The Infinix Smartphone you should get

Smartphone Manufacturers, Infinix, has been on a roll in the last month. They just announced their latest Hot S4 following the Hot 7 and Zero 6 announcements. And they did a great job on this one. You see, this year, we’ve seen very similar design elements in Smartphones. Most commonly a notched, 6.2-inch LCD display and a Dual camera setup around back. Thus, the design refresh on the Hot S4 is definitely a welcome change. And it doesn’t stop there. Features like a triple rear camera setup, a 32MP selfie camera, and 6GB of RAM definitely sets apart their latest phone from the rest of the competition.

Key Specs

• 32MP AI Selfie Camer
•  6.2″ HD+ Waterdrop Display
• 13MP+8MP+2MP Triple Rear Camera
• Octa-Core 2.0 GHz Processor
• 4000mAh Battery
• 50,000-65,000NGN; Depending on Storage/Memory Configurations

Display/Build

Perhaps the most underwhelming feature. The Infinix Hot S4 sports a 6.2-inch HD+ display. And it looks much better than the traditional notch style we’re used to. Although it’s still a TFT panel, and it’s still 720p, the display quality on the S4 is just above average. Notwithstanding, It gets really bright and has good contrast ratios. TFT panels aren’t known for excellent viewing angles but that would be confirmed with a review unit.

Looking past the Display, however, the Hot S4 has a striking design. All three color options have this Premium look to them. Very much in contrast to the cheap, plastic feel associated with Color gradient options like the Hot S4. The three colors are Nebula Blue, Twilight Purple, and Midnight Black. Overall, the S4 looks and feels more Premium than it is. Plus it’s really light–A little below 150grams.

Performance/Storage

The S4 would have absolutely no issues in terms of performance. An Octa-Core Mediatek6762 Processor–clocked at 2.0Ghz–sits at its core. Meaning it should zip through your everyday tasks–and pretty much any others thrown at it. The Hot S4 comes in two variants. There’s a 3GB RAM version–Alongside 32GB internal storage. For Gamers and Power users though, the 6GB/64GB version is a more appealing choice.

On the Software end the S4 also ships with Android 9 Pie, skinned with Infinix’s XOS 5.0 Cheetah. Right off the bat, Navigation styles and Quick Menus present a much cleaner feel. Infinix also stated that XOS 5 would make use of actual Artificial Intelligence, for the first time. Coupled with machine learning, processing would be based on much more Intelligent algorithms. Which would further enable much smarter Image Recognition, Intelligent Power Saving, and Resource distribution. A 4000mAh battery sits under the hood–And should take you through most of the day.

Cameras

Another Strong selling point of the Infinix S4 is its Cameras. Most especially the selfie shooter; A Single 32MP lens with f2.0 Aperture. Yup!..32MP…You read that right! And it’s loaded with lots of advanced modes that Infinix dubs “AI features”. For instance, AI 3D beauty mode–where 1024 points on your face are mapped and you’re provided with multiple customization options, even in a video. We’re also getting Face Unlock, blemish removal, Portrait and AR stickers (like Snapchat didn’t have us making enough faces at our phones lol). The lens is placed in a Super-Slick Teardrop Notch. For this reason, there’s no front flash. Pictures are lit up by the entire screen flashing really brightly for an instant. You’d definitely play around more often with this camera–Taking Stunning and goofy pictures alike.

On the Rear, we’re getting a Triple camera setup. A 13MP main shooter + An 8MP Depth Shooter + 2MP Ultra-wide lens. Portrait mode photos are thereby, no problem for these cameras. There’s a Quad-Flash just below the vertical camera array. The rear setup doesn’t miss out on AI features neither. Advanced scene detection, bokeh mode and AR stickers for filters. This camera can capture up to 1080p in 30fps thanks to the Helio Processor it’s running.

Others

As for Network Connectivity, Yes, the Infinix S4 supports 4g. I was really expecting a USB-C port but I guess that’s an exclusive feature for the Zero series. Not surprisingly, there’s still a headphone jack. A fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the phone, despite the Face Unlock option. And we’re getting (nano) Dual-Sim support, and Micro SD Storage expansion up to 128GB. We also get the usual array of sensors and connectivity options. The 32GB/3GB RAM version costs 49,990NGN while the 64GB/6GB version costs significantly more with a 64,500 launch price.

Verdict

At a time when Smartphone Manufacturers, Infinix included, have sat back and released very similar-looking phones with similar feature sets across the board, the Infinix Hot S4 is a breath of fresh air. This is the first phone from Infinix in 2019 I actually felt was an actual upgrade. A new design element, impressive Performance, and way more advanced cameras than your typical offering puts it in the Smartphone Spotlight. Which makes up for even the Mediocre display. In fact, feature-wise, the S4 is arguably on par with Infinix’s present Flagship; the Zero 6. And at just half the price of the Zero 6, the Hot S4 clearly takes the lead in Price/Performance ratio and overall Recommendation.

All things considered, the Infinix Hot S4 is, without a doubt, the Infinix phone to have in 2019.