Infinix, the renowned smartphone manufacturer, recently unveiled its Gen-Z focused Hot 30 series, comprising the flagship Hot 30, the Hot 30i, and the Hot 30 Play. While we have already provided an in-depth review of the Hot 30, it’s now time to turn our attention towards the Hot 30 Play.
The Infinix Hot 30 Play arrives in an attractive green box with a stylish blue bottom, containing essential accessories such as a case, Type-C cable, 18W charger, earphones, sim ejector tool, and, of course, the Infinix Hot 30 Play smartphone itself.
When it comes to design, the Hot 30 Play is an absolute stunner, particularly in the captivating Bora Purple variant. Personally, I have a soft spot for purple phones and would love to see more options like this in the market. Apart from the striking color, the phone boasts a sleek and premium feel, thanks to Infinix’s decision to employ a lightweight glass-like design.
Moving on to the camera setup, the Hot 30 Play features two camera islands along with a separate one for the LED flash, which we’ll discuss in more detail shortly. At the bottom, you’ll find the Infinix logo, while the side houses the side-mounted fingerprint reader embedded in the power button, as well as the volume rockers. On the left side, there is a nano-SIM card slot with room for two cards and an additional slot for expandable storage.
At the bottom of the device, you’ll find the headphone jack, microphone, type-C headphone jack, and a bottom-facing speaker. Turning our attention to the front, we are greeted by a stunning 6.82-inch screen, boasting a refresh rate of 90Hz and HD+ resolution. The screen’s beauty is slightly interrupted by the punch-hole cutout for the front-facing camera. Nevertheless, it remains a bright and vibrant display, perfect for binge-watching your favorite Netflix titles. The fast refresh rate adds to the overall user experience, making scrolling through social media, browsing, and gaming incredibly smooth and enjoyable.
Now, let’s delve into the performance of the Infinix Hot 30 Play. It not only looks the part but also delivers impressive performance. Equipped with a Helio G37 chipset, 8GB of onboard memory, and up to 8GB of virtual RAM, this device is a powerhouse. Additionally, it provides 128GB of onboard storage, ensuring ample space for all your apps, files, and media. Out of the box, the Hot 30 Play runs on Android 13 and XOS 12.6, offering a seamless and user-friendly interface.
During my time with the Hot 30 Play, this combination proved to be more than capable. Multitasking was a breeze, and I experienced no lag while gaming. However, it’s worth noting that heavy titles such as Genshin Impact and PUBG may require running at medium graphics settings for optimal gameplay performance.
Battery life is always a concern for smartphone users, but fear not, as the Hot 30 Play is equipped with a massive 6000mAh battery. With this battery capacity, you can easily go through two days of moderate to heavy usage without any anxiety. Even after a day of intense usage, I consistently ended with around 40% battery remaining, providing peace of mind for the following day. While the included 18W charger charges the phone relatively quickly, it’s important to note that charging the substantial battery fully requires a bit of patience. From empty to 86%, it takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, and to reach 95%, it takes approximately 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Now let’s talk about the camera capabilities of the Hot 30 Play. While it doesn’t boast the same camera setup as its big brother, it still delivers impressive results. The rear cameras consist of a 16MP main lens and a depth sensor, while the front-facing camera boasts an 8MP resolution. Both back and selfie videos are capped at 1080p 30fps.
In daylight conditions, the Hot 30 Play captures excellent photos and selfies, showcasing vibrant colors, good background separation, and impressive details with decent dynamic range. However, in low-light situations, the phone struggles a bit, lacking a dedicated night mode. Despite this, it still manages to capture decent photos and selfies, ensuring you’ll be satisfied with the results.
In conclusion, the Infinix Hot 30 Play ticks all the boxes for what you’d expect in a sub-20K smartphone. Its eye-catching design, impressive performance, reliable cameras, and solid battery life make it one of the best smartphones available in Kenya within this price range. If you’re on a budget and looking for a feature-packed device, I highly recommend checking out the Infinix Hot 30 Play.
The Infinix Hot 30 Play is currently available for purchase at a price of Ksh 18,399 through Infinix’s retail stores nationwide, as well as online via XPARK, their official online store. In addition, Infinix offers two other models in the Hot 30 series, the Hot 30i priced at Ksh 15,499, and the Hot 30 priced at Ksh 22,899.