Ksh. 10,999 . Again, at that price range, it has almost everything to offer in its price segment. The HOT 8 Lite variant is also available and retailing at only Ksh.9,999.
NB: The unboxing video is already out, you can read about it here or watch the unboxing video below:
Here is the Infinix HOT 8 review, after using it for 2 weeks.
Design and Display
The overall design looks pretty good. Infinix decided to give the HOT 8 a sleek look. The round edges add to the feel of the device and it also comes with a water drop notch. The volume and power buttons are on the right while the left side houses the SIM ((dual Nano-SIM) and memory card slots.
The device screen size is 6.6-inches with a resolution of 720×1600 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Well, this size is a little too big for one-hand usage based on my experience. Should this be something to complain about? Not really, given the diverse usage of the phone. Despite the phone having a 5000mAh battery, it’s not heavy.
The screen-to-body ratio is over 80% and despite the device having an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, the display isn’t that sharp. At the bottom is the Micro-USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack and the speakers.
Specs, performance and battery life
The Infinix HOT 8 is powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 processor and comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 256GB).
Well, multitasking is a bit disappointing for the HOT 8. It’s quite hard switching apps when doing things like playing games. The games also seem to take some time to load and in some instances, the UI kept freezing. The MediaTek Helio P22 processor, however, works just fine if the user can stick to the basics which includes but not limited to web browsing, social media usage, etc.
Infinix runs XOS 5.0 based on Android Pie on the HOT 8. Well, the UI remains almost the same as seen on other Infinix phones. The phone comes with a tonne of preinstalled bloatware which includes third-party and in-house apps such as Instagram, Facebook,XTheme, XClub, Xchat, AI Gallery, Flipkart etc.
Other pre preinstalled apps such as Palm Store contains a lot of ads, sending a bunch of notifications, which can be quite annoying. A concern we have raised in the past to no fruition.
The HOT 8 huge 5000mAh battery which we will also be testing in the coming few days, so expect a post on that. I, however, need to mention that the battery is a plus on the HOT 8. The battery easily went past a day.
The battery is a plus point of this phone. While playing games and using social media, the battery lasted for more than a day. The charging did not consume too much time and the phone did not heat up. However, using unbranded chargers will not be effective.
Well, if you plan to use the phone for basic stuff then the Infinix HOT 8 should serve you just fine.
Cameras
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Infinix HOT 8 features a triple rear camera set up. The main one is 13-megapixel with an f/1.8 lens, then there’s a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a dedicated low-light sensor. The selfie camera is 8-megapixel with an f/2.0 aperture.
There are a number of camera software tricks and modes such as the AI enhancement, AR Stickers, and a Bokeh mode,beauty, AR Shot,among others.
You get some good shots during daytime. The photos are quite sharp and detailed. Indor photos on the other hand, especially those low light conditions appeared grainy with a lot of noise. Maybe Infinix should have considered a dedicated night mode, but again, at that price range, don’t expect much.
The selfie camera on the other hand doesn’t really come out nicely. Check some sample photos below. More photos are available on our Instagram page.
Verdict and availability
Well, the Infinix HOT 8 has so much to offer for Ksh. 10,999. The specs and basic performance are quite decent. Concerns are however on the multitasking and of course the ever annoying ads and notifications. Of course there are other options to consider but a HOT 8 wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The device is available for purchase at Infinix outlets across the country and XPark formerly known as infinixmall. You can also buy it on Jumia here. Have anything to add to this Infinix HOT 8 Review? Leave us a comment in the comments section below.
Remember we had also said something about the Infinix HOT 8 Lite. Yes, the device is also now available exclusively on Jumia for Ksh. 9,999.
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