It has been more than a month since publishing my first impressions of the Infinix HOT 8. I would have had the full review up, but someone said the battery would be bad in a few weeks. I am guessing 5 weeks is the least I could try to test this claim. And there’s nothing to say: the 5000mAh battery is good. Maybe in a few months there’ll be issues, but that will be speculating. And a review now cannot speculate about the future, that’s wrong.

You can read my battery test of the HOT 8 here. What I didn’t have in that article is that I love traveling with the HOT 8 because of one thing: I can watch and watch and watch without killing it.

I captured a lot of things in both my impressions post, and my battery test article. You should read both of those articles to get the full picture of this phone if you’re planning on getting it.

And if you just want a conclusion before reading everything: Yes, buy this phone if you want to. Because of a couple of things:

• Great value for money: You’re getting good specs, at a good price.
• Great battery life: nothing else around this price point comes with this battery size.

There’s three models of the HOT 8 by the way:

• HOT 8 (3GB RAM, 32GB Storage, Triple Cameras) – Jumia Exclusive KES. 11,899.
• HOT 8 (2GB RAM, 32GB storage, Triple Cameras) –  KES. 10,999.
• HOT 8 Lite (2GB RAM, 32GB Storage, Dual Cameras, NO 4G) – KES. 9,999.

The model I’m reviewing is the 10k model. I believe you should pick either this 10k model or the 11k model. The 11k model is way better in terms of value for money, being that it packs 3GB RAM for less than 12k. I would have loved to review that, because most of the phones from many companies around this price point this year have packed a Helio A22 and 2GB of RAM. A 3GB RAM phone would be a different experience.

If you have around 12k, and want a good phone with good battery life, I believe that 11k model is a phone you should seriously consider. More RAM would mean better handling of tasks, better gaming, and more apps staying in memory.

Design:

I’ve complained enough about Transsion designs this year. If you read all my reviews, you know I’ve touched on this on all TECNO and Infinix phones this year. The company chose one look, and went with it on all their phones. It is boring. And something I’ve just realised is this: it may work for the company, as people will be buying the looks whether 25k or 10k. But it will may also backfire when people can’t differentiate the different devices.

I wish to see more thought come next year into Infinix and TECNO devices. I want to see something unique, and different. Like in the past. You remember the BOOM J8? Or the Infinix HOT S, the S2, and the S3?

Screen:

This is literally the same screen on like 5 Transsion phones this year. Yes it is good. The only issue is brightness outdoors. Which is something only much more expensive phones handle well.

What you need to know though: if you love small phones, this hasn’t been your year. This is 6.6 inch device. It will not only look big if you’re moving from a small device, it will probably be unusable for you.

However, if you enjoy content on large screens, movies, music videos, reading and all sorts of entertainment will be good. I’m saying good, not great. Why? Because I wish it were a Full HD display. It is a 720p panel, and if you’re moving from a 2K panel, like I am, you’ll notice the dip in quality. I wish they even made a 15k variant with a Full HD panel. That would be nice. More-so if you’re a YouTube addict like I am.

In the time I’ve had the HOT 8, I’ve done a couple of trips, always packing the device for one thing: movies. My reason isn’t because the screen is amazing for movies. No. My reason is the battery life. However the 6.6 inch screen has made it a good experience. If only it were Full HD.

Performance:

Talking of watching movies, I’ve had one issue with the phone: some lag with Bluetooth Headphones. It isn’t always there – sometimes you’ll play something and it’ll be almost in real time, but other times you’ll see the video is ahead by some fraction of a second from the audio in your ear. I don’t think this has anything to do with my earbuds, because they’ve been awesome with my other devices, even the TV. I guess there’s something to do with the phone’s performance that has led to such lags.

But generally, performance is good. Like I’ve said, it is the usual you get from this processor.

Cameras:

In the First Impressions article I said:

Well, the Spark 4 happens to have the exact same setup. Which means if you want to know what sort of pictures you’ll take with this phone, check out the Spark 4 Camera review.

However, a couple of things to note:

• The HOT 8 processes the pics differently. Which makes some look duller
• The HOT 8 camera app doesn’t really acknowledge the extra lenses work in any way. At least on the Spark 4 when you block the lower lens you see a message on the app.
• The Spark 4 I feel has a better camera experience. But it could be bias.

I’ve got an article on TECNO Spark 4 vs Infinix HOT 8, check it out.

Conclusion:

The thing about the HOT 8, is though there’s nothing new in terms of performance, or design, there’s reason to be excited to get one because it is Infinix going back to what started the HOT line with their first device: HUGE BATTERY FOR LESS CASH.

From the battery test article I said:

I don’t want to say this is the first 5000mAh battery phone. Of course not. But this is the first time this will be a major thing. Especially given the prices of the HOT 8 Series. This will definitely influence many more devices to ship with 5000mAh batteries going forward.

I believe Infinix’s decision to have a 5000mAh battery will influence many more companies in the coming months.

I also think, it is a good phone to get. I know I’ve said this for many other devices, but that’s what it is with most phones nowadays. They all feel worth getting, provided you have the money. Remember though, get the 11k model.

Unboxing Video:

Infinix HOT 8 Specifications:

NOTE: Main difference between HOT 8 and the HOT 8 LITE is in 4G Support, Cameras, and Processor.