Earlier this month, Infinix launched the Hot 12 series at a tech event at Nairobi University. I’ve been using the phone for some time now and here are my thoughts and experience.
First of all, what’s in the box?
The phone is packaged in Infinix’s characteristic neon green box, a simple compact box in which there is the phone, a power adaptor, a type C USB cable, earplugs, a SIM ejector tool and a plastic custom-made protective cover for the back. I particularly love the back cover since it is designed to cover only the back without showing much of itself from the front. This gives it a minimalistic look that does not interfere with the beauty of the phone.
In the box you’ll also find an XPark voucher, an XClub membership voucher, and a customer service card.
Phone design
My review gadget came in Racing Black, a black that give an illusion of charcoal gray in some lighting angles. There are other colour options in champagne gold, daylight green and horizon blue. The back of the phone has a clean design with only a camera housing, a fingerprint scanner and a subtle Infinix branding. It has a reflective design through which you can see embedded horizontal lines. Though it has a glossy finish, it is not a fingerprint magnet. On the right are the power button and volume rocker button, on the left is the SIM and SD card slot, and at the bottom we have mic, 3mm jack, charging port and speakers.
The screen is quite sizeable at 6.82”. Add a refresh rate of 90Hz and a HD+ resolution and you have a gadget that is a pleasure to use.
Battery
This phone has a massive 6000mAh battery. Yes, it makes the phone rather weighty, but I feel that this is worth every gram because this is the kind of battery that one never has to worry about running out or carrying power banks around. We are looking at dusk to dawn use of the phone on a single charge even for the heaviest user. To put it in perspective, users are covered with 120 hours of music, 21 hours of calls, and 8 hours gaming. The phone has a 60-day standby and that’s a lot by any standards.
The phone has an integrated game space and with that and a massive battery to boot, gamers are in for a good time with uninterrupted play time.
I consider myself a heavy user since I work mostly on phone throughout the day and yet by evening, I’m only at 50%. This is when I’m using the phone for calls, emails and social media. Otherwise, if I add video here and there, by evening I’m left with about 25%. Quite impressive considering that the phone has other features to manage and preserve battery use when need be.
Cameras
The back camera is 13MP with AI portrait and quad flash, with additional modes like beauty, portrait, and AR shot. Video has a good resolution of 1080p and has modes like slow motion shooting. The front camera is 8MP.
Performance and storage
The phone has an internal storage of 128GB and 4GB RAM extendable to 7. It has the option of memory expansion via MicroSD so any overflow of photos and videos by the user is covered. It has an octa-core processor and upto 2.3 GHz high frequency, giving faster game speed and communication functionalities of the phone.
Sound
I mostly use ear plugs but the speaker sound of this phone is surprisingly good thanks to the DTS enhancement that makes for better listening, and auto adjustments for music, movies or gaming. For fans of wireless sound, the phone has Bluetooth connection.
Conclusion
For the prices that this phone is coming at, I feel it is an excellent purchase for people on an entry level budget. It balances the features well with the pricing, so that even if some features are not up there, they are alright for the price.
Here re the prices for different variants of the phone.
4GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage – Ksh 18,499
4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage – Ksh 16,499
Infinix Hot 12: 4GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage – Ksh 19,999
The phone is available for purchase from Infinix stores countrywide, as well as online on XPARK and other accredited e-commers outlets.
