Chinese smartphone manufacturer Infinix has lifted the covers off the Hot 6 Pro, a budget smartphone with a modern 18:9 bezel-less display and a dual camera setup. The budget smartphone segment in the country is quite saturated with offerings from other Chinese smartphone manufacturers, with Xiaomi completely dominating the scene with its cheap yet powerful devices. The sub-10000 INR price bracket has seen a major influx of devices with bezel-less displays and dual camera setups which, more often than not, aren’t as great as the companies claim them to be. So, how does the Infinix Hot 6 Pro hold up against the competition? Is it actually a great device or is it just another Chinese budget smartphone which will be forgotten soon after release? In order to answer these questions we took a close look at the Hot 6 Pro, which is currently retailing for Rs. 7,999, and here’s what we found out:
Before we get to the nitty-gritty and deliver our final verdict for the Infinix Hot 6 Pro, let’s get the raw specifications out of the way. Here’s what Infinix has packed within the Hot 6 Pro:
What’s In the Box
Design & Build Quality
When it comes to the design, the Infinix Hot 6 Pro look a bit too familiar. The device has a horizontal dual camera setup on the back with a round fingerprint on the center which instantly reminds me of the OnePlus 5T. While the entire case is made up of plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap and the 4,000mAh battery adds a bit of heft to the device which makes it feel a bit more premium. The front is dominated by the 6-inch HD display which is flanked by thick bezels on the top and bottom and thin bezels on either sides. The top bezel houses the front facing camera and an LED flash on either side of the earpiece, along with other sensors.
Even though the Infinix Hot 6 Pro doesn’t have a revolutionary design, it looks rather minimal and feels quite sturdy which is more than what one could expect from a device in this price range. All-in-all, the Hot 6 Pro has a decent design and I couldn’t think of anything more that I could want from an affordable device like this.
User Interface
The Hot 6 Pro features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC coupled with Adreno 308 graphics and as you’d expect, the device’s performance won’t blow you away. The dated processor and GPU, which were released back in 2016, are decent enough for everyday tasks like calling, texting and web browsing, but if you’re expecting to play graphics intensive games on this device, you’re gonna be disappointed. I tried playing PUBG Mobile on the device and even though it automatically selected the lowest possible graphics settings, the device didn’t perform well, often dropping frames and stuttering during gunfights.
Cameras
Pictures captured by the primary dual camera setup aren’t super sharp, but they’re fairly usable and the camera will get you by in day to day use. In bright daylight, the camera is able to capture just enough detail to qualify the images as decent, however, in low light conditions, the camera just gives up. Images have barely any detail and there’s a whole lot of noise. In well lit scenarios, the camera also tends to overexpose the images, making the background too bright .
The device also comes with portrait mode functionality on the rear camera setup, thanks to the secondary 2MP lens, but much like the normal shots, the portrait mode images aren’t anything worth talking about. Edge detection is wonky at times, images turn out fine in decent lighting and the bokeh effect looks just about okay. It’s worth noting that while the camera is pretty snappy while clicking images in auto mode, it takes a fair bit longer to click and process portrait mode images. If you’re thinking of getting this phone for its camera prowess, then I’d advice you against it, but if camera quality is something which you can overlook then you can probably live with the camera on the Hot 6 Pro.
The 5MP front facing selfie camera is below average, capturing smooth images with little to no detail. There’s no portrait mode on the front facing camera and it gets even worse in low lighting conditions. Selfies clicked with the device were just so bad that even Arti, who’s an avid fan of taking selfies, was sad and disappointed.
Connectivity
The Hot 6 Pro packs in a respectable 4,000mAh battery which is probably the only saving grace for this device. The smartphone is easily able to power through the day with heavy use with enough battery left at the end of the day to last you most of the next day. Charging up the massive battery with the included charger could be a bit frustrating as it only delivers a max output of 5V/1.2A, however, since the device supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 standard, you can speed up the process by investing in a supported charger.
Cons:
- Lackluster performance
- Awful user interface with ads
See Also: Samsung Galaxy A6+ Review: Overpriced and Underpowered
Coming to the final verdict. Should you spend Rs. 7,999 on the Infinix Hot 6 Pro? Quite frankly, no. You could go for it if you’re looking for exceptional battery life on a budget device with a large display. But then you could also go for the Xiaomi Redmi 5 instead, which costs just a thousand bucks more and offers a significantly better user experience, a more powerful processor and a big bezel-less display. On top of that, you’d probably also get better after sales services with the Xiaomi device as it has an elaborate network of service centers across the country. You’d be right to bring up the fact that the Redmi 5 doesn’t have a dual camera setup, but then again, what good is the dual camera setup on the Hot 6 Pro? It’s nothing but a gimmick and at this price range you’d be better off investing in a smartphone which has a single decent camera than on one which has two bad ones.
