As a lifestyle blogger who attends a lot of food, travel and entertainment events I am always looking for a phone that can help me bring out the best of the event I am covering. Pictures are critical but good cameras are expensive and cumbersome so it’s a good thing phone manufacturers are coming up with new phones with really good cameras so that we can be able to take great pictures without having to break the bank. A couple of weeks back I got the new Infinix Hot S and so far, I am loving it.
After having the phone for some time now, here’s my review for the device.
Design
When I got the phone, the first question I asked myself was what does the ‘S’ stand for? I mean why an S? Well, first of all, the device is crazy light for its 5.2 inches, which too me is a good thing because who wants to carry a heavy phone around?
Also, have you ever felt powerful just by taking out a phone from your pocket? That’s exactly how its strong metallic frame – which protects the phone whilst giving it a smooth elegant finish – makes the device feel. Powerful. Strong. Sleek. Sexy.
This is where the ‘S’ to me comes in. Because the phone’s sexy sleek design also made me feel sexy just by whipping it out from my bag or pocket.
Fingerprint security
The Infinix Fingerprint Identification Technology is one of the greatest specs of the new Hot S.
Located at the back of the phone and with only one touch, you can unlock your phone, answer calls and take pictures all through the easy access of your fingerprint. I found this very convenient in terms of privacy and also because I sometimes forget the passcode to my phone, making the fingerprint command super easy for anyone with my condition lol.
Unlock with just the palm of your hand
The device also has a ‘Take Unlock’ feature that enables you to unlock the phone by waving your palm across the top of the phone. How cool is that? You can also unlock your phone with literally just the simple gesture of your hand.
Speed
As a young person trying to keep up with the latest news, trends and happenings, the speed of your phone is very important. There’s nothing as boring as following a thread on Twitter or trying to reply to comments on Instagram or Twitter DMs and your phone hangs! It’s a problem I’ve experienced before one too many times, but with the octa-core processor of the Hot S, lagging behind isn’t an issue for me.
I found that I could go on almost all my social media sites while replying to text messages and listening to music and it all goes smoothly without a hitch. Plus the processor functions in such a way that the phone doesn’t heat up – which is a sign of its CPU heating up; but that doesn’t happen with my Hot S.
Battery
Battery life is a major factor that most people look at when they’re buying their phones and from the experience of the Hot Note, which has a 4000 mAh Li-Po battery, the Hot S is also quite impressive in terms of battery life. For a person who is either always on the move or always on their phone, the Hot S doesn’t disappoint.
With its 3000 mAh battery which is slightly less than the Hot Note, it fortunately has a 1.5mAh fast charging capability making the low battery option almost impossible for this device. It also can last up to 3 days, depending on how much you use the phone but the standby intelligence power saving mode allows the battery charge to last longer – with the obvious restriction of usage of some of the apps.
It also works out amazingly especially when you stay in an area prone to blackouts (may God touch the hearts of Kenya Power). In a situation like this where I would have otherwise have dashed to a coffee house near me just to charge my device, the long-lasting battery capability of the Hot S takes me all the way till my candle-lit dinner time as I wait for power to be restored. This is one of the things that Infinix has perfected, batteries that last a long time.
The front camera soft light that helps in taking those clear selfies in low light doesn’t work after the battery charge is at 15% which some might see as a disadvantage but it helps in reducing battery usage; even if you can’t take those bomb selfies anymore.
Camera
Everyone craves the perfect picture, and the Hot S 8MP front camera with 1.4um ultrapixel technology takes amazing selfies. As a blogger, writer and all-round event junkie, both cameras come in really handy especially when it comes to taking those impromptu selfies with artists and friends. What’s even better is the front camera has a soft-light selfie flash, allowing you to take selfies even in low-light – and the photos don’t have that dreaded red-eye effect neither are they blurred.
It comes in multiple modes: Beauty, normal, wide selfie, professional, square etc. The beauty mode almost immediately activates when you put it on selfie mode – to help highlight your skin’s brightness and also help to filter out most flaws. This means that you don’t necessarily need to download other phot0 editing apps to accentuate your selfie – unless you want to.
I personally found it really awesome when I had to take a selfie and it would come out amazing even when my skin just refused to co-operate in the morning – so that means adios to those tiny black spots and pimples when taking a selfie with the beauty effect mode on.
The wide selfie enables you to enjoy a 120 degree wide angle shot making sure no one is left out in the selfie.
The camera also has a zoom effect that lets you zoom into a photo to almost four times, making it easier to capture photos that are far away which is awesome for bloggers like me who need to sometimes take pictures from far at entertainment events. The pictures taken at the 4.0x effect aren’t as clear as the normal ones which is a side effect of the zooming but they aren’t blurry so it’s still a win-win situation.
Entertainment
It is a phone that’s fun to use. I was able to watch videos very nicely and it is also a great phone for gaming. My colleague David over at E-labz did a video unboxing that you can see that here.
Some Key features
The phone is 4G enabled which is awesome because Safaricom now offers 4G. The 4G enabled device, which runs on XOS Chameleon v2.0.0, has an internal storage of up to 16GB which can be extended to 128GB and a fast speed enabled by its octa-core processor.
The Hot S, also known as the x521, comes in a beautiful almost cream-colored encasement that just builds up the excitement of the gadget you’ll find inside. It also has a protected seal on the side which prevents on the possibility of tampering. Inside, you find a charger head, USB cable, earpiece, warranty cards and the gadget itself which has protective nylon stickers on the screen and at the back.
The SIM tray is on the left side of the device which can be opened using the SIM ejector pin with the volume and power buttons on the right. The charging port and speakers are at the bottom with the earphone jack at the top.
Issues of concern
Just like the Hot Note, the battery isn’t removable which might become a problem if the battery unfortunately fails. The phone has a warranty for one year so it shouldn’t be an issue for the first year.
The SIM card tray only has an allowance of two micro SIM cards or one micro SIM card and the memory card; meaning you can only choose one option, either you have two SIM cards without the memory card or you have one SIM card with the memory card. This is quite the downfall for users like me who use two phone lines.
My take
From the short time I’ve had the phone, I believe that it’s an ideal smart phone and definitely worth the Kshs 14,000 on Jumia. Coupled with the powerful sleek design, quality front and rear cameras, octa-core processor and the fingerprint identification, the Infinix Hot S is definitely a good buy especially if you’re a high functioning social media and selfie addict.
I like it because it fits perfectly with my lifestyle. I am able to look glamorous in my pictures (selfies with the stars), take some professional looking shots, the phone looks good when I whip it out in public and it is also a great gadget to watch those YouTube videos and play games.
With all the incredible features and obvious needs of a young person in today’s increasingly growing digital world, the Infinix Hot S is a device suited for everyone who loves style, elegance and who wants value for money.
The Sleek and Gorgeous Infinix Hot S is Now Available in Kenya
