The Infinix Hot 9 was launched in India recently and along with it, a Pro variant was also announced. The brand ‘Infinix’ is well known for launching great innovative smartphones in the sub Rs. 10,000 price bracket, the Infinx S5 Pro was the first budget smartphone under 10k to feature a pop-up selfie camera. With the Hot 9 series too, Infinix has done a lot of experimenting to keep up with the trend but with so many entry-level phones in the market, it is really difficult to cope up with the offerings from other competitive brands.
The latest Infinix Hot 9 series is the successor to Infinix Hot 8 and it still packs a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset and the brand has its own reasons to offer an entry-level chip. Apart from these, the Hot 9 series has a lot more to offer. Read on to find out whether the Infinix Hot 9 Review.
Infinix Hot 9: Design and Display
The Infinix Hot 9 is built really well the design is something that makes the device stand out from the rest. When you first look at the phone, it seems pleasing and well-articulated. We have to give this to Infinix for making the Hot 9 look exceptionally great compared to the devices that fall under the same price segment. The subtle gloss at the rear with gem cut texture gives a nice feel to the phone. The rear of the device is definitely a fingerprint magnet and there are smudges all over it, but that’s not something to complain about as that’s the case with all smartphones that have a glossy finish at the rear panel.
On the back, the phone sports a camera module that will seem familiar to those who have seen camera modules in some of the Samsung and Vivo phones. The fingerprint sensor sits at a convenient central position at the back.
On the front, the Infinix Hot 9 features a 6.6-inch HD+ 720p punch-hole display. The phone has a high screen-to-body ratio of 90.5%. The screen resolution is pretty impressive and even at low-light conditions, you wouldn’t have to squint your eyes to read-up stuff at your phone.
The variant that we are reviewing is the violet color and compared to some previous Infinix phones, the colors on this are less flashier. But overall in terms of design aesthetics and build quality, Infinix Hot 9 is a great device and is far superior to other devices that fall under the same price bracket.
Performance and Battery
The Infinix Hot 9 is an entry-level device and is priced at Rs. 8,499, so keep the expectations in check. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 SoC that is clocked at up to 2.0 GHz. The processor is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. It is important to note that the phone is not meant for demanding gaming or running applications like Photoshop Express. Having said that, the phone performs basic tasks quite flawlessly.
To remind you, that’s the same processor that we had seen on the Infinix Hot 8 series, and the Hot 9 series is an upgrade, but not in terms of performance. Its the same as before and that’s not bad. For an entry level device, the Hot 9 with Helio P2 processor is capable enough to handle all the day to day tasks easily accompanied my mild gaming. Even the PUBG mobile performance is playable and is okay for casual gamers.
The Infinix Hot 9 houses a massive 5000mAh battery that can last for more than a day on a single charge. If you don’t use your phone extensively, it could also last for up to 2 days. However, there is no USB-C port, nor is there any support for fast charging. You will have to make do with the age-old USB port, which charges the phone at its own languid pace.
Infinix Hot 9: Camera
The Infinix Hot 9 features a quad-camera setup on the rear which includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor, 2-megapixel macro sensor, 2-megapixel depth sensor along with a Low-light sensor. This is the area where the Hot 9 has improved a lot compared to the Hot 8. The cameras at the rear are supported by triple-LED flash. The camera app on the smartphone has many different modes including the AI Cam, Beauty, Bokeh, AR Shot, and panorama modes. There is an in-built Google lens icon placed right beside the shutter.
We tested out the camera performance in different light settings from bright daylight to low light conditions. The camera produces decent results during daylight but sometimes the pictures are so bright exposure glitch and that completely blows up highlights. We even tried to capture the sky and the clouds and it does not do a very good job at metering light and tends to overexpose the sky in a few shots. The camera is just fine and does the job, and considering the price of the device you can’t ask for more.
Talking about the front camera, in our opinion, is quite better but you could still notice the noise in some pictures and that is really off-putting. The 8-megapixel sensor fails to perform in low-light conditions but puts out decent results in good lighting situations. Overall the front facing camera is quite good.
Here are some of the camera samples, do have a look:
Infinix Hot 9 Review: Should you buy it?
The price for the Infinix Hot 9 is Rs. 8499 and is a great offering at the price at which it is available and it is a decent package with a decent display with a modern punch-hole design, a massive 5000mAH battery, and great aesthetics. On paper, it has all the features you expect in a mainstream phone and that too under Rs 10,000 and delivers what the device portrays.
The Infinix Hot 9 is a good buy for someone who is looking for a budget offering with decent specs. But in case you want something extra, like a better gaming performance around the same price point, a Redmi phone or a Realme phone is better.
Pros:
- Great Build quality
- Impressive Design
- Massive Battery that can easily last 2 days
- Front camera is decent enough
Cons:
- Below Average Camera Performance
- Bloated UI
- Average Processor
