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The Infinix Hot 30i comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for under Rs 10,000. Is it a good entry-level phone to purchase? Let’s find out
- Infinix Hot 30i features a premium-looking design on the back.
- Infinix Hot 30i comes with some notables features like 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the segment.
- Infinix Hot 30i boots on the older Android 12 OS.
Pros: Attractive looks, high refresh rate, double RAM and storage.
Cons: Old water-drop notch panel, average camera, Android 12 OS.
Infinix has been on a launch spree lately. The Chinese tech giant unveiled nearly four smartphones and a couple of laptops. Last month, it launched the Infinix Hot 30i—its first and the cheapest phone in the new Hot 30 lineup.
The smartphone brings some notable features that can easily lure customers such as a 90Hz display, 8GB of in-built RAM, and a shiny premium-looking design.
I used the device for several days and here’s my review of the Infinix Hot 30i. As usual, let’s have a glance at the specs before we get our teeth into the review.
Infinix Hot 30i: Price and Specs
| Model | Infinix Hot 30i |
| Model no. | Inxinix X669C |
| Price and variants | Rs 8,199 (4GB/64GB), Rs 9,999 (8GB/128GB) |
| Colors | Glacier Blue, Mirror Black |
| Availability | Flipkart |
| Display size | 6.6-inch water-drop notch display |
| Display specs | IPS LCD panel, 90Hz RR, 180Hz TSR, HD+ (720 x 1612 pixels pixels), 500 nits peak |
| Protection | Panda Glass (MN228 ) |
| Security | Side-mounted FPS, facial unlock |
| Camera setup | Rear – Dual cameras, Front – single camera |
| Camera specs | 50MP AI dual cameras, Macro mode available |
| Video maximum | Rear – 1080p at 30fps,| Front – 1080p at 30fs |
| Chipset | 12nm MediaTek Helio G37, IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU |
| RAM and storage | 4GB/8GB LPDDR4x, 64GB/128GB eMMC |
| Battery and charging | 5,000mAh + 10W wired |
| Operating system | Android 12 OS, XOS 12 |
| Software support | – |
| IP rating | No IP rating |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Compass, Gyroscope, fingerprint |
| Network and connectivity | Dual Nano SIM 4G | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth |
Infinix Hot 30i: Design and Display
On the design front, Infinix has gone with a stylish approach. Whether you pick the Mirror Black shade or the Glacier Blue color, you’d find a premium-looking design on the back. It’s shiny, reflective, and eye-grabbing.
It reminds me of the glossy back of the Realme 2 that arrived back in 2018. That said, it’s a polycarbonate back but by no means it looks tacky as you can see in the photos.
Coming to the front, however, the story is different. It boasts a water-drop notch panel with noticeable bezels, especially at the bottom. The front does signal that it’s a basic phone as opposed to the back.
There’s a power button and a volume rocker on the right spine and a SIM/microSD card tray on the left spine. The power key doubles up as a fingerprint scanner and the tray on the left isn’t a hybrid slot, but rather a full triple slot to house two Nano SIMs and a dedicated microSD card.
The device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C port, and a single speaker at the bottom. There’s nothing on the top.
The smartphone sports a large 6.6-inch HD+ display that refreshes at 90Hz making the overall scrolling experience smoother. It is fairly bright indoors but I had some difficulties while browsing in the daylight.
One concern I have about the display of the phone is that it’s a bit less vibrant. Now, this is not just about the Hot 30i, but even some other Infinix phones I had tested featured a bit dull display.
I like slightly vibrant panels, something that Motorola offers in most phones. But the same may not be for everyone.
Overall, the phone looks premium on the back but lacks the modern design and vibrancy on the front.
Infinix Hot 30i: Cameras
There’s not much to look at on the camera front. The device is equipped with a dual camera on the rear and a single camera on the front. It clicks average photos and videos.
There’s a 50MP main lens and an auxiliary sensor. The main lens with the AI Cam mode, which is the default camera mode, helps to process the shots better but only when you take control of the exposure levels. Meaning, you’d have to adjust the exposure to make the final shot look acceptable.
Also, the camera sometimes struggles to focus when there are multiple things in the frame. But as said, once you get the right focus and lighting, the image may turn out to be likable for the price.
It has Portrait mode, Beauty mode, and AR shot mode, which is basically Memoji or AR filters similar to Snapchat and Instagram. The 5MP selfie camera is average.
Videography is limited to 1080p at 30fps and there’s no stabilization, as you’d expect from an entry-level offering. The final video again is acceptable when you are still, but it gets too shaky if you are recording while walking.
The Hot 30i isn’t a camera phone but does the job of offering decent footage and portraits.
Infinix Hot 30i: Performance
The Infinix Hot 30i is more of an entry-level all-rounder than a performance-centric phone. The chip that it comes with—the MediaTek Helio G37— isn’t meant for gaming or for powerful tasks, but paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, it keeps the device running. Additionally, there’s 8GB of virtual RAM support making the total RAM on the phone up to 16GB, which is bonkers for the price.
It can handle a few apps together and can help you play titles like Subway Surfers, COC, and Asphalt on low settings.
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