Infinix Hot 10 Play Review: Good Performance, Better Battery

Infinix Hot 10 Play is the company’s latest offering in the Nepalese market. The phone is a toned-down variant of the Hot 10 which is yet to launch in Nepal. In this review, we will be talking about how the Infinix Hot 10 Play performs in day-to-day life and everything else you'd want to know about it. Before going forward, let’s see what the phone has to offer specs-wise.

Infinix Hot 10 Play Specifications:

• Display: 6.82-inches TFT IPS LCD panel, 90% screen-to-body ratio
• Resolution: HD+ (1640 x 720 pixels), 20.5:9 aspect ratio
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G35 (12nm)
• Memory: 2/4GB RAM, 32/64GB storage (expandable)
• Software& UI: XOS 7.0 on top of Android 10
• Rear Camera: 13MP primary lens, AI sensor, Quad-LED flash
• Front Camera: 8MP with dual flash
• Security: Physical fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
• Audio: Single speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack
• Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, Micro USB, OTG
• Battery: 6000mAh with 10W charging
• Colors: Obsidian Black, Morandi Green
• Price in Nepal: Rs. 15,990 (4/64GB)

Infinix Hot 10 Play Review:

Design and Build

• Glass front, plastic body
• Gem-cut design on the back

As you would expect with a device at this price range, the body of Infinix Hot 10 Play is completely made out of plastic. Still, you feel or hear any creaking and bending when applying pressure to the phone. Thus, the build is a sturdy one. The Obsidian Black color variant of the Infinix Hot 10 Play that I had for review has a rear panel that reflects and glitters. Though it attracted quite a lot of smudges and fingerprint marks, the panel does a good job of concealing them. The rectangular camera bump doesn’t protrude much from the rest of the panel. As a result, the phone doesn’t wobble when placed on a flat surface. The fingerprint scanner has been placed towards the top of an otherwise tall device. I have no complaints regarding the speed and accuracy of the sensor. The power button and the volume rocker are placed on the right side of the device. On the opposite side, you get the triple card slot. The phone doesn’t have a dedicated speaker grill thus the earpiece on the top does all the work. There is a microphone, a micro USB port, and a 3.5 headphone jack on the bottom of the phone. Coming to the hands-on feel, the device does feel heavy. The weight is also not uniformly distributed as the bottom of the phone feels heavier than the top. It’s a tall phone with a curved back that should help when holding it on hand.

Display

• 6.82-inch HD+ IPS panel
• Waterdrop notch for the selfie camera

The Infinix Hot 10 Play comes with a 6.82-inch IPS panel that is marginally bigger than the regular Hot 10. However, the resolution is still at HD+. The aspect ratio here is 20.5:9 which makes it taller than any other device in the price range. Coming to the quality, I found the display to have more contrast. As a result, colors look darker than they should. Similarly, pictures are not sharp as you would expect with an HD+ panel. One small note - the display is not protected with Corning Gorilla Glass so don't forget to apply the protection glass included in the box as soon as you unbox the device.

Performance

• Octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 SoC (12nm)
• 2/4GB RAM with up to 64GB storage (expandable)

Under the hood, powering the whole setup is the Helio G35 chipset from MediaTek. Only the 4/64GB variant of the Infinix Hot 10 Play is available in Nepal and it is what we have for review here. I found the configuration sufficient for my day-to-day usage.

Gaming experience

Infinix Hot 10 Play does come with a gyroscope that you can use in games like PUBG Mobile. Talking about PUBG Mobile, you can push the graphics to balanced and frame rate to medium. Similarly, COD Mobile can be played at low graphics and a high refresh rate. Here too, you get the Game mode that allows you to re-map the volume rocker button for an in-game function. Similarly, the Game mode comes with extra optimization for games like PUBG Mobile and Freefire. In Freefire you can play with graphics set to high and frame rate set to ultra. Similarly, there is a dedicated PUBG mode where you can choose between graphics quality and the smoothness of the gameplay. The haptics that kicks-in while typing or using navigation don't work while gaming. Moreover, the phone heats up a little during a long gaming session. You can feel the heat near the camera and the lower portion of the phone. However, it is not that big of a concern.

UI/UX

The phone ships with Android 10 with XOS 7.0 on top. The company’s custom UI comes with pre-installed bloatware, the majority of which can be uninstalled or disabled. You are not getting an ad-free experience either. You will have them on the top of the app drawer and as notifications from the pre-installed apps. Under the settings, you can find a setting called privacy feature which when enabled will let you know whenever an app uses your camera or microphone.

Camera

• Dual camera setup at the back
• (13MP primary, AI lens, Quad-LED flash)
• 8MP selfie camera with dual-flash

Talking about the camera, the phone has three of them. Don’t let the additional circular layouts fool you – the rear camera module encloses a dual-camera setup. The setup consists of a 13MP primary camera and an AI lens.

Normal Images

For a budget phone, daylight shots from the primary camera are okay-ish. The AI scene optimization is enabled all the time and because of it, you will get boosted colors on certain occasions. For instance, greens are unnaturally saturated whenever there is greenery in the frame. The photos are also lacking in dynamic range. Similarly, you will notice a reddish tone whenever there's a human subject in the frame.

Portrait Images

Though there is an option to shoot portrait shots it doesn’t work most of the time. Instead, it refuses to blur the background and all you get is blown up highlight. Similarly, the edge detection is not perfect whenever the portrait mode actually works.

Selfie Images

This is true for both the rear and front cameras.

Low-light Images

Despite the AI lens, low-light photos are rich in noise and as a result, cannot retain any detail.

Videography

Coming to the videos, you can record 1080p and 720p videos without any type of stabilization using this phone. You also get an option to record slow-motion videos but don’t expect to be blown away from the end product.

Battery

• 6000mAh battery with 10W charging

The battery is among the strengths of the device. The massive 6,000mAh battery lasted me a day even during heavy usage. On normal usage, it can last over a day and a half easily. Once it's drained, it takes around 3 hours for the phone to go from 0 to 100% using the 10W charger included in the box. When you connect the charger to the micro USB port, the front flash lights up which is visible when the screen is turned off.

Conclusion

To sum it up, Hot 10 Play is an effort from Infinix to offer a Hot 10-like package at a more affordable price. If you are looking for a budget display with a tall display and long-lasting battery life, you should definitely consider this. The performance is also on par with other budget devices. However, I strongly believe that the company needs to work on its camera and software if it were to challenge brands like Xiaomi and Samsung in the budget segment.

Infinix Hot 10 Play Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Tall 6.8-inch display
• Decent gaming experience
• Great Battery life

Cons:

• XOS skin needs polishing
• Unreliable cameras
• Slow charging, micro USB port