Infinix Hot 50 review: cool performance, hot price

The Infinix Hot 50 is the brand’s latest budget smartphone, starting at Rs 9,999 in India, and comes with rather powerful hardware for its price point. It features MediaTek’s Dimensity 6300 SoC, up to 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of onboard storage. There are also some other notable features, that make this phone a worthwhile proposition for its price. Let’s discuss these in my comprehensive review of the device below. 

Verdict

Design

The Infinix Hot 50 brings a few design tweaks compared to the previous model. It now sports a fresh pill-shaped camera module with three square rings holding the camera sensors. You can pick from four colours: Dreamy Purple, Sage Green, Sleek Black, and Vibrant Blue. I got the Sage Green version for my review. The back has a matte finish, which helps with fingerprints and smudges. It also has a nice feel to it. The rounded edges make it comfortable to hold, and thanks to good weight distribution, it feels light and easy to carry.

Cameras

The Infinix Hot 50 features a dual rear camera setup that includes a 48MP Sony IMX582 sensor paired with a 2MP depth sensor and an 8MP selfie camera. The primary camera is competent at taking detailed photos in daylight, though it can sometimes overexpose images, which can result in washed-out colours and subpar white balance. The primary camera also boosts colours noticeably, which might appeal to users who like vibrant images.

It is especially evident in Green and Blue hues. Coming to human subjects, the phone does a good job of capturing skin tone, which are quite close to reality. The selfie camera’s colour science is similar to the rear cameras, and the images are quite appealing, though details aren’t as rich. 

Infinix has certainly impressed me with its low-light capabilities and the Hot 50 is no exception. The phone takes some really good low-light shots with good colour reproduction and detail level. Although the phone does take about 4 seconds to capture an image at night, which might bug some users. We compared the camera performance of the smartphone with some of its closest rivals, check it out below:

Daylight

Comparing the daylight shots of the Infinix Hot 50 and itel Color Pro 5G side by side, there’s some things that become apparent right away. The latter’s image is much sharper and has a cooler hue than the one shot using the Infinix Hot 50. The detail level in Hot 50’s image is not on par since it’s quite soft. The itel Color Pro’s colours, although on the cooler side, represent the scene more closely. The Infinix Hot 50 in comparison does a better job of bringing out the details in the sky, although with obvious colour correction.

Low light

In low-light settings, the Infinix Hot 50 and itel Color Pro 5G both take surprisingly good images for budget smartphones. Looking closer however, you’ll immediately notice that the latter’s image has better sharpness and details compared to its counterpart. The Infinix Hot 50’s feels a little more illuminated due to its warmer hue, but the itel Color Pro handles lens flare, object detailing and details much better. 

While the Infinix Hot 50 doesn’t measure up to the itel Color Pro 5G, it does a better job in low-light settings compared to the Realme Narzo N65. Both phones take softer images but the latter’s image has visibly more grain when zoomed in a little. The details also aren’t as clear as the Infinix Hot 50. 

Selfie

When it comes to selfies, both the Infinix Hot 50 and itel Color Pro 5G take good looking images. While comparing them side by side, you’ll notice that the former takes more detailed images, which captures both the skin texture and cloth texture, which the itel Color Pro fails to achieve. Neither phones portray an accurate skin tone, so the colour science is down to preferences. 

When comparing the selfies of Infinix Hot 50 and Realme Narzo N65, the former manages to capture better facial details. The former’s image is also sharper compared to the Realme Narzo N65 which makes it look more appealing. Although, the Realme Narzo N65 has the best skin colour reproduction of the bunch.

Performance & software

The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC powers the smartphone, paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage which is expandable up to 1TB. I received the 8GB variant for review and found the day-to-day performance quite satisfactory. It handled everyday tasks like browsing Instagram, using UPI apps, and streaming YouTube and Netflix smoothly. In terms of benchmarks, the phone is towards the top in this price range and can even serve as a casual gaming device.

Our team tested games like BGMI, COD: Mobile, and Real Racing 3. On medium settings, it averaged 57 FPS on COD: Mobile and 27 FPS on BGMI. Lowering the graphics in BGMI can improve the FPS for a smoother experience. The Xarena feature also enhances the gaming experience.

The smartphone runs on XOS 14.5, based on Android 14 out of the box. While Infinix hasn’t confirmed any major OS upgrades, the phone will receive two years of security updates, which raises concerns about long-term support. On the plus side, the OS runs smoothly and isn’t bogged down by excessive pre-installed apps. Since AI is trending, the phone includes some AI-based features, like an AI wallpaper generator. While it works most of the time, the results can be a mixed bag, so its best to temper expectations.

One of the more useful features is AskAI, which activates when you long-press text, offering quick summaries and works seamlessly across apps. The phone also includes Dynamic Bar, a feature similar to Apple’s Dynamic Island, showing animations during charging, music playback, calls, and more. For multitaskers, floating windows and the smart panel work well together. Additional features include MemFusion for virtual RAM expansion, XClone for app cloning, and a dedicated game mode to enhance your gaming sessions.

Battery & charging

A standard 5,000mAh battery fuels the smartphone and comes with 18W fast charging support. While we typically test batteries using the PCMark benchmark, this phone didn’t play well with that test. Instead, using the 3C battery manager, it clocked in at 9 hours and 46 minutes of screen time, which is a decent result and should easily last a full day for most users. In my personal use, I didn’t quite hit that number, but I got over 7 hours, which I was happy with.

As for charging, the phone comes with a 10W charger, and it took 2 hours and 3 minutes to charge from 20 to 100 percent. The charging speed is pretty standard for this price range, though with fast charging becoming more common, I’d like to see faster speeds in budget phones going forward.

Final verdict

The Infinix Hot 50 comes in two RAM variants, 4GB and 8GB which are priced Rs 9,999 and Rs 10,999, respectively. For its price, the device has a lot going for it. It has a capable processor that makes it one of the best performing devices in the segment. The cameras deliver decent results, with surprisingly good low-light performance and capture lovely selfies. The battery is another highlight, that offers ample screen-on-time for most users, though the charging speed could use some improvement.

In terms of competition, the Infinix Hot 50 goes up against the itel Color Pro 5G (review) and the Realme Narzo N65 5G (review). The itel Color Pro 5G offers similar, if not slightly better, performance, and its cameras are a bit more impressive. The Realme Narzo N65, which shares the same processor as the Hot 50, delivers equally solid battery life and comes with the added benefit of two OS upgrades, enhancing its longevity, although it’s a bit more expensive.

If you’re on a budget and looking for a reliable all-around performer, the Infinix Hot 50 is a strong option worth considering.

Editor’s Rating: 8 / 10

Reasons to buy:

• The smartphone is built quite well and comes with IP54 water & dust resistance for added durability. 
• The Infinix Hot 50 is one of the top performers in its price range, offering smooth and reliable performance.
• The phone’s cameras provide surprisingly good results, especially in low-light conditions. 
• The device offers a long battery life that will easily last most users an entire day. 

Reasons not to buy:

• The display’s brightness is not ideal for outdoor use, making visibility difficult in bright environments.
• Charging speeds are decent but could definitely be improved.
• The phone won’t receive any major OS upgrades, which could limit its future usability.