The Infinix HOT 30 Play is the younger sibling of the impressive HOT 30, offering an attractive package at a more affordable price of KES 18,399. Let’s dive into the details and find out why this device stands out in this review.
Design:
The HOT 30 Play boasts an eye-catching design, particularly in the vibrant Bora Purple color option. The phone has a premium feel, thanks to its light glass-like design. The rear of the device features two islands for the cameras and a separate one for the LED flash. The side-mounted fingerprint reader is cleverly embedded in the power button, along with the volume rockers. The left side houses the nano-SIM card slot, which can accommodate two cards and an additional slot for expandable storage. At the bottom, you’ll find the headphone jack, microphone, type-C headphone jack, and a bottom-facing speaker. The front showcases a gorgeous 6.82-inch screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and HD+ resolution, slightly interrupted by the punch hole cutout for the front-facing camera.
Performance:
The HOT 30 Play not only looks the part but also delivers impressive performance. It is powered by the MediaTek Helio G37 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable via microSD). The phone comes with Android 13 and XOS 12.6 out of the box. This combination ensures smooth multitasking and gaming experiences, although heavier titles may require playing at medium graphics settings for optimal performance.
Battery Life:
One of the standout features of the HOT 30 Play is its massive 6,000mAh battery, which offers an impressive claimed standby time of 48 days. Infinix claims that you can still enjoy up to 2 hours of talk time when the battery level reaches as low as 5%. In real-world usage, the phone easily lasts two days with heavy use, alleviating any concerns about battery life. The included 18W charger enables relatively fast charging, although it still takes some time to fully charge the large battery.
Cameras:
While the HOT 30 Play doesn’t boast the same camera setup as its flagship counterpart, it still offers solid camera performance. The rear camera setup consists of a 16MP primary shooter and a secondary AI camera, accompanied by an LED flash. For selfies, there is an 8MP front-facing camera. The phone captures impressive photos and selfies during daylight, with decent colors, background separation, details, sharpness, and dynamic range. In low-light conditions, the camera struggles slightly but still manages to produce good results, despite the lack of a dedicated night mode. Overall, the HOT 30 Play delivers satisfying camera capabilities.
Verdict:
The Infinix HOT 30 Play ticks all the boxes for what you would expect from a sub-20K smartphone. It combines an eye-catching design, impressive performance, reliable cameras, and solid battery life. These features firmly establish the HOT 30 Play as one of the best smartphones under 20K in Kenya. If you are on a budget, this device is highly recommended for its overall value.
Pricing and Availability:
The Infinix HOT 30 Play is available for KES 18,399 at Infinix’s retail stores across the country, as well as online at XPARK, the company’s official online store. If you’re considering other options within the HOT 30 series, the HOT 30i is priced at KES 15,499, while the flagship HOT 30 is priced at KES 22,899.
