Unboxing the new Infinix Hot 7 and First Impressions

When Infinix launched the Hot Note back when I was in Second Year of Uni, a couple of things made us rush to buy the phone. The display size, the battery size, the storage, and the price. I remember in my class almost 5 people bought the device in one week. It stood out because it had great specs and was very aggressively priced at just KES. 9,999. I remember writing a review and complaining about a couple of things, and it wasn’t long after the review was up before I got a call from them offering to replace my faulty unit. They were new in the market, and they wanted their device to be perceived as a good phone. And I think the company deserves much credit for the good specs we see nowadays on affordable phones.

This year, big companies have realised that the big market is on affordable gadgets, and we’ve seen a lot of push from Samsung and Huawei to make great affordable devices. I already said 2019 is the year of budget phones, and almost every recent launch points to that direction. From Huawei’s Y series for 2019 to Samsung’s A and M-series.

The new Infinix Hot 7 is a direct answer to the Huawei Y6 Prime. There’s a fight going on for the market, and I cannot wait to see who wins. However, I am happy that we the consumers keep winning. Because for either of these companies to get our attention, they need to make great devices. Give us good specs and we will buy.

There’s three variants of the Hot 7:

• Hot 7 Android GO – Single 13MP camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 4000mAh battery, 3G only. KES> 9,999
• Hot 7 – Dual 13MP camera, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, 4000mAh battery, 3G only. KES> 10,999
• Hot 7 Pro – Dual 13MP camera, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 4000mAh, 4G/LTE. KES> expected 12,000

And I know many of you have already seen the deal breaker. No 4G on all models. I’ve got the 2nd device, and I don’t thing I will enjoy the lack of 4G. Whoever advised the company to make such a decision in 2019, a year when even the most basic of smartphones have 4G, really messed.

It comes with a 32nm processor when the Helio A22, a 12nm processor is available. Decisions like this, plus the lack of 4G make me wonder if the company lost touch with the consumers they looked to please when they launched that great Hot Note device

But I’ve got comments from people who say they don’t mind lack of 4G. 3G is either good enough for them, or they have Wi-Fi access and wouldn’t care that much. I don’t know about you.

I’ve made a whole video from unboxing to sharing a couple of thoughts on design, build quality, the lack of 4G, and some comparison with the Huawei Y6 here. Watch it:

There’s a gift hamper included for people who buy early and inside you’ll get a bag, a smartphone holder and a keychain. Inside the box of the phone you’ll find the phone, a plastic back cover, a screen-protector, a micro-USB cable, and the 5v 1.2A charger.

The device reminds me of the Infinix Note 5 from last year. It feels like the Note 4, and the Note 5 had a baby with a notch. The back cover is removable, don’t mistake it for glass. I wonder what made them choose a removable back cover

The headphone jack is at the top. At the bottom you find the micro-USB charging port (this time unlike in almost every other Infinix phones it is upright), and a single microphone. The speaker is a single grill at the back. And yes I’ve already blocked it a couple of times when holding it in my hand. The volume rocker and power buttons are on the right and I like that there’s a rough finish that helps you automatically distinguish the different buttons.

I will be sharing my full review of the device soon, where I will talk about that camera setup, test out if the extra lens is worth it, talk about the performance because I don’t like that it comes with a 32nm processor when the Helio A22, a 12nm processor is available. It is decisions like this, plus the lack of 4G that make me wonder if the company is serious about the market, or if they already lost touch with the consumers they looked to please back when they launched that great Hot Note device.

What are your thoughts on the device? Check it out on Infinix Mall.