Recently we had Infinix HOT 30 smartphone on our review. Today I have received the younger model – Infinix HOT 30i. As you have probably already guessed, the device has more modest characteristics compared to the older model. HOT 30i has a smaller screen diagonal, weaker processor, less RAM. But the younger version has a faster type of drive (UFS 2.2 instead of eMMC 5.1), and it is cheaper on average by $50-60. A quick acquaintance showed that this is quite an interesting smartphone, which is well worthy of its own review. Today we’ll take a closer look at the HOT 30i, run various tests, benchmarks and games on it, and check what its cameras are capable of. Well, as always, let’s start the review with brief technical specifications of the device.
Technical specifications
- Processor: Unisoc T606, 8 cores (2×Cortex-A75 1.6 GHz + 6×Cortex-A55 1.6 GHz), maximum clock speed 1.6 GHz, 12 nanometre process technology
- Graphics chip: Mali-G57 MP1
- RAM: 4GB, LPDDR4X type, expandable by 1/2/4GB virtual memory
- Storage: 128 GB, type UFS 2.2
- Display: IPS; 6.56 inches; 720×1612 pixels resolution; 20:9 aspect ratio; 90Hz screen refresh rate; 269 ppi pixel density; maximum claimed brightness 500 nits; 90% screen-to-body ratio
- Main camera: 2 lenses (main and ToF). Main lens 13MP, aperture f/1.9, maximum video resolution 1920×1080 at 30fps, digital zoom, digital stabilisation, Dual LED flash
- Front camera: 8MP, aperture f/2.0, maximum video recording resolution 1920×1080 at 30fps
- Battery: 5000 mAh Li-Pol; maximum charging power 18W; with support for fast charging
- Operating system: Android 12
- UI shell: XOS 10.6.0
- Communication standards: 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE) with VoLTE support
- Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/g/n/ac) with Dual Band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Display; Bluetooth 5 with LE Audio; NFC module
- Geolocation: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
- SIM card slot: 2×Nano-SIM (2 sim cards + 1 memory card)
- Memory card support: microSD up to 1 TB
- Sensors and sensors: fingerprint scanner, gyroscope, digital compass, light sensor, proximity sensor
- Dimensions: 164.0×75.75×8.40 mm
- Weight: 191 g
- Complete set: smartphone, charger, USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, case, SIM card clip, user manual
Price and positioning
Like the older model, the Infinix HOT 30i is a budget smartphone. But considering its price, I would say that it is not just budget, but ultra-budget. The device is ideal for those who are looking for the most inexpensive smartphone with a good level of performance, autonomy and the presence of modern options, such as NFC, Face ID, fingerprint scanner and the like. At the time of writing the review, the price range for this model varies from $112 to $185.
I went through popular online shops, marketplaces, catalogues to study the prices of HOT 30i in detail and I can say that the average price for this model is $127.
Infinix HOT 30i complete set
The smartphone comes in a branded lettuce cardboard box, exactly the same as the Infinix HOT 30. In terms of design and informativeness, the packaging design is rather standard. On the front side we see the brand name, model designation, the specified amount of RAM and storage, brief information about the installed battery and charging. There is nothing interesting on the sides. On the back of the box there are brief technical specifications of the smartphone.
Inside the box is waiting for us:
- smartphone
- 18W charger
- USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable
- SIM card removal clip
- cover
- user manual
In principle, we see quite a standard package, everything we need is there, everything is in place. We could be a little bit annoyed that there are no headphones and protective glass. But there is no need for a protective glass, because from the factory the display is already covered with a protective film. And as a rule, nobody uses standard headphones. Therefore, we do not consider these points a disadvantage.
Design, ergonomics, build
For the most part, the design of the HOT 30i is exactly the same as the older model, but there are still some slight differences. Now we will look at the design in more detail, but first a few words about the available colours. There are 4 colours available for this model: gold, blue, black and white. I received the last variant for review – a white smartphone.
The front panel of the smartphone is occupied by a 6.56-inch display. The ratio of the display to the body of the device is 90%. The dimensions of the bezels, if measured together with the body, are as follows: 4 mm on the sides, 7 mm on the bottom, 5 mm on the top. The front camera is located in a drop-shaped cutout. By the way, in the HOT 30 model it was made in the form of a dot and was located right on the display.
The back panel of the smartphone is fully covered with plastic, which successfully imitates glass. There is a simple pattern, but on the white model of the smartphone it can be seen only at an angle. In the upper left corner we see 2 large camera lenses and a flash. By the way, such a large size of lenses is due purely to a design decision, because the cameras are quite ordinary. In general, it looks interesting and will definitely attract attention. The Infinix logo is located at the bottom.
The edges of the smartphone are straight, it can stand on them on the table without any problem. The material looks like metal, most like aluminium. On the left edge at the very top there is a tray for sim cards and memory card. By the way, the tray is for 3 slots, so you can freely place 2 sim cards and 1 memory card. On the right edge are the power/lock buttons (it is also a fingerprint scanner) and volume control. There is nothing on the top edge. On the bottom are standard ports for 3.5mm headset, USB Type-C charging and speaker holes.
The main material in the design is plastic, except for the side insert. The smartphone itself is thin and light. It weighs only 191 g. At the same time, it can not be called small, compact. Dimensions 164.0×75.75×8.40 mm. Thanks to this design, the device is very comfortable in the hand. The thumb can easily reach all areas of the screen without interception and to the lock and volume buttons. This allows you to comfortably operate the smartphone with one hand.
I have no complaints about the build itself. The smartphone is built qualitatively, firmly, reliably. Nothing squeaks, does not loosen, does not bend. For this, a definite plus.
To summarise the design, ergonomics and build: everything is excellent. The design, as to me, is interesting and original, but at the same time without pretentiousness. It is convenient to operate the smartphone with one hand, one finger without intercepting the device. The quality of materials and assembly itself is excellent.
Read also: Infinix HOT 30 smartphone review
Infinix HOT 30i display
The Infinix HOT 30i features a 6.56-inch IPS display. It has a resolution of 720×1612 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. There are 3 options available in the settings to adjust the refresh rate: 90 Hz, 60 Hz and Auto.
The pixel density is 269 ppi. The picture, individual elements, text look clear on the display, not blurred.
The touchscreen display recognises 5 simultaneous touches. Yes, it is not much, but you can play games on the device without any problems.
Peak brightness of the display is 500 nits. There is also support for dark zone enhancement technology (DRE), which allows you to use the smartphone outside in bright sun without problems. About the brightness of the display, I have a small complaint. Comfortable level of brightness, personally for me, on this display is achieved only when setting the level at 100%. Anything lower than that is a bit dark. Otherwise, there are no problems with brightness.
As for colour reproduction, in general, it is not bad. Colours don’t look pale or over-lit like on some budget phones. There are no problems with contrast, as far as I am concerned. The picture is quite contrasty, black colour looks good.
Viewing angles are wide, I didn’t notice any distortion of colour or the image in general when looking at it from an angle.
In terms of operation and sensitivity, the display is excellent. It clearly and quickly responds to all actions: taps, swipes, gestures. And when the frequency is set to 90 Hz, it becomes incredibly smooth. To summarise, I can safely say that as for an ultra-budget model, the display is simply wonderful.
Components and performance
For its price segment HOT 30i has good components. The smartphone is based on the Unisoc T606 processor. It has 4 GB of RAM type LPDDR4X, which can be increased by virtual another 4 GB. And a modern fast UFS 2.2 type drive with 128GB of storage. As always, I suggest going through each component, examine them in detail and run performance tests. Let’s start with the main thing – the processor.
CPU and graphics chip
Unisoc T606 is an 8-core processor that was announced in September 2021. The process technology is 12 nm. The architecture of the cores is as follows: 2 Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 1.61 GHz and 6 Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.61 GHz. Accordingly, we have a maximum clock speed of 1.61 GHz. The Mali-G57 MP1 chip is responsible for the graphics here. In general, this is a pretty good processor, which can often be found in budget devices.
RAM
The smartphone has 4 GB of LPDDR4X type RAM. It can be increased by 1, 2 or 4 GB by adding virtual memory from the smartphone drive. The drive we have here is fast, the volume is more than enough. That’s why I see no sense not to use this function and set the maximum allowable volume for increasing – 4 GB. This is done in the “My Phone” settings – “RAM” section.
Data storage
The smartphone has a 128GB UFS 2.2 type drive. As far as I am concerned, 128 GB is enough for today. But if it is not enough, there is an option to install a microSD card up to 1 TB. In this case, you won’t have to sacrifice the SIM card slot. As for the speed of the drive, everything is excellent. As a confirmation, here are the results of AnTuTu and 3DMark tests.
Performance tests
We’ve gone over the components, now it’s time for tests. For this purpose we will use the standard set: Geekbench 6, PCMark, 3DMark, AnTuTu Benchmark and CPU Throttling Test.
As we can see, the results are quite typical for such components and a budget device in general. According to my personal feelings, the level of performance is quite good. OS navigation, application work, web surfing, video watching are more or less smooth. I didn’t notice any serious slowdowns and lags during the whole testing period. Comfortable optimal level of performance – this is approximately how you can describe the work of Infinix HOT 30i. The smartphone copes with normal everyday tasks without problems, and nothing else is required from it and nothing else.
Performance in games
Even though we don’t have a gaming smartphone, it’s still interesting how it copes with mobile games. Especially since the manufacturer has added several technologies that aim to improve the gaming experience. Among them are Dar-Link gaming assistant, AVSYNC Vivid Display algorithm, X-Turbo technology, Pace Orientation Enhancemen technologyt.
Dar-Link Engine – a gaming assistant with which you can optimise performance and picture quality in games. AVSYNC Vivid Display – a special algorithm that improves picture quality in games and videos. X-Turbo – technology that prevents a sharp drop in performance in games by efficiently allocating the device’s resources. Pace Orientation Enhancement – surround sound technology that allows you to better orientate yourself in games.
Asphalt 9: Legends
At the “Default” graphics settings the game works well. By feelings, we have more or less stable 30 FPS. No freezes and sharp drops in performance were noticed. In principle, the graphics settings can be raised to the “High Quality” level. In this case we will lose a little in performance.
Diablo Immortal
At the lowest graphics settings, the game, according to feelings, produces somewhere around 12-15 FPS. Playing at this level of performance is uncomfortable, and there is nowhere to lower the graphics settings. Bottom line: Diablo Immortal HOT 30i, unfortunately, does not pull normally.
Arena Breakout
At minimum graphics settings the game is generally not bad. We have about 25-30 FPS, at which you can play. No freezes or sharp performance drops have been noticed.
8 Bit Fighters
This game runs on our smartphone perfectly. Actually, it is not surprising, because the game is not demanding at all.
Need for Speed No Limits
The smartphone also had no problems with this game. Performance is good, we have stable 30 FPS. There are no freezes and sharp drops in performance in the gameplay itself.
HOT 30i can cope with more or less simple or average games in terms of iron requirements. But if you want to play something more resource-intensive, like Diablo or Genshin Impact, you will most likely face problems with insufficient performance. Either you will have to sacrifice graphics settings or be satisfied with low FPS with sags.
Read also: Infinix GT 10 Pro smartphone review: for gaming and beyond
Cameras
The main camera of HOT 30i is made by two sensors – main and TOF. The main lens is 13 MP. Aperture f/1.9. The video records in Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) at 30 frames per second. There is digital stabilisation, zoom and Dual LED flash.
The front camera is 8MP. Aperture f/2.0. Records video also in Full HD resolution at 30 frames per second.
Camera app
Back when I reviewed the Infinix HOT 30, I noted that the camera app was pretty rich in customisation. The Infinix HOT 30i is expectedly no exception, although some things have been removed. Gone is the short video mode, the movie mode, and overall the photo and video settings are a bit more sparse. Otherwise, it’s still the same app.
Of the available modes in HOT 30i we have: AI CAM (default), slo mo, video, beauty, portrait, super night, AR shooting, panorama, documents, slow motion.
AI CAM is a basic photo mode that doesn’t require you to make any additional settings. The algorithm recognises what you’re shooting, under what conditions, and automatically optimises settings to get the best shots. For example, if you open the camera app in the evening or in the dark, AI CAM will set the camera itself to Super Night mode. If a person or face appears in the frame, the app will switch on portrait mode. Pointing the camera in a cafe at a plate of dessert will inform you that it’s food. And a special filter will be applied to the photo. Sometimes the mode can surprise you. For example, I pointed the camera at the paw of a cat, while it was not completely visible, and the camera noted that the frame is a pet. In general, the function is implemented interestingly, it recognises quite a lot of different scenes. And by the way, it can combine them, for example: super night + portrait, sunset + HDR and so on. AI CAM works for both main and front cameras.
From the advanced settings there is HDR, flash, photo aspect ratio, zoom, light filters. There are not very many global settings for photo and video modes. In fact, here is everything that is available.
Photos and videos on the main camera
In good daylight, the photos on the main camera turn out, in general, not bad. Especially if we take into account the fact that the smartphone costs only $130. There are, of course, problems with frame overlighting, but they are easily solved by the brightness slider. It’s enough just to slightly reduce the brightness and the frame has a completely different appearance.
The camera supports HDR. In good lighting conditions, the difference is especially noticeable in contrasting and darker parts of the photo. In low light, the difference is almost invisible.
There is a 4x zoom, which, in principle, shows itself quite well. At magnification ×3 and ×4, the detail already drops noticeably. But for a budget camera, I think the photos still turn out pretty good.
Portrait mode photos are unusual. It looks like some kind of effect or filter has been applied to the shot, when in fact it’s just shooting in portrait mode. Overall, I like the way this mode works on the HOT 30i.
You can shoot panoramas with the HOT 30i, but the photos are mostly over-lit. I often see this problem on budget cameras, so I don’t see the point in being too picky about this model.
Photos in low artificial light, of course, lose detail, but still have a decent look. Here, of course, a lot depends on the quality and quantity of light. Sometimes you get good shots.
Evening photos on the HOT 30i come out every once in a while. Some photos turn out so well that at first glance you can’t even tell they were taken on a budget smartphone. And some are exactly the opposite.
For evening and night photography, there is a separate Super Night mode that makes photos a little brighter. You can see the difference.
As for shooting video on the main camera, I’ll say this: it’s quite possible to shoot video. Especially, it concerns evening shooting. If videos shot in the daytime in good lighting on almost all budget phones look plus or minus the same, then evening shooting on many models suffers a lot. Infinix HOT 30i in this respect, you can say, well done, evening shooting of average quality it can provide without problems.
Photos and videos on the front camera
The quality is okay. I will say this: seen worse, seen better. HOT 30i is somewhere in the middle. Although sometimes you manage to make a really cool shot.
What we can say as a result of the cameras: it is quite possible to shoot, but you should not expect something supernatural. If we take into account the segment of similar budget smartphones, the HOT 30i cameras are far from the worst, and far from the best. As I said before: somewhere in the middle. Considering the maximum affordable price of the smartphone, the cameras are just right for it.
Read also: Infinix Zero Ultra smartphone review: Is it a flagship or not?
Sound
The sound of the HOT 30i is very ordinary. The quality is acceptable. The speaker does not beep or cut the hearing. It is quite possible to watch videos or play games with the sound from the speaker. The volume level is sufficient in principle. By the way, the sound in HOT 30i comes with support for DTS technology. But to be honest, I didn’t notice any volume in the sound at all.
The only obvious disadvantage is the fact that the speaker is located on the bottom edge of the smartphone. I, for example, often covered it with my finger when holding the smartphone horizontally.
To listen to music, of course, it is better to connect a normal headset or headphones. By the way, the HOT 30i has a standard 3.5mm jack.
Communication
Infinix HOT 30i supports simultaneous installation of 2 Nano-SIM and 1 microSD card. The tray in the smartphone is triple. So there are no limitations and no compromises.
Supported mobile communication standards: 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE) with VoLTE support. Support for 5G, actually, like the older model, there is no support.
For the test I checked the simultaneous work of my mobile operators Lifecell and Vodafone and I did not find any problems with cellular communication. The connection is stable, the signal level is the same as always, the mobile Internet speed shows the usual results.
There are no complaints about the quality of the built-in microphone and speaker. During phone conversations, I could clearly hear the interlocutor and he could hear me too. The volume level of the speaker is more than enough.
Wireless technologies
For wireless connectivity, the HOT 30i has Wi-Fi 5 with Dual Band support, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Display. And Bluetooth 5 with LE Audio support. There’s also an NFC module for contactless payment.
Just like the older version, there is support for Link-Booming network optimisation technology. Thanks to this technology, Wi-Fi and mobile Internet channels work in parallel, which allows you not to lose connection when one of them is disconnected. The manufacturer also claims that this technology reduces battery consumption and optimises ping in network games.
I would like to note that during the whole time of testing the smartphone, I had no problems with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections. The smartphone quickly connects to the router. Both to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz range. Internet connection speeds while doing so are typical for Wi-Fi 5 and my home network. The smartphone also found wireless headsets and headphones quickly and connected to them without any problems.
In terms of supported geolocation standards in HOT 30i everything is standard: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo.
Software and XOS shell
Infinix HOT 30i runs on Android 12, which can be noted as a minus. Now you can find smartphones from the same price segment that run on Android 13.
The smartphone has its own proprietary shell – XOS. At the time of writing the review, the current version of XOS V10.6.0.
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The shell is very similar to MIUI from Xiaomi or HiOS from Tecno. If you are familiar with at least one of them, you are familiar with XOS.
You can navigate in the system using three buttons or gestures. During initial startup and setup, your smartphone will ask you for the desired navigation option.
There are standard methods of unlocking protection – graphic key, pin-code, password and more advanced – fingerprint with Face ID. By the way, I tested unlocking with a finger and FaceID – it works clearly and quickly.
Some of the interesting XOS customisations include: AI Assistant, Marathon Endurance, XOS Lab and a separate menu section called “Special Features”.AI assistant – an assistant that literally studies your behaviour, habits and based on them creates recommendations and provides various useful information. For example, recommendations of sporting events, services for buying airline tickets, formation of healthy habits, weather at the point of arrival, reminder of regular payments. The AI assistant also includes the Smart Acceleration feature, which studies your app usage statistics, predicts which ones you will launch, and pre-loads the necessary resources to speed up your work.
Marathon Endurance is a proprietary technology that allows your smartphone to significantly extend its runtime on the last 5% of its charge. It is very convenient when there is no possibility to recharge.
XOS Lab – new experimental features will be available here, which you can be one of the first to try. Unfortunately, there was nothing in this section at the time of writing the review. But in general, the idea itself is interesting.
Special functions are a separate menu in the smartphone settings. There is RAM expansion, side smart panel access and settings, turbo social networking, game mode, app cloning, video assistant, inbuilt MOL translator, actions and gestures.
In principle, from the names of many functions it is already clear what they are for and what they do. I think it is only worth explaining a little bit what Turbo Social Network, Video Assistant, MOL and gesture actions are.Turbo Social is a feature designed to improve communication in WhatsApp and other messengers. Although the description mentions “other messengers”, I still see the most settings just for WhatsApp. To be honest, I don’t use this messenger, so I can’t fully evaluate this feature.
Video Assistant – blocks alerts when you’re watching videos on apps like Google TV or YouTube.
MOL – inbuilt translator that can translate text and voice messages in messengers on the go in real time.
Action and gesture – meaning not only gestures performed on the smartphone display, but also gesture actions performed with the smartphone itself. For example, answering a call by simply holding the smartphone to your ear, double-tapping the display to unlock the smartphone, turning the smartphone upside down to mute it, and so on.
Among the interesting installed branded apps are: XTheme, XArena, Marathon Endurance. I have already talked about Marathon Endurance. I will explain what XTheme and XArena are in a nutshell.
XTheme – branded themes and wallpapers for your smartphone. Here you can also choose some interesting fonts for your system.
XArena is a gaming assistant and optimiser in one person. Here you can switch on or off the game mode and its individual options like blocking notifications, incoming calls or auxiliary game bar. Here you can collect and view your gaming stats. You can even switch on the function to fight game addiction for self-control or parental control. Of particular note is the built-in Dar-Link Engine assistant, which can be used to optimise game graphics and device resources for the best performance and more.
XOS is an interesting and well-optimised shell with a lot of really useful features. Personally, I have no complaints about the OS and its individual elements. I didn’t notice any brakes, lags, bugs during the whole time of using the smartphone.
Infinix HOT 30i battery life
The Infinix HOT 30i features a 5000 mAh lithium polymer (Li-Po) battery. It comes with an 18W charger. It takes an average of 3 hours to fully charge your smartphone.
As for battery life, the Work 3.0 Battery Life test with PCMark showed that the smartphone can last 7 hours and 50 minutes with active continuous use. The test was run at 100% screen brightness and 90Hz refresh rate.
Excellent battery life. It is safe to say that with normal use of the smartphone, it will easily last a whole day without recharging.
Conclusions
Infinix HOT 30i is a pretty good smartphone for its price segment. Original design, quality execution, acceptable level of performance, excellent autonomy, original proprietary shell, NFC and affordable price of the device. Cameras at the smartphone are simple, however, bad they certainly can not be called bad. Of the minuses can be noted only an old version of Android, but, as far as I am concerned, it is not so critical. In general, I think that for its price HOT 30i is a decent smartphone, which is worth paying attention to.
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