Hands-on Review: My Experience With Infinix Hot Note

Contents

Let me start by saying that the 4000mAh battery on this Infinix Hot Note didn’t disappoint! As a matter of fact, this device has the longest battery life of all the phones I’ve used recently and I’m really impressed. We reviewed Infinix Hot last year and claimed it was the best budget phone money could buy then, but this is much better and yes, it’s a lot bigger!

For almost a week now, I’ve made Infinix Hot Note my second device, using it day-to-day, trying to put every feature to use in order to come up with a honest review. So far, this appears to be the best device from Infinix.

What’s in the Box

For more unboxing images, you may need to see this article. The device comes in a relatively compact box and you might think what you have inside is a regular smartphone instead of a phablet.

Included along with the device are these items:

A USB cable
A charger
A pair of earphones
And a user manual

There is no power bank (since you won’t be needing it anyway), neither is there a flip cover.

Quick Specifications

Before we jump straight to the review, you might be interested in this quick specifications. Please check this post for more detailed specifications.

RAM: 1GB
Internal Storage: 16GB
Processor: 1.4GHz Octa-core
SIM : Dual SIM (Micro SIM)
Display: Size : 5.5 inches, 720 x 1280 pixels
OS : Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Battery : 4000 mAh (Li-polymer)
Connectivity: 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC

Physical Appearance

Infinix Hot Note is a pretty big phone. At 5.5″, it’s no longer just a smartphone, it is a phablet and if you have a phobia for large screens, it isn’t for you. The phone looks better than its predecessor in terms of design. The edges are less curved and when held, the phone feels well-built and strong. I have a feeling it should be able to withstand some abuse.

The 2MP front-camera is located at the right side of the earpiece and there’s absolutely no branding at the front of the phone. A lot of users who prefer to have a “clean” look on the front-end will definitely love this. Below the screen are the three soft keys. The soft keys are not backlit.

The plastic back cover has a beautiful brushed metal finish. The cover can be removed but mind you, it’s only so you can insert or remove the micro-SIM cards or the SD card. The battery is not removable.

At the top-left corner sits the 8MP rear camera with the LED flash just below it. The frame isn’t cluttered with buttons and trays, there’s only the volume keys and power button on the right.

The earpiece jack is at the top while the USB port is placed at the bottom of the device. Overall, the phone has a very clean look.

Display

Like they always say, the bigger, the better. Infinix Hot Note has a 5.5 inch IPS display. The screen is pretty big and as you know already, movies are better watched on such screens. Also, if you’re a mobile gamer, games look better on bigger screens.

Infinix Hot Note has a resolution of 720×1280 and for regular users, it’s pretty clear and bright. It comes with auto-brightness and the display is visible outdoors under the sun. However, such resolution against a 5.5″ screen often result in lower pixel density but still, Infinix Hot Note display looks great.

Battery

This is the aspect of the phone that impressed me the most. Infinix Mobile claimed you can use the 4000mAh battery for straight two days and I sure did (with moderate use though). During this time, I followed the regular battery saving tips like closing unused apps, turning off 3G when not needed and other things.

The battery performance can best be described as exceptional. Infinix Hot Note is a phone truly made for a market like Nigeria. However, with heavy use, you should be able to use it for a whole day without needing to charge.

It’s worth mentioning that the battery is non-removable though the removable back cover might suggest otherwise. The fast-charge feature too is awesome. Within 30-40 minutes, the charge level should reach about 50% and the phone should be fully charged in about one hour or so.

Memory & Storage

As mentioned earlier, the phone has a 1GB random access memory and an in-built storage of 16GB though only about 11GB is available to the user. That notwithstanding, there’s a SD card slot that supports up to 32GB external storage.

Performance

Infinix Hot Note has a 1.4GHz octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor and this makes the phone respond pretty fast. Applications run smoothly I did run a few resource hungry games and I didn’t notice any laggig. Also, the 1GB RAM allows you to multitask efficiently.

The graphic processing unit is powered by a Mali-450 graphics chipset.

The phone performed quite well too when benchmarked with AnTuTu:

With a score of 27,994, the phone is ranked bove HTC One and slightly below LG3.

Operating System

Infinix Hot runs Android 4.4.2 and it comes with OTA update for upgrade and bug fixes. The UI is a bit customized as the white Holo theme is customized, same as the notification center.

The only drawback here is that the app drawer can’t be sorted by the user (alphabetically or most used).

I found myself installing Nova Launcher on the phone to take better control of the app drawer.

Network & Connectivity

This is a dual-SIM phone and both SIM cards (micro) can work simultaneously. The device should work with all GSM networks as the supported bands are shown below:

2G Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900
3G Network: HSDPA 1900/2100

As expected, the phone is WiFi enabled, comes with bluetooth and of course, NFC (Near Field Communication). Infinix Hot Note has a feature called HotKnot that lets you transfer data between devices by simply touching them against each other.

Camera

A huge pixel resolution does not always equal to great pictures. That was the reply I gave someone who wondered why the phone didn’t come with a 16MP camera. The rear camera on Infinix Hot Note is only 8MP but delivers and captures clear pictures. Below is a picture taken out door with the camera.