Perfect selfies are the least of most wanted or coveted features in a modern smartphone but it’s a good leverage especially in a crowded market. The Infinix host S has a comparatively excellent front facing camera, just perfect for those selfies. Whether it’s enough to win over majority of consumers is any ones guess, all I know at least for now is; with an 8Megapixels shooter, selfies taken on this device will be just as good. For a start, I must comment Infinix mobile for various reasons; they’ve managed to penetrate a rather unpredictable Kenyan market juts when the likes of Tecno and Huawei were making milestones in popularity. Secondly, features customized specifically to an average smartphone phone consumer without overpricing was a well thought strategy – I got mine at Kshs. 13,700 (USD 130), they’ve an appreciable support as well.
Design Overview
Looking at the design language on this phone, it feels as premium as it can get. I compared with Tecno’s latest flagship – the Phantom 6 and it felt as thin though slightly thicker 8.1mm with somewhat premium material that produces nice curves around the edges and comes in five colors; Champagne Gold, Med Blue, Glossy Silver, Berlin Gray and Rose Gold. But yet again this wouldn’t be a fair comparison as the Hot S X521 is priced half the price of tecno’s flagship.
Overall, the design is elegant at best, you have a choice of five colors and the feel doesn’t disappoint as well at this price. It’s hard to rate the battery as the results will vary from one user to the other, but the capacity has a good figure 3000mAh and is well supported by what infinix calls a 1.5mAh fast charging feature. At 140grammes, we’ve no reason to complain. The Infinix Hot S (X521) comes with Infinix first Fingerprint Identification technology out of the box; with just a touch, you can answer a call, shoot a picture or execute special actions.
Cameras and Photography
Unlike the phantom 6, Infinix Hot S (X521) doesn’t come with dual back cameras, instead, a 13Megapixels shooter that’s coupled with dual LED flash rests at the back. Photos taken on this device are good, but it’s hard to imagine those rivaling expensive competitors. On the other hand, I was really impressed by the front facing sensor. For those who have extreme love of selfies, I must acknowledge awesome photos taken on this device. The front facing shooter has an 8Megapixels sensor with 1.4 µm ultra-pixel technology that also capture hi-res selfies. A front LED flash was just an overkill in my opinion though.
Display Panel
The Infinix Hot S (X521) has a 5.2inch HD – Ready (1280x720p) resolution that’s well far below current industry’s benchmarks with premium competitors going for 2k and 4k resolution. With all fairness, I’d have hoped for at least FULL HD (1920x1080p) resolution of this device.
Performance and Storage
With a 16GB internal memory and a choice of 2GB or 3GB RAM, the Infinix Hot S doesn’t do well in comparison with competition. Though an octa-core processor comes in hand on heavier applications.
The Infinix Hot S (X521) Main Specifications
- Screen Size: 5.2 Inch HD-Ready (1280X720) Touchscreen
- Internal Memory & RAM: 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM (expandable with microSD up to 128GB)
- Processor Speed: 1.3GHz Octa-core Cortex 64bit
- Operating System: Android Version 6.0
- Camera: 13MP Back Camera, 8MP Front Camera both with LED Flash
- Battery: 3000mAh
Currently, this device is available and can be ordered from local online retailers for about Kshs. 13,700 (USD 130)